What is Hemp Wick and Why Should I Use it?
The first time I ever saw hemp wick, it was wrapped around my mates lighter and I had NO idea what it was. My friend grabbed his lighter, uncoiled off a little of the wick, lit the end, tilted it upside down and it created a bigger flame that he then *evenly* lit the joint with.
I, being the canna-connoisseur I am, ran out and bought myself a 30 metre thread of Raw Hemp Wick the very next day to have a play for myself. I got home, rolled up a joint, and lit it with my new hemp wick. Having smoked consistently for some time, I had become accustomed to the harsh chemical taste the lighters gave me. With that first draw, you see the real difference the hemp wick makes. You can fully taste and appreciate the herb you’re smoking, rather than filling your lungs with residual butane.
Hemp wick, believe it or not, is made of just 2 ingredients! Firstly, and unsurprisingly, Hemp and secondly, beeswax. The hemp is coated in the beeswax which makes for a much slower burn. Hemp wick is also biodegradable making it very environmentally friendly!
As opposed to butane lighters, hemp wick burns at a much lower temperature, this therefore creates a smoother, less harsh smoke. Not only is the hit smoother and cooler, it tastes a ton better than your ‘trusty’ Bic. Now don’t get me wrong, you still need to go out and buy your lighters to light your hemp wick, but you will go through them at a much slower rate.
The potential health benefits alone should be enough to switch from lighters to hemp wick today. If you smoke bongs I’m sure you’ve cleaned out a bowl using your lighter before. When you suck out the lighters flame, yet you’re still holding down the handle on the lighter, the butane travels at a much faster rate into your lungs and therefore into your bloodstream which can be very dangerous.
One single instance of butane inhalation can be fatal due to lack of oxygen in your red blood cells. This lack of oxygen in your red blood cells and tissue can lead to permanent brain/organ damage. Cases of butane inhalation are mostly found when someone has been huffing butane rather than when you are using a lighter to smoke weed or cigarettes, however, as there is little research done into small amounts of exposure to butane gases, it is unclear just how much damage it's doing, long term. But.. as I always say, better safe than sorry!
The 30-metre hemp wick that I bought is still going strong a year on, so if you’ve never tried it before, I’d recommend getting yourself a 3-metre wick, which should last you a few months depending on how often you use it obviously.
My favourite thing about hemp wicks are the control you have with them, unlike with a Bic lighter, you can hold the string at whatever angle you want, you can make it a small flame by holding it horizontally or alternatively, hold it vertically to create a huge flame, the limit does not exist!
Another awesome thing about hemp wick is how you store it. You can wrap it around your lighter, keep it in a coil of its own, wrap it around your bong, wrap it around anything really! Because of its waxy exterior, it clings a hold of whatever you push it down on, without leaving any sticky residue behind. When I worked a night shift job, my boyfriend would often roll me a joint to smoke for when I got home past midnight. He would tie the joint off around the cabernet using the hemp wick as a little hanging present that I could then use to light my joint - cute!
If you haven’t tried hemp wick yet, I would highly recommend you give it a go! At only $3.49 for a 3-metre roll, you won’t regret it.
Peace,
Milo.
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References:
https://www.drugs.ie/butane