How to pick the right nic salt strength without overdoing it

Most adults who vape nic salts settle on one of three strengths: 20mg/ml, 10mg/ml or, in a few ranges, 5mg/ml. As a starting point, heavier smokers often begin at 20mg/ml, lighter or social smokers at 10mg/ml, and 5mg/ml suits people who have already stepped down and vape often. If you are unsure, start at 10mg/ml: it is the easiest middle ground to move up or down from.

This guide is for adults (18+) who smoke or used to smoke. Vapes are not for non-smokers or young people.

What the numbers on the bottle mean

Strength is written as milligrams of nicotine per millilitre of liquid. A 20mg/ml nic salt is 2% nicotine, the highest strength allowed for sale in the UK, and nicotine e-liquid comes in bottles of 10ml at most.

Nic salts are a different form of nicotine to the freebase used in shortfills and many traditional e-liquids. The practical difference is feel: a nic salt is much smoother on the throat at higher strengths. That is the whole appeal, and also the trap. A strong freebase is harsh enough to slow you down, while a strong nic salt goes down easily, so your body can notice you have overdone it before your throat does.

A quick strength guide

5mgLight: for people who have already stepped down, or who take lots of puffs through the day

10mgMedium: a common start for lighter or social smokers, and for anyone unsure

20mgStrong: often where heavier smokers start, and the strength many single-use vapes used

Treat this as a starting point, not a rule. How often you vape and the kit you use both change how strong a liquid feels.

If you are switching from smoking

Think about how you smoked, not just how many. A few useful questions:

• How many a day? Someone on a pack a day usually needs more nicotine than someone who smoked a few at the weekend.
• How soon after waking? If your first cigarette came soon after you got up, 20mg/ml may suit you better at first.
• Quick breaks or long sessions? If you smoked in short breaks, a stronger liquid that satisfies in a few puffs fits that pattern.

As a rough guide, heavier smokers often start at 20mg/ml and lighter smokers at 10mg/ml. Many adults use vapes to move away from smoking. If that is your aim, the NHS Better Health quit smoking pages, your GP or a pharmacist can help you plan it.

If you are moving from freebase e-liquid

Freebase strengths look lower on paper (3mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg are common), so the numbers alone can mislead you.

• From 3mg or 6mg in a sub-ohm kit: those kits make a lot of vapour per puff, so even a low strength delivers a fair amount. Jumping straight to 20mg/ml in a pod kit is a big change. Start at 10mg/ml, or 5mg/ml if you vape often.
• From 12mg or 18mg in a mouth-to-lung kit: you are already used to a stronger liquid in a similar style of kit, so a 10mg/ml or 20mg/ml nic salt will feel familiar, just smoother.

What matters is how much nicotine actually reaches you, and that depends on the strength, the kit and how you puff, not the number on the label.

If you used single-use vapes

Many single-use vapes contained 20mg/ml nic salt. They have been banned from sale in the UK since 1 June 2025, and reusable kits with refillable or replaceable pods have taken their place.

If 20mg/ml always felt right, there is no need to change. But if long sessions sometimes left you feeling rough, a refillable pod kit lets you choose your strength instead of taking whatever the bar came with. Dropping to 10mg/ml is often the first thing people try.

Signs you have gone too high

Nicotine that is too strong for you usually makes itself known quickly. Watch for:

• Feeling light-headed or dizzy
• Nausea or feeling sick
• A headache
• A racing heart or feeling jittery
• Feeling "off" and not wanting to vape for a while

For more detail, read too much nicotine: understanding the side effects.

Signs it is too low

Going too low has its own problems. If cravings come back soon after vaping, you find yourself puffing almost constantly, or you empty pods much faster than you expected, the strength may not be satisfying you. Stepping up one level can mean fewer puffs overall.

Your kit and habits change the answer

The same bottle can feel very different from one person to the next. Two things make the biggest difference:

• Power: a higher-powered kit turns more liquid into vapour with each puff, so the same strength hits harder. Nic salts are made for low-power, mouth-to-lung pod kits, and our guide to which devices work best with nic salts explains why.
• Frequency: if you vape steadily all day, a lower strength is often more comfortable. If you take a few puffs now and then, a higher strength may satisfy you sooner. Some people keep two bottles, 20mg/ml for the first vape of the morning and 10mg/ml for the rest of the day.

How to adjust without guesswork

1. Pick a starting strength

   Use the guide above. If you are torn between two strengths, choose the lower one.

2. Give it a few days

   Your first day with a new liquid is rarely typical. Judge it after three or four days of normal use.

3. Change one thing at a time

   If you change strength, kit and flavour all at once, you will not know which one made the difference.

4. Step down when you are ready

   To cut back, move down one level at a time, for example from 20mg/ml to 10mg/ml. Many ranges make the same flavour in both strengths, so the taste stays the same while the nicotine changes.

Picking a strength is not about being "hardcore". It is about finding the level that keeps you comfortable and satisfied, then adjusting as your habits change.

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