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How to properly light a joint

How To Properly Light A Joint

How To Properly Light A Joint

Learning how to light a joint properly can save you both weed and time. Lighting your joint incorrectly can waste weed and ruin a joint. 

This article will show you how to light a joint correctly and the best flame sources for your next smoking session. The proper lighting technique can only be used if your joint is rolled correctly!

how to properly light a joint

How To Properly Light A Joint: How To Avoid Canoeing 

When lighting a joint, you want to ensure a perfect balance in the flames around the cherry (the glowing top).

Canoeing is when only one half of the joint is lit, and the other half does not burn at all. This wastes weed and can ruin your joint entirely.

The best way to avoid canoeing is to twist the joint in the flame, so all points of the joint’s tip evenly burn. Rolling too tight can make the joint hard to smoke as the air can’t be pulled through the joint. The trick is finding the perfect balance. 

Keep in mind, if you are in a windy spot while trying to light up, this can affect your joint as well and make it canoe.

It’s all about patience and ensuring that the cherry gets an even burn when you first light up. 

After you make sure that the cherry gets an even light, take a few puffs to get the ember going and fully form the cherry.

As long as you keep hitting the joint, it should stay lit. If it’s a rolling error, don’t worry. Practice makes perfect!

How Do You Light A Joint Correctly?

Lighting a joint with a hemp wick is one of the safest and most environmentally friendly methods. 

Hemp wick is organic fibers from the hemp plant coated in beeswax.

This organic alternative preserves the flavor of your joint, and it continues to burn long after you have stopped smoking. You can also use hemp wicks to light your pipes and bongs.

This is how to light a joint using a hemp wick.

Time required: 5 minutes

  1. Light one end of the Hemp Wick
  2. Angle Hemp Wick slightly up or down to control the flame
  3. Twist the joint in the flame to create an even burn
  4. Be mindful of dripping beeswax or falling embers
  5. Take some pulls on the joint to get the ember going evenly and strong
  6. After you light your joint, put the hemp wick out

Hemp wick is both better for you and the environment. Lighters are very wasteful, not to mention that every time you use one, you inhale butane. 

how to properly light a joint

Is It Bad To Use A Lighter?

Butane lighters are the most common way to spark up a joint.

However, for those concerned about their health, butane lighters are not the best option. Butane can cause allergic reactions. Furthermore, butane fumes can irritate your eyes, skin, and lungs. Although it would take a lot of butane to cause real damage, it’s not worth the risk. 

Likewise, candles can cause respiratory problems, which many people use to light their joints. Unless your candle is entirely organic and soy-wax based, it can cause health problems down the line. 

Lighting A Joint With Matches

Technically you can light a joint using a match, but it is not the healthiest option. For starters, matches contain sulfur. Matches can alter or corrupt the taste of your marijuana, unlike hemp wick. 

If you need to light the joint with a match, you should let it burn for several seconds. This will help the sulfur and other chemicals burn off, so the chemical won’t alter the joint’s taste. However, remember that all the chemicals won’t burn off, which may alter the overall taste.

Whenever you can, opt for hemp wick. It works great in all sorts of weather situations, it won’t alter the taste of the joint, and is much better for you and the environment. 

How To Properly Light A Joint: Clipping Your Joint For Later

You can easily take a break from smoking and ‘clip’ your joint for later. Find an ashtray or another non-flammable surface such as concrete, and press down gently on the end just like you would with a cigarette. You don’t want to press too hard, or you can crush the joint and render it unusable.

One of the cleanest and most satisfying ways to clip your joint is by applying pressure to one end of the cherry and letting the cherry roll off. However, you need a pretty hefty cherry to achieve this. Additionally, you can suffocate your joint by placing it in a doob tube (a sealed joint tube).

Remember that the next time you light up, it may taste a bit ashy, but it will still get you just as high.

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