8 Ways to Prevent a Sore Throat From Vaping

There’s no denying that the development of e-cigarettes has been instrumental in helping thousands around the world quit smoking. But this doesn’t mean that it’s always plain sailing for us vape aficionados! Getting a sore from vaping is more common an occurrence than you might think. But how do you prevent it?

Most of the time, it’s nothing to be worried about, but that “scratchy” feeling at the back of your throat can certainly put a dampener on your vaping experience. Luckily, MIST has compiled a list of remedies and prophylactic measures to ensure you prevent a sore/burning throat from vaping. Here’s how to prevent a sore/burning throat from vaping.

8 Ways to Prevent a Sore Throat from Vaping:

1. Change to a lower strength e-liquid
2. Don’t confuse your sore throat with tobacco withdrawal
3. Change your e-liquid to a different PG/VG ratio.
4. Pay attention to your vape frequency
5. Change your vaping style
6. Change to a different flavour of e-liquid
7. Change your type of coils 
8. Make sure you aren’t getting dry hits

1. Change to a lower-strength e-liquid

Speaking as a bonafide nicotine junky, I know the appeal of high-strength vape juice. But, as much as we love those strong hits, it might be the high nicotine content that’s responsible for our sore throat.

If this is the case, it could be time to try lower-strength e-liquids. I would experiment by steadily lowering the nicotine content until you settle on an amount that doesn’t irritate your throat yet still remains satisfying. You can even use shorfills to make it an exact science! 

Another possible solution may be to try nic salts, as they might allow you to keep the high concentration of nicotine without irritating your throat.

2. Don’t confuse your sore throat with tobacco withdrawal

For those of you who have recently quit smoking, you will probably have noticed your body going through a detoxification process. Tobacco withdrawal only lasts a few days and can include symptoms like fatigue, digestive issues, chest/nasal congestion and, yep, you’ve guessed it, a sore throat!

Unfortunately, beyond a healthy lifestyle and staying hydrated, there’s not much you can do beyond waiting it out. But don’t worry as these symptoms usually only last a few days. Just don’t accidentally start dismantling your starter kit or changing your vape juice before ruling this out!

3. Change the PG/VG ratio of your vape juice

Most industry-standard e-liquids consist of two base liquids: Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerin (VG). 

In general terms, VG is responsible for the amount and density of the vapour, whereas PG provides the “throat hit” that gives users that tobacco-like sensation.

However, for some of us, too much PG can end up causing us a sore or burning throat. If this is the case for you, I would opt for a higher VG vape juice, as this should give you a smoother hit and take some of the pressure off your throat. 

You should also consider trying nic salt eliquids because they are smoother than freebase eliquids. If you are new to vaping and nic salts, check our ultimate guide to nic salts and our best nic salt review.

There are many vape juice ranges with different ratios available, from 50/50 to 100% VG, and they should all be clearly labeled. So go and experiment! Your throat will thank you.

4. Pay attention to how much you are vaping

I don’t know about you but I’m definitely guilty when it comes to binge vaping. Sometimes, while working or watching a movie, we do it unthinkingly⁠—and excessively!  

However, a high vape frequency like this can end up irritating your throat, so it’s important to pay careful attention to your habits. The only way to truly combat this is with some good old fashioned self-control. 

Try to vape more consciously, ensuring that you take a deep breath of air between vapes. You could also set aside specific times when you vape and keep your e-cigarette out of temptation’s way. 

Finally, you could keep a vaping diary to get an idea about how much e-liquid you get through in a week, and take steps to lowering it.

After all, what’s worse: vaping a little bit less or a burning throat? 

5. Change your vaping style

If you’re new to vaping you may only be accustomed to one style of vaping. Speaking as a die-in-the-wool MTL user, there’s nothing inherently wrong with this. However, there is a possibility your chosen method of vaping may be the cause of that pesky sore throat. 

The two main styles of vaping are MTL (mouth-to-lung) and DTL (direct-to-lung). MTL vaping is when you vape like you would smoke a cigarette, by taking the vapour into your mouth before inhaling it into the lungs. DTL is when you bypass holding it in your mouth and take the vapour directly into your lungs.

If you’ve only tried one of these vaping styles it can’t hurt to try the other, and it may offer your throat some much-needed relief! 

6. Change the flavour of your e-liquid

Sometimes, even when we change the PG/VG ratio or lower the nicotine content, we still end up with a sore throat. Believe it or not, it might actually be the flavour of your vape juice that’s the problem.

Some of us don’t react well to certain flavours, and a few might even have an allergy to the ingredients they contain. Furthermore, it’s worth noting that heavy flavours like tobacco and desserts can irritate some people’s throats.

If you’ve ruled out other possibilities you may have to change up your flavour of e-liquid to see if it helps. You can check the best e-liquid flavours here.

7. Try different coils for your device

Vape coils can be a cause of a sore or burning throat that often slips under the radar. But it’s actually more common than you think for people to be allergic to the nickel that’s found in some coils.

It can be very frustrating to make a whole host of changes to your vaping habits without realising that you have such an allergy. But don’t be dismayed!

Try and find coils that, if not completely free of nickel, at least have a lower amount, and hopefully this will remedy your sore throat.

8. Make sure you aren’t getting dry hits

Ah, the vaper’s worst enemy: the infamous dry hit! These can often build up to give you a burning throat, so it’s best to take steps to avoid them.

Make sure that the tank is full (but not too full) of vape juice, your coils aren’t old, or change to a higher VG e-liquid. We have an entire blog post on how to prevent dry hits when vaping so for more info, check it out!

Conclusion

I know that sniffing out the cause of your sore throat can make you feel like an overworked detective—but have faith! If you follow all the steps listed above, you’ll be sure to catch the culprit, and those hits will be silky smooth again in no time! Read our harsh vape fix so you can have a smooth vape with every puff!

We sincerely hope you learned how to prevent a sore/burning throat from vaping by reading this guide.

Looking for more vaping beginner tips and tricks? Take a read of some related articles below:

• How to Fix a Crackling and Spitting Vape
• Why Does My Vape Taste Burnt With A New Coil? – How to fix
• How Long Do Vape Coils Last? When You Should Change Your Vape Coils
• Why Is My Vape Getting Hot? How to fix a hot vape?
• Can You Vape In A Pub? The Ultimate Guide To Vaping Indoors
• How Much Nicotine Is In A Cigarette?
• What is a Dry Hit? How to Prevent Dry Hits when Vaping
• How Much Does Vaping Cost?
• Vaping for beginners – how to fill an E-cig