First time using a dab rig? Boy, do you have no idea what you're getting yourself into!

Unless you’ve watched your friends get hit by a truck with their dabs, in which case...welcome aboard!

Dabbing is a little bit harder than other forms of smoking. By nature, it’s more complicated and has more moving parts. It’s also more dangerous because of how hot the butane torch is, how hot the nail gets, and how hot the smoke can be if you dab incorrectly.

Once you have everything you need from our wholesale head shop, all that’s left is to dab!

So let’s go over the ropes and get you started!

Learn how to dab

This one might seem obvious, but dabbing can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing. Watch a friend and have them teach you the ropes, or watch some videos online.

You need to know how to measure out a dab, heat up the rig, take the dab, and clean your equipment.

When you’re just starting out, it’s helpful to have someone else heat up the rig for you while all you do is inhale. Once you get the hang of the powerful inhale, you can try heating up the nail on your own.

If you’re not sure where to start, contact Puffr to speak to a member of our wholesale head shop team. They know what they’re doing!

Get to know your dab rig

If you don’t know about your dab rig, how are you supposed to dab?

It’s important to do your research, whether that means scouring the internet or asking experienced friends. The more familiar you are with your dab rig, the better your time will be.

For starters, the rig is the main component. Then you have the nail that fits inside or over the glass fitting.

In simple terms, your rig is a tube that has a protruding ridge where your concentrate melts.

When you buy your rig, talk to our wholesale smoke shop about all the moving parts and we can help you out.

Keep your rig clean

Clean your rig after every use. That’s right: you can’t get lazy with this smoking method.

Heat your nail up and wipe it with a clean rag and/or alcohol wipes. Or, heat your nail with a torch to burn off the sticky, gross residue.

Just be careful not to scrape your nail, because that can end up getting metal into your concentrate. That’s a mistake nearly everyone makes- even the employees of our wholesale head shop have some stories about it!

Start small

When you’re first starting out as a dabber, it’s so important to start small. You have no clue how much more powerful dabbing is when you’re a newbie, and if you don’t respect the art form, you’re going to end up way too high.

Concentrates are a lot more, well, concentrated than herb. This is because when you smoke flower, you’re burning the organic section of the weed, which has about 20% THC.

Meanwhile, concentrate is made from the section of the plant that has the highest THC percentage, somewhere between 60-99%.

As you can see, concentrate is 3x-5x more powerful than flower alone. So start with barely enough to cover the tip of your dabber or else you’ll be making a huge mistake!

Take your time

Because of the higher THC levels, people often feel more paranoia from dabbing than from consuming flower. This is something you need to get used to, and typically just knowing ahead of time that your dab might result in some anxiety is enough to help.

Also, because of the wax’s potency, the high might last for longer. So account for that before making any plans! You won’t be sober again as quickly as if you were just smoking.

Once you’re used to it and know what dosage works for you, you’ll have a better idea of how long your individual high lasts. But for your first few tries, expect to be stuck in place for a few hours.

Avoid overheating

Overheating a dab can ruin your entire experience, and even turn you away from dabbing (which would be a shame!).

You can use a timer so you heat the nail long enough, but not too long. It’s better to underheat than to overheat. If you heat your nail for too long, your smoke will be way too hot and will irritate your throat and lungs.

Talk to our wholesale smoke shop to get an estimate of how long you should heat your nail for.

You can also use visual cues. Wait until the underside of your nail is red, let it cool down until it’s not red anymore, wait 10 more seconds, and then inhale.

Stay safe

Most people use butane torches to dab. Don’t ever forget how hot and dangerous they are!

Of course, the torch is hot, so people don't usually get burned that way. Instead, they'll touch their rig way too soon. The nail can stay super hot for multiple minutes after getting heated up, so don't be eager to take it out and clean it too soon.

Stay on the safe side and let it cool for a long time before touching it again.

Final thoughts

Clearly, there’s a lot to know about dabbing, and we’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg. But now you have a solid foundation to start with!

We highly recommend dabbing with friends the first few times. They can help you light the nail, as well as babysit you when you inevitably end up very, very high.

We also recommend talking to our wholesale smoke shop and asking how our staff likes to dab. They’re full of wisdom!