How to Smoke Wax: 5 Ways to Dab

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A beginner’s guide to dabbing THC
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Whether you’re a seasoned smoker looking to expand your horizons or you’re new to marijuana and want to know what that fancy stuff is behind the glass cabinet at the dispensary, you may be curious about wax. Wax is a type of marijuana concentrate–a super-potent type of marijuana made by soaking the plant in a solvent. In this article, we’ll break down how to smoke (aka dab) wax, how it’s made, and what you need to know before trying it yourself.

How to Smoke Wax

The best way to smoke wax is with a dab rig, a specific kind of glass pipe that can withstand the high temperature necessary to vaporize the wax. If you don’t have a rig, you can use a glass straw, vaporizer, or even just add the wax to a joint or bowl.

Section 1 of 6:

How to Smoke Wax with a Rig: The Ideal Method

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  1. Rigs are a lot like bongs except they’re all glass and they have a special opening for concentrates like wax. If you do need to set the rig up for the first time, the detachable thin piece (called a nail) connects to the main body of the rig. [1]
    • The nail or banger refers to the small chamber where you actually put the wax.
    • The dabber or dab tool is the long, thin piece. You use the dabber to apply the wax to the nail.
    • You must use a butane torch to hit a dab rig. The torch is the only tool that can provide the steady, high level of heat necessary to reach
    • Your rig may have a removable piece called a carb cap. It helps to stop oxygen from entering the rig so you can get a clean hit.
  2. 2
    Heat the nail of your rig with a butane torch for 30 seconds. If your rig has a water chamber, fill it up to the fill line with cool, clean water (distilled is best, but filtered tap water is also fine). Use a butane torch to heat the nail for 30 seconds. [2]
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  3. 3
    Wait 60 seconds for the rig to cool off a bit. This will ensure that you give the heat plenty of time to even out. It will also keep you from burning through the delicious terpenes in your wax. [3]
    • As a general rule of thumb, multiply however long you heat a nail by 2 to determine how long you have to let it cool.
    • The terpenes are the primary oils that give wax its taste, aroma, and texture. If you burn the terpenes at too high a temperature, you won’t be able to enjoy the wax as well.
  4. 4
    Put a pea-sized bit of wax on the dabber. Use your finger or the tip of your dab tool to scoop up a pea-sized bit of wax from the container it’s in. Wax is kind of sticky, so most smokers prefer to keep it off of their hands, which is why the dabber has a pointy end–you can use that to break up some of the wax if you’d like. [4]
    • You can do this while you wait for the nail to cool. Don’t lose track of the time, though!
  5. 5
    Put the dabber on the nail and inhale. As soon as the wax hits the nail, it will begin to vaporize. Put your lips on the mouthpiece of the rig and take a 1- to 3-second inhale. Do not hold the hit for longer than that–wax is super potent and one short hit is plenty. [5]
    • If you’ve got a carb cap: Put it over the nail to block the flow of air as soon as the dabber touches the nail.
    • Because wax is so pure compared to flower, “holding your hit” in won’t actually deliver more THC. All that happens if you hold a hit of wax is that your lungs will struggle to hold oxygen. As you get super high quickly, it can be easy to forget to breathe. Only inhale for 1-3 seconds! [6]
  6. 6
    Use a cotton swab to clean the nail when you’re done. If you wait for the wax to cool entirely, it will stick to the nail. Clean up immediately after you’re done smoking. Use a cotton swab to scoop up the burnt wax and toss it out.
    • What about deeper cleanings? If you ever really want to clean the rig, use rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab to clean the nail out.
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Section 2 of 6:

How to Smoke Wax without a Rig

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  1. Nectar collectors/dab straws are tube-shaped glass pipes designed to smoke concentrate quickly. To use one, heat the tip with a butane torch for 30 seconds, wait 60 seconds, then put a tiny bit of wax into the opening with a toothpick or dabber. Inhale for a second and enjoy!
    • After using a rig, the dab straw is the best way to smoke wax. Dab straws and rigs are functionally the same thing without the oxygen control and water chamber.
    • A nectar collector and a dab straw are just two different names for the same thing.
  2. 2
    Vaporizer Many marijuana smokers enjoy smoking concentrates in a vaporizer because they don’t have to worry about over- or under-heating the wax. Simply load the wax in the small atomizer (heating chamber) at the top and turn the pen on. Then, hit the vape the same way you’d inhale from a cigarette for 1-2 seconds before exhaling. [7]
    • There are also pre-assembled temporary vapes out there you can buy that come filled with a preset amount of wax. If you just want to try wax out, this is a great way to go!
  3. 3
    Joint, spliff, blunt, or bowl If you do not have any of the tools you need to smoke wax, you can always take a small bit of wax and put it on top of any flower you’re going to smoke. Just roll it in with your joint, blunt or spliff. You can also put a tiny nugget on top of a bowl if you’d like. [8]
    • Only attempt to smoke wax in a joint, spliff, blunt, or bowl if you’re putting it on flower. You cannot heat wax to smoke it like flower with a lighter, but burning flower underneath wax will provide enough of a prolonged heat to burn it.
  4. 4
    Hot knives This is an old-school move, but it works in a pinch. Take two butter knives and set the tip of one of them over a stove ring. Let the tip heat for 20-30 seconds. Then, scoop up a bit of wax on the tip of the second knife and squeeze the wax between the tips. Use a glass pipe or funnel to suck up the vapor that comes from the tips of the knives. [9]
    • You’re not going to get the world’s best smoking experience doing this, but it’ll work in a pinch.
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Section 3 of 6:

What is wax?

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  1. Wax is a popular type of marijuana concentrate. Concentrates refer to extremely potent forms of marijuana made by soaking marijuana flower in a solvent (usually butane) to extract the THC. The solvent is then burned away to leave the purified THC. Wax is the most popular form of concentrate on the market, and it’s a favorite among many seasoned smokers. [10]
    • Other forms of concentrate include hash oil, honey oil, budder, and shatter .
    • Wax is considered to be the best “beginner” concentrate because it’s easy to handle and use, and it’s typically a little weaker than other concentrates.
    • THC is short for tetrahydrocannabinol. It’s the main psychotropic ingredient in marijuana.
Section 4 of 6:

Why smoke wax over flower?

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  1. Wax is much more potent than traditional marijuana flower. Marijuana flower is typically 20-25% THC. Wax, on the other hand, is often 80-90% pure THC. In other words, one hit of wax can contain just as much THC as an entire blunt. If your goal is to get high quickly, that makes wax an appealing prospect!
    • A lot of smokers also find wax to be a fun alternative to regular flower. The same way a regular beer drinker might break out a nice bottle of rye whiskey on a special night, a smoker might pull out their favorite wax instead of smoking flower.
    • Many smokers also find wax to just be a more “pure” experience, smoking-wise.
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Section 5 of 6:

Is smoking wax right for you?

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  1. Wax is extremely strong, so start slow if you want to try it. Try one hit and see how it makes you feel. Compared to other concentrates, wax tends to be very easy to work with and it’s not the strongest stuff on the market, so it’s a good entry point into the world of concentrates. [11]
    • When to hold off on trying wax: If you find traditional flower to be too strong for you or you tend to get paranoid when you smoke too much, wax is probably not right for you.
    • What’s the best type of wax to smoke? Many seasoned marijuana enthusiasts think that a type of wax called “sugar wax” has the best balance of potency and flavor for new smokers. [12]
Section 6 of 6:

What's the difference between dabs and wax?

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  1. Wax is a type of marijuana concentrate, but not all concentrates are wax (you also have things like shatter, budder, etc.). The term comes from the way you smoke it. To “dab” you must literally dab a little bit of concentrate on a very hot surface to vaporize it. [13]
    • “Dabbing” is the verb form of “dab.” Instead of “doing a dab” most smokers will just say they’re “dabbing.” It just means to smoke a concentrate.
    • Is wax the same as shatter? No. Shatter is a distinct type of concentrate known for its glass-like texture. It’s usually a lot stronger than wax.
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      Warnings

      • Do not smoke marijuana if you’re underage or it’s illegal in the state where you live. [14]
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      • If you’re new to marijuana and you don’t know how it’s going to make you feel, don’t try wax. Concentrates like wax are extremely potent, and if you aren’t sure how you’ll react don’t test your luck. [15]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YaNk790jDYs&t=8s
      2. ↑ https://youtu.be/YaNk790jDYs?t=18
      3. ↑ https://youtu.be/YaNk790jDYs?t=27
      4. ↑ https://weedmaps.com/learn/products-and-how-to-consume/how-to-smoke-wax
      5. ↑ https://cannabisnow.com/dabbing-dos-donts/
      6. ↑ https://cannabisnow.com/dabbing-dos-donts/
      7. ↑ https://euphoriawellnessnv.com/how-to-use-a-dab-pen-wax-vaporizer/
      8. ↑ https://www.westword.com/marijuana/dabbing-can-you-smoke-wax-without-a-rig-9227527
      9. ↑ https://www.westword.com/marijuana/dabbing-can-you-smoke-wax-without-a-rig-9227527
      1. ↑ https://nida.nih.gov/sites/default/files/df-marijuana-concentrates.pdf
      2. ↑ https://takomawellness.com/marijuana-wax-what-is-it-and-how-to-use-it/
      3. ↑ https://euphoriawellnessnv.com/how-to-use-a-dab-pen-wax-vaporizer/
      4. ↑ https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/butane-hash-oil/
      5. ↑ https://www.justthinktwice.gov/facts-about-marijuana-concentrates
      6. ↑ https://www.justthinktwice.gov/facts-about-marijuana-concentrates

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