By: Alison Watman
If you’re still lighting up using a butane lighter, it’s time to give hemp wick a try!
Hemp wick is not just for making macrame necklaces at summer camp – it’s a natural alternative to matches and lighters that provides a healthier, smoother burn.
What is hemp wick?
Hemp wick is hemp twine coated in beeswax, which burns slowly like a candlewick. Used primarily for lighting pipes and bongs, hemp wick is an easy and clean way to light your bowl.
Once it’s lit with a lighter or match, use the hemp wick to spark your bowl, then extinguish it.
One length of hemp wick lasts forever, and can be conveniently stored by wrapping it around your lighter or bowl.
What are the benefits of using hemp wick?
Healthier – When you use a lighter or match to light up, you are also breathing in butane gas or other toxic chemicals with your toke. Hemp wick is made of the same stuff you’re already smoking – hemp! No extra chemicals for you to inhale.
Burns at a Lower Temperature – The flame from a butane lighter is extremely hot, and so is the smoke you inhale into your lungs. Hemp wick, on the other hand, burns at a much lower temperature.
Tastes Better – Since your tokes aren’t as hot using hemp wick, you are more likely to taste the subtleties of your marijuana and enjoy smoother tokes.
More for Your Money – Because of the lower temperature flame, your marijuana burns more slowly, so you can get more out of your weed overall.
Precision Lighting – Because it’s coated in beeswax, hemp wick holds its shape firmly, instead of flopping down like a piece of string. This allows you to more precisely ignite in your bowl than with a lighter, enabling you to “corner the bowl” with pinpoint accuracy.
Nice Aroma – A faint, warm smell of beeswax with your toke? Mmmm, yes please!
How do you use hemp wick to smoke cannabis?
Step One: Get Set Up
Prepare your joint, bowl, etc, and unfurl the free end of your hemp wick a few inches from its bundle, or wrap it as you would like around your pipe.
Step Two: Light the Hemp Wick
For this step you will need a lighter or match to ignite the end of the hemp wick. Hold the wick away from the wind or flammable substances as you light.
Step Three: Let The Wick Burn for a Few Seconds
This time lets the wick burn away any possible contamination from the lighter or match, and also gives the flame time to take hold firmly.
Step Four: Light your Marijuana
Use the burning end of the hemp wick to light your marijuana the same way you would any other source: hold the burning end of the wick to the marijuana and inhale.
Step Five: Extinguish the Hemp Wick
Put out the flaming end of the wick by either wetting the tips of your thumb and forefinger and pressing the flame between your fingers, or dip it in water. You can also blow or shake out the wick, but make sure the end is fully extinguished before moving on.
Step Six: Store your Wick
When you are sure the wick is fully out and cooled, re-wrap your bundle of wick, tucking in the end purposefully. Make sure you are able to find the end for next time!
What is the best hemp wick you can buy online?
There’s a lot of hemp wick out there that is no more than craft store hemp, made of leftover industrial hemp dipped in beeswax.
However, we’ve compiled a list of the best hemp wick out there that you can buy online, whose ingredients have been specifically grown for the purpose of making high quality hemp wicks.
Bee Wick Hemp
$16.99 for 420 ft
Bee Wick Hemp is made by hand in the USA with 100% organic hemp and American pharmaceutical grade beeswax.
It has been reviewed to have a sweet aroma. One unique feature of this company is that you can order extra waxy or less waxy available upon request!
Twisted Bee Organic Hemp Wick
$17.99 for 200ft
Twisted Bee hemp wick is 100% organic, unbleached, and coated in natural beeswax. The hemp is organically grown in Europe, and the wick is made in house in the USA.
This wick is reportedly slightly sticky, which makes it easy to wrap around a lighter or bong and know it will stay put. Bonus: this wick comes with a resealable bag for storing the hemp so it doesn’t dry out.
Humboldt Organic Hemp Wick
$7.70 for 50 ft
Humboldt hemp is made in Humboldt County, California, with100% organic hemp and beeswax. The wick is super slow burning and hearty. It reportedly smells rich and earthy, but leaves no taste in your mouth.
EricX Light Organic Hemp Wick
$11.95 for 200ft
EricX Light wick is made of 100% Organic Hemp and beeswax, though is not American made (it’s made in China). It has been reviewed to be clean tasting and less waxy and less sticky than other brands.
Beneroots Organic Hemp Wick
$10.79 for 200ft
Beneroots Hemp is made from organic hemp, and burns cleanly. It is made in China, which may be seen as a negative quality, however the company attests that this is because the manufacturer abides by strict quality control.
Reviewers comment that it has less thick of a coating than other brands, so it is not as sticky and burns slightly faster.
RAW Hemp Wick
$6.11 for 10ft
If you want to give hemp wick a try without a big commitment, try this little bundle.
Made from natural hemp & beeswax in Poland, RAW hemp wick is grown without the use of pesticides or herbicides, and is a non-gmo and vegan product. All of their packaging uses mainly recycled or hemp paper.
Homeostasis Living 100% Organic Hemp Wick
$14.49 200ft
Homeostasis Living’s hemp wick is made from 100% organic hemp wick and premium grade beeswax with zero synthetic ingredients.
It comes with a resealable bag for storage and quality assurance. It burns cleanly, and reviewers note it has a sweet aroma similar to wildflower honey.
Frequently asked questions
Is hemp wick healthy?
Yes! Think about it this way, hemp wick is made of what you’re already smoking… hemp. Whereas, if you use a butane lighter, you’re inhaling noxious butane chemicals, which can cause serious health problems if inhaled frequently.
Especially if you’re purchasing one of the organic products listed above, you can be sure you’re not breathing in any extra hazardous ingredients.
Is hemp wick legal?
Yes! You can purchase hemp wick legally in all states. You can even find them available in craft stores for making candles and jewelry.
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Alison Watman is a writer who focuses on cannabis culture and lifestyle.