What Is Hemp Wick? (And How to Use It)

Have you ever smoked cannabis using cannabis? It might sound strange at first, but it’s common practice these days. Smokers process their buds using hemp grinders, empty the contents onto hemp rolling trays, and wrap them in hemp papers. But it doesn’t end there—smokers are also replacing lighters and matches with hemp wick. This environmentally friendly option removes butane and other nasty chemicals from the equation when lighting blunts and bowls, which makes that first hit all the tastier.

Types of Hemp Wick

Before we get into the uses of hemp wick, it’ll help to cover the different types available to consumers. Despite their differences, most of them share something in common: they’re made from natural fibres coated in beeswax. Why beeswax? Well, this bee-derived substance helps the wick to burn gently and evenly, creating a candle-like effect. As for the different types of hemp wick, you’re likely to come across the following options when shopping around:

• Balls: Many hemp wick products come in the shape of a large ball. Users slowly unravel these large spheres as they burn their way through the product.
• Cylinders: Some hemp wick products come in cylinders wrapped in packaging. Users simply pull the wick out of the case instead of unravelling a ball.
• Standard: Standard or thin-strand hemp wick has a smaller flame, burns faster, and feels more accurate when applied to the end of joints and blunts.
• Thick: Thick-strand hemp wick creates a larger flame, feels heavier in the hand, and helps to quickly ignite large bowls and the ends of exceptionally thick cones.
• Lighter sleeves: Hemp wick lighter sleeves feature small reels of hemp wick at the base. They form a shell around BIC lighters and position the tip of the wick beside the flame outlet. They only require one hand to use, making them ideal for the road.

Different Uses of Hemp Wick

Aside from lighting joints, blunts, and bong bowls, hemp wick has a wide array of other uses. Check out some of the most popular ways people use hemp wick below:

Why Use Hemp Wick When Smoking Weed?

Now you know all of the uses of hemp wick, but why should you use it? Isn’t it easier to simply apply a light or match to your joint? Doesn’t hemp wick just mean you have to take another step between rolling and inhaling? We get that hemp wick entails carrying around another item in your smoking arsenal, but the benefits far outweigh a slightly more packed stash box.

Whenever you apply the flame from a match or lighter to the tip of a joint and take a breath, you aren’t just inhaling smoke from combusted cannabis flowers. Lighters release butane, a toxic gas that can cause harm to the lungs, heart, and even brain. Butane also tastes nasty and detracts from the otherwise terpene-rich tastes of the first few hits. Matches—with their glue and combustible chemicals—aren’t much better.

Hemp wick helps to sidestep exposure to these chemicals and replaces them with natural materials: hemp and beeswax. Sure, no matter how you light your joint, you’re still inhaling toxic byproducts of combustion. Using hemp wick, however, prevents adding even more pesky chemicals to the picture.

How to Use Hemp Wick

So, you’re curious about using hemp wick when you blaze, but where should you start? Simply follow these steps:

1. Unfurl your hemp wick: Unwrap your hemp wick from the ball or cylinder it arrived in. Take a generous length so you can freely move the wick around. If smoking outdoors, find a spot sheltered from the wind.
2. Light the end: Use a lighter to ignite the end of the wick. But hang on a second; didn’t we just rebuke the use of lighters? Yes, but lighting a hemp wick is different from lighting the end of a joint. After letting your wick burn for a couple of seconds, the butane will have burned off.
3. Apply to joints and bowls: The beeswax coating makes hemp wick rigid, meaning it’s easy to move around and won’t sag. Lightly move the flame to the tip of your joint or the top of your bowl and inhale as you would when smoking with a lighter. If you’re hitting a pipe, you can let the wick keep burning between hits.
4. Extinguish and let cool: Once your bowl is empty or your joint is burning well, extinguish your hemp wick by blowing it out or quickly squeezing it with wet fingers. Let it cool down before wrapping it up and packing it away.

Where to Buy Hemp Wick

Upon discovering this handy tool, it doesn’t take most conscious cannabis users long to make the switch. But where should you buy it? Well, we offer our very own hemp wick at RQS. Our hemp wick comes from high-quality hemp cultivated ecologically in Europe, with a natural beeswax coating that makes it burn slowly and evenly. We wrap our hemp wick in a ball shape that fits snugly in the hand and features 75 metres of wick (enough to burn for 24 hours!). Take the next step in your cannabis consumption journey with smoother and less chemical-laden hits.