In recent years, many people have been switching to vaping over traditional smoking methods with both nicotine and cannabis since it's considered safer. However, all vapes contain terpenes to help improve the scents and flavors of whatever it is you're vaping. Are terpenes safe to vape? Here's everything you need to know.
Is vaping safe?
Vaping is still fairly new compared to the traditional methods of inhalation such as using pipes, cigars, rolled papers, and bongs. This raises the question, is it safe? Through conducted studies, researchers believe that vaping is in many ways safer than traditional smoking. Traditional smoking typically involved inhaling tar and other known carcinogens found in the paper or plant material itself that is released in the process of combustion. Since vaping doesn't involve combustion, vaping is considered a safer alternative to traditional smoking methods.
That shouldn't be interpreted that vaping is safe, though. Putting anything into your lungs that isn't oxygen comes with possible dangers, and vaping is no different. Even though vaping won't release tar and most carcinogens, there is still a risk of being exposed to the flammable liquid xylene and the carcinogen benzene. While vaping is considered to be much safer than smoking, it still comes with possible dangers.
Are terpenes safe to vape?
All vapes contain naturally occurring terpenes. Terpenes are used to enhance the scents and flavors of the oils you're vaporizing, whether it's nicotine, CBD, or THC. This helps balance out the flavors and make for a more pleasant smoke while also boosting the effects of nicotine or cannabinoids. Terpenes are found naturally in every plant on earth and are received very well within our bodies. Many terpenes actually come with a long list of mood-improving and therapeutic effects and are found naturally in traditional smoking methods.
Generally, terpenes are safe to vape since they're not harmful to our bodies. It really boils down to how many are used in the vape. Inhaling a normal amount of terpenes is safe, but using too many terpenes can damage your lungs and throat or give you a headache.
How many terpenes are safe to vape?
If you like to alter the scents and flavors of your vapes, you'll first start with an unflavored, terpene-free cannabis oil or nicotine oil. You can change the flavor by adding terpenes to your vapes, but you should always keep your oils under 5% terpenes. Using more terpenes than necessary will make your flavor too strong and can cause headaches, dehydration, or damage to your lungs, mouth, or throat. Since terpenes are highly concentrated, a little goes a long way.
While it isn't unsafe to vape terpenes, it can be harmful to vape too much of them. If you have any questions about mixing and filling your own vape cartridges, contact us. We can help you choose the right ratio of terpenes to oil to help you get the best flavors without the side effects or possible risks.