A Guide to Hookah Safety: Tips for Responsible Use

In the realm of hookah smoking, insight and expertise tend to be exchanged. There is no one generic recipe that works for all smokers; instead, everyone has their own preferences and tricks for making the perfect hookah. It is possible to avoid some common mistakes. This is a guide to hookah safety to help you prevent these mistakes, eventually saving you money and unnecessary future stress.

Avoid Smoking on an Empty Stomach

It's a good idea to eat something before smoking hookah. Smoking on an empty stomach can make you feel dizzy or even sick, especially if it's your first time.

Clean and Maintain Your Hookah Regularly

Ensure that you wash your hookah after each use. Even if you meticulously pack the bowl and manage the heat, leaving residual juice, tobacco, and stale water in the base will ruin the experience. For the best flavor and to refrain from flavor ghosting, your hookah requires cleaning after each use.

Heat Your Coals Properly

Using improperly lit coal is a big no-no in hookah smoking. They don’t give you enough heat to start your bowl, and they make your smoke taste awful. Plus, using unlit coal increases the risk of inhaling dangerous CO2. So, always wait until your coals are properly lit and turn red before getting started.

Avoids Using Dark Leaf Tobacco

If you have never smoked hookah, it is better to refrain from smoking dark-leaf tobacco. It contains a lot of nicotine and happens to be too strong for beginners. Opt for the milder, golden-leaf tobacco. While some people can handle it, starting with dark tobacco can be overwhelming. Hookah is all about relaxing and enjoying, so take it slow.

Avoid Experimenting With Your Hookah Liquid

At times, you may want to get creative with the hookah flavors by adding in spices, fruits, or other flavors. It makes your hookah experience even more exciting. But remember, there are some things that you should never use in your hookah base, including milk, super-acidic fruits (like lemons, limes, plums, and grapefruit), and alcohol. If the milk is not kept cold, bacteria can grow in it. Again, acidic fruits can deteriorate the quality of the hookah, and inhaling alcohol in confined spaces can be equally risky, especially for a long time.

Pack the Shisha Below the Rim

You should pack your hookah bowl so that the tobacco remains below the edge if you want to reap the best flavors. By doing so, you permit the transfer of natural heat from the charcoal to the clay, improving the taste of the smoke. Additionally, it gives your tobacco some room to both grow and shrink as it cooks, simplifying cleanup and guaranteeing you use every bit of the tobacco you packed. Whether you're using foil or heat management devices (HMDs), the best trick is to keep the tobacco around 2 mm beneath the edge.

Save Random Hookah Parts for Emergency 

You need to be creative and resourceful when it comes to hookah. Keep all the components and pieces you find because hookah may not be a perfect science, and you can never predict when you're going to require them. In a case of emergency, you may even have to construct a makeshift purge valve out of a pen cap and a hookah mouthpiece. Save those random grommets, purge balls, hose port connectors, and other hookah elements from old pieces. These items aren't frequently available in many stores. By keeping extras on hand, you will be prepared to solve any issue that arises.

Cover the Coal in the Ash

Do you want to keep extra hookah coals available for your hookah session when you require them? The trick is to store the ash from your previously used charcoal in a proper container. Put a few extra coals on fire, then put them in the ash. As soon as you add ash to the charcoal, it acts as insulation, retaining its heat for up to an hour. Neither you have to ash it nor flip it. Simply blow off the excess ash when you have to add more coals.

When it comes to hookah, it's all about unwinding and having fun. Although there are many tricks to learn, keep in mind that the purpose of a hookah is to produce smoke by heating tobacco. You're doing it right as long as you're doing that and enjoying yourself. If you require high-quality hookahs or hookah accessories, explore our product line. At Khalil Mamoon, we are committed to making it a memorable experience for you.