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How To Use Hemp Wick: Step-by-Step Guide (With Pictures)

April 11, 2024 08:00 am ET Estimated Read Time: 5 Minutes

Fact checked by Kymberly Drapcho

How To Use Hemp Wick: Step-by-Step Guide (With Pictures)

Ditch your lighter, and take your cannabis experience to the next level by burning hemp wick to light up your next joint or bowl.

What Is Hemp Wick?

Hemp wick is a string made from the thinnest fibers of the hemp plant (a low-THC variety of the cannabis sativa plant) coated in beeswax. The beeswax allows for a more steady and slow burn, which is said to help preserve the flavors and terpenes found in cannabis flowers. You can typically purchase hemp wick as a ball of string, but it can also come in smaller bundles and booklets. Now, perhaps the idea seems strange, and you may be wondering how you can use a piece of string to light cannabis and why you would even want to. So, in this article, we will explore the benefits of using hemp wick versus a traditional lighter and provide steps for how you can try out this technique yourself.

How To Use Hemp Wick

1. Unravel a strand

Since some hemp rolls come in lengths up to 800 feet, you may need to gently pull a short length of string from the roll, about four to six inches long. You can either cut this length of string or leave it attached to the ball of twine. Avoid unraveling the string entirely.

2. Wrap the hemp wick around your lighter

Hold one end of the hemp wick against your lighter, and start to wrap the strand tightly around the body of the lighter. Wrap until there is about an inch or two of hemp wick left.

3. Light the tip

Holding the end of the strand away from wind and anything flammable, you will light the tip of the string with a lighter or match (which is the more environmentally friendly option). Although you may be lighting the string with a lighter, the undesirable butane and high-temperature burn will not affect your cannabis experience negatively. The portion of the wick that came into contact with the butane should burn off instantly, which will leave you with a burning hemp wick piece free of potentially harmful chemicals. Once the flame is lit, allow it to burn until there is a gentle, even flame, and you’re ready to light your cannabis.

4. Light your cannabis

Because of its beeswax coating, hemp wick can maintain a stiff shape when you hold it up, rather than dangling or flopping over like a normal string. To light a joint, simply apply the burning tip of the hemp wick to the twisted end of the rolling paper and inhale. For a pipe or bong, hold the tip of the hemp wick in the bowl of ground flower and inhale. In both of these methods, you will basically use the lit hemp wick the same way you would use a lighter or match.

5. Extinguish the wick

After you are finished lighting your hemp wick and cannabis, extinguish the tip by either dipping it in some water or pinching it with wet fingers. Make sure that the tip is extinguished, then wrap the remaining string back into the bundle or ball. You should store your hemp wick in a clean space where the string’s slightly sticky, waxy surface won’t pick up much dust or debris.

Benefits of Hemp Wick

Health and Safety: The fuel inside a normal lighter is a “colorless gas with a faint petroleum-like odor” called butane. Extended exposure to this refined gas can generate consequences for your health. When you smoke with a lighter, you inhale butane and its combustion byproducts into your lungs, which could possibly cause damage over time when you smoke frequently.
Flavor: The butane in a lighter also burns at 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a much higher temperature than is optimal for smoking cannabis. As a result, a lighter’s flame is likely to scorch your cannabis flower and destroy the aroma of the herbs. Since hemp wick achieves a slow, lower-temperature burn, you can toast your buds to release the smoke and flavor more steadily, which will give your hit more cannabis botanical flavors. Additionally, the butane in lighters is known to give off an unpleasant taste. Hemp wick, on the other hand, does not alter the flavor of your smoke, which further provides an advantage over using a lighter.
Potency: Not only can hemp wick provide a more flavorful hit. Burning your bud with hemp wick may also even allow you to experience the optimal potency of your cannabis. This is because hemp wick’s low-temperature flame won’t burn off as many terpenes and cannabinoids as the much hotter flame produced by a butane lighter.
Environmental Sustainability: The majority of butane lighters are made from non-biodegradable and non-recyclable plastics. Filling landfills at a rate of 350 million lighters per year, disposable lighters are contributing to the buildup of plastics harming the environment. This waste is tragic, given the availability of hemp wick, which is biodegradable and only leaves behind ash after it is used.

Let there be Light, Not Lighters

Using hemp wick to smoke cannabis offers a natural, sustainable, and flavorful alternative to lighting up with a common butane lighter. By incorporating hemp wick into your smoking sessions, you get to enjoy better flavors and effects from your cannabis, and you support an eco-friendly approach to cannabis consumption. With so many things to like about hemp wick, it is definitely a trend-worthy method of lighting up. So, try it out and spread the word! Your friends will thank you for enriching their smoking experience, and the environment will thank you for reducing plastic waste by just a few more lighters.

Author, Share & Comments

Sheldon Sommer is a Southern Californian philosopher with a lifelong interest in the biological world. She is enthusiastic to contribute her fascination with philosophy, natural history, psychology, botany, biochemistry and other related topics to providing cannabis education for the similarly curious. Outside of writing, she enjoys painting, singing opera and Taylor Swift songs, as well as spending quality time with a certain beloved orange kitty cat.