Nicotine and vaping go hand in hand. As far as I’m concerned, they don’t need each other, but they sure work well together!
One of the best parts of vaping is the users’ ability to choose the nicotine strength in e-juice. And zero nicotine is an option too! Plenty of vapers begin vaping with the goal of weaning off nicotine until they reach zero. Some continue vaping without nicotine even after weaning off. Some use both nicotine and non-nicotine juice. And then, as crazy as it may seem to some, there are vapers that have never used nicotine at all.
Besides weaning off nicotine, non-users (and even some vapers) wonder openly why anyone would ever want to vape without nicotine. Like, “Dude! What’s the point?!” I’ve seen these comments most places online vaping is discussed. What’s being missed is that vaping is more than just inhaling nicotine without smoke. If it weren’t more than that, vaping would be no different from a nicotine inhaler—and when’s the last time you saw someone at a traffic light inhaling one of those things?
There are plenty of reasons to vape without nicotine. Here are nine.
9 reasons to choose zero nicotine e-juice
1. Zero nicotine e-juice is non-toxic
Unlike with e-juice that has nicotine, non-nicotine liquid is almost always made of food grade ingredients. If you have reason to fear spills or bottles of nic liquid getting into the wrong hands, zero nicotine e-juice would pose no known threat. Sure, someone might be allergic to one of the ingredients, but that’s just a hazard of having an allergy, not specific to vape juice.
Of course, even though non-nicotine e-juice is non-toxic to humans, it’s a smart practice to keep all e-juice out of the reach of children and pets, especially if there’s other e-juice nearby that does have nicotine. You wouldn’t want to get the two confused! Also know that the non-toxicity of zero nicotine vape juice has to do with the liquid itself; “non-toxic” does not mean absolute safety to inhale to your lungs. Those are actually separate matters.
2. There's no risk of addiction
There’s no addictive substance in zero nicotine e-juice.
It’s a simple truth. If nicotine is the addictive substance, potential addictiveness leaves with it. And it’s not even like non-nicotine e-juice has nicotine removed; it was never there to begin with. It’s just an optional ingredient.
However, the FDA-mandated labeling requirements allow only two labels for e-juice, whether it’s got nicotine in it or not. These are the only two choices:
This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
This product is made from tobacco.
Both demonstrably false statements for non-nicotine vape juice. And oddly misleading and confusing to the consumer. I feel bad for those that are perplexed by the label. “The FDA says it’s made from tobacco. They wouldn’t mandate that if it weren’t true, right?!”
Setting aside isolated cases of mislabeling, which happen in every industry, the fact is non-nicotine e-juice is not made from tobacco and does not contain nicotine. Therefore, it’s not addictive. It’s possible that you might like vaping without nicotine though. You might even start vaping it more and more! But that’s not addiction. That just means it gives you pleasure.
3. It won’t show up on nicotine tests
Did you know that some employers now have zero-nicotine rules for new hires? And the source doesn’t matter. Nicotine gum, patches, vaping, or tobacco, it’s all nicotine. No exceptions! That is unless you already work there and are grandfathered in. It’s crazy but true.
These employers often claim the no-nicotine policies are because of health insurance premiums, workplace safety, or even worker productivity.
And it’s not just employers that may test you. Insurance companies might do it too. Health insurance companies charge higher premiums for smokers—and any kind of nicotine use can get you defined as a smoker.
If you use nicotine and you have a test coming up, studies show the minimum timeframe to rid yourself of nicotine through bodily fluids is about four days. With zero nicotine, you can keep on vaping while you wait to get “clean” for your big exam.
4. You can take a nicotine break and still vape
It’s not uncommon for nicotine users to accidentally go overboard from time to time, especially when they’re just learning their limits. It’s not a comfortable feeling. It might make you temporarily lethargic, speedy, a buzz, or plain ol’ sick. But sometimes you still want to vape, even if your body is saying “no mas nicotine!”
A similar situation happens when coffee drinkers say no to caffeine. Maybe they’re already bouncing off the walls. Maybe it’s health issues and the doc suggest eliminating the caffeine. Or maybe they simply enjoy the experience of coffee but don’t want the drug in that moment. No matter the reason, it’s an awesome option to have.
But decaf is not caffeine free, it’s just super low in that drug. Zero nicotine e-liquid means none. Nada! With 0 mg juice, you can keep on vaping and give your system a total break from nicotine.
5. It's smoother on the throat
Nicotine can be felt when you vape it. Not only can you feel nicotine in your head and body, but you can also feel it when it hits your throat. It’s called “throat hit.” It’s a sensation like a thump to the throat or hit to the chest. While many vapers love that feeling and can’t vape without it, some don’t like it. Nicotine-free vape juice is smooth and barely felt when going down. The user can enjoy the flavor, warmth, and still blow out clouds, but without the nicotine sensation tickling and irritating the throat.
6. Zero nic juice is best for tricks and blowing clouds
Most smokers and vapers have tried to add some pizzazz to the exhale at some point. Think about it, smoke rings are the oldest trick in the book! Who do you know that smokes or vapes and has never tried to blow some O’s at least once?
But what if you want to get good at it? It’s much easier to practice when there’s no nicotine involved. Trust me on this one!
And that’s equally true for those that just want to blow big clouds. When you see those people on Instagram and YouTube performing crazy feats with vapor, it’s likely they’re doing it with non-nicotine vape juice. If you just like the theatrics of vapor, there’s really no reason to involve nicotine.
7. Satisfy a sweet tooth with less guilt
For a surprising number of vapers out there—and I’ve met many that say this—vaping helps them reduce mindless sugar consumption or even just snacking on empty calories. Depending on your situation, that could be beneficial to your health. Just ask a diabetic vaper how incredible it is to vape a flavor they shouldn’t actually eat. It’s a godsend! Furthermore, nicotine doesn’t have to be involved to get that benefit. Vaping without nicotine can still satisfy a sweet tooth or minimize the need to put other things in your mouth that may actually be riskier to you.
8. It’s often on sale and found in dollar bins
A fact of the market is non-nicotine e-juice doesn’t sell as well as nicotine-based liquid. That’s why vape shop bargain bins often have several bottles of it on sale.
Even if you prefer vaping with nicotine, go ahead and buy that cheap bottle of nic-free juice that caught your eye. Especially if you already vape low strength juice! If you end up liking that flavor but you want it with nicotine, you can buy another bottle of that same flavor and mix the two.
For instance, if you normally vape 3 mg/mL and you bought a discounted bottle of 0 mg/mL, buy that flavor again at 6 mg/mL. Mix equal parts of them together and you’ll be at 3 mg/mL. Bullseye! It’s an amazing cost-saving hack. Depending on how cheap the discount was on the zero nic, it’s conceivable that you’d be near BOGO prices for two bottles. I’ve seen big bottles of zero nic for as cheap as a dollar.
9. Non-nicotine vape juice is drug-free
Make no mistake about it, nicotine is a drug! It has a physiological and psychological effect on you—and this isn’t just about addiction. Although the severity of nicotine’s effect is debatable and often exaggerated, some of it’s real and using it does have side effects.
If for some reason you like the idea of vaping but simply don’t want to use a drug—maybe even for religious reasons—you can vape without it. Of course, if you were to choose this option for religious reasons, your fellow believers may not understand that your clouds are drug-free. Drug-free doesn’t mean judgment free.
Is vaping zero-nicotine safe?
It’s safer than smoking. That’s a no-brainer. And it’s probably safer than vaping with nicotine. However, that comparison is not so black and white. See, nicotine helps to regulate usage even when the user is so-called addicted. When you’ve had enough, you stop until your body craves more. Without that, it’s possible you might vape way more than you would with nicotine. Or you may vape less. Who knows? What is known is that nicotine is not the only thing in vaping that comes with risks. Even other ingredients like diacetyl, which may be in the e-juice, could still be present despite nicotine being absent.
Vaping zero-nicotine e-juice is not 100% safe. There can still be risks. But then again, what on earth actually is 100% safe?
One of the best parts of vaping is the users’ ability to choose the nicotine strength in e-juice. And zero nicotine is an option too! Plenty of vapers begin vaping with the goal of weaning off nicotine until they reach zero. Some continue vaping without nicotine even after weaning off. Some use both nicotine and non-nicotine juice. And then, as crazy as it may seem to some, there are vapers that have never used nicotine at all.
Besides weaning off nicotine, non-users (and even some vapers) wonder openly why anyone would ever want to vape without nicotine. Like, “Dude! What’s the point?!” I’ve seen these comments most places online vaping is discussed. What’s being missed is that vaping is more than just inhaling nicotine without smoke. If it weren’t more than that, vaping would be no different from a nicotine inhaler—and when’s the last time you saw someone at a traffic light inhaling one of those things?
There are plenty of reasons to vape without nicotine. Here are nine.
9 reasons to choose zero nicotine e-juice
1. Zero nicotine e-juice is non-toxic
Unlike with e-juice that has nicotine, non-nicotine liquid is almost always made of food grade ingredients. If you have reason to fear spills or bottles of nic liquid getting into the wrong hands, zero nicotine e-juice would pose no known threat. Sure, someone might be allergic to one of the ingredients, but that’s just a hazard of having an allergy, not specific to vape juice.
Of course, even though non-nicotine e-juice is non-toxic to humans, it’s a smart practice to keep all e-juice out of the reach of children and pets, especially if there’s other e-juice nearby that does have nicotine. You wouldn’t want to get the two confused! Also know that the non-toxicity of zero nicotine vape juice has to do with the liquid itself; “non-toxic” does not mean absolute safety to inhale to your lungs. Those are actually separate matters.
2. There's no risk of addiction
There’s no addictive substance in zero nicotine e-juice.
It’s a simple truth. If nicotine is the addictive substance, potential addictiveness leaves with it. And it’s not even like non-nicotine e-juice has nicotine removed; it was never there to begin with. It’s just an optional ingredient.
However, the FDA-mandated labeling requirements allow only two labels for e-juice, whether it’s got nicotine in it or not. These are the only two choices:
This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive chemical.
This product is made from tobacco.
Both demonstrably false statements for non-nicotine vape juice. And oddly misleading and confusing to the consumer. I feel bad for those that are perplexed by the label. “The FDA says it’s made from tobacco. They wouldn’t mandate that if it weren’t true, right?!”
Setting aside isolated cases of mislabeling, which happen in every industry, the fact is non-nicotine e-juice is not made from tobacco and does not contain nicotine. Therefore, it’s not addictive. It’s possible that you might like vaping without nicotine though. You might even start vaping it more and more! But that’s not addiction. That just means it gives you pleasure.
3. It won’t show up on nicotine tests
Did you know that some employers now have zero-nicotine rules for new hires? And the source doesn’t matter. Nicotine gum, patches, vaping, or tobacco, it’s all nicotine. No exceptions! That is unless you already work there and are grandfathered in. It’s crazy but true.
These employers often claim the no-nicotine policies are because of health insurance premiums, workplace safety, or even worker productivity.
And it’s not just employers that may test you. Insurance companies might do it too. Health insurance companies charge higher premiums for smokers—and any kind of nicotine use can get you defined as a smoker.
If you use nicotine and you have a test coming up, studies show the minimum timeframe to rid yourself of nicotine through bodily fluids is about four days. With zero nicotine, you can keep on vaping while you wait to get “clean” for your big exam.
4. You can take a nicotine break and still vape
It’s not uncommon for nicotine users to accidentally go overboard from time to time, especially when they’re just learning their limits. It’s not a comfortable feeling. It might make you temporarily lethargic, speedy, a buzz, or plain ol’ sick. But sometimes you still want to vape, even if your body is saying “no mas nicotine!”
A similar situation happens when coffee drinkers say no to caffeine. Maybe they’re already bouncing off the walls. Maybe it’s health issues and the doc suggest eliminating the caffeine. Or maybe they simply enjoy the experience of coffee but don’t want the drug in that moment. No matter the reason, it’s an awesome option to have.
But decaf is not caffeine free, it’s just super low in that drug. Zero nicotine e-liquid means none. Nada! With 0 mg juice, you can keep on vaping and give your system a total break from nicotine.
5. It's smoother on the throat
Nicotine can be felt when you vape it. Not only can you feel nicotine in your head and body, but you can also feel it when it hits your throat. It’s called “throat hit.” It’s a sensation like a thump to the throat or hit to the chest. While many vapers love that feeling and can’t vape without it, some don’t like it. Nicotine-free vape juice is smooth and barely felt when going down. The user can enjoy the flavor, warmth, and still blow out clouds, but without the nicotine sensation tickling and irritating the throat.
6. Zero nic juice is best for tricks and blowing clouds
Most smokers and vapers have tried to add some pizzazz to the exhale at some point. Think about it, smoke rings are the oldest trick in the book! Who do you know that smokes or vapes and has never tried to blow some O’s at least once?
But what if you want to get good at it? It’s much easier to practice when there’s no nicotine involved. Trust me on this one!
And that’s equally true for those that just want to blow big clouds. When you see those people on Instagram and YouTube performing crazy feats with vapor, it’s likely they’re doing it with non-nicotine vape juice. If you just like the theatrics of vapor, there’s really no reason to involve nicotine.
7. Satisfy a sweet tooth with less guilt
For a surprising number of vapers out there—and I’ve met many that say this—vaping helps them reduce mindless sugar consumption or even just snacking on empty calories. Depending on your situation, that could be beneficial to your health. Just ask a diabetic vaper how incredible it is to vape a flavor they shouldn’t actually eat. It’s a godsend! Furthermore, nicotine doesn’t have to be involved to get that benefit. Vaping without nicotine can still satisfy a sweet tooth or minimize the need to put other things in your mouth that may actually be riskier to you.
8. It’s often on sale and found in dollar bins
A fact of the market is non-nicotine e-juice doesn’t sell as well as nicotine-based liquid. That’s why vape shop bargain bins often have several bottles of it on sale.
Even if you prefer vaping with nicotine, go ahead and buy that cheap bottle of nic-free juice that caught your eye. Especially if you already vape low strength juice! If you end up liking that flavor but you want it with nicotine, you can buy another bottle of that same flavor and mix the two.
For instance, if you normally vape 3 mg/mL and you bought a discounted bottle of 0 mg/mL, buy that flavor again at 6 mg/mL. Mix equal parts of them together and you’ll be at 3 mg/mL. Bullseye! It’s an amazing cost-saving hack. Depending on how cheap the discount was on the zero nic, it’s conceivable that you’d be near BOGO prices for two bottles. I’ve seen big bottles of zero nic for as cheap as a dollar.
9. Non-nicotine vape juice is drug-free
Make no mistake about it, nicotine is a drug! It has a physiological and psychological effect on you—and this isn’t just about addiction. Although the severity of nicotine’s effect is debatable and often exaggerated, some of it’s real and using it does have side effects.
If for some reason you like the idea of vaping but simply don’t want to use a drug—maybe even for religious reasons—you can vape without it. Of course, if you were to choose this option for religious reasons, your fellow believers may not understand that your clouds are drug-free. Drug-free doesn’t mean judgment free.
Is vaping zero-nicotine safe?
It’s safer than smoking. That’s a no-brainer. And it’s probably safer than vaping with nicotine. However, that comparison is not so black and white. See, nicotine helps to regulate usage even when the user is so-called addicted. When you’ve had enough, you stop until your body craves more. Without that, it’s possible you might vape way more than you would with nicotine. Or you may vape less. Who knows? What is known is that nicotine is not the only thing in vaping that comes with risks. Even other ingredients like diacetyl, which may be in the e-juice, could still be present despite nicotine being absent.
Vaping zero-nicotine e-juice is not 100% safe. There can still be risks. But then again, what on earth actually is 100% safe?
