Written by Joshua Sosin

Dabbing cannabis concentrates is an immersive and rewarding experience. It's a fantastic way for experienced cannabis enthusiasts to get the most out of their favorite products, and doing it only takes a bit of skill and a few tools.

The main thing you need to vaporize concentrates is a dab rig setup. This tool is similar to a standard pipe or bong, but it features a hot nail that gets your concentrates to their perfect temperature.

Using a dab rig, you can enjoy concentrates like hash, diamonds, moonrocks, and more and experience their intense flavors, aromas, and cannabinoid content. Dabbing for the first time can be a bit overwhelming, though, which is why we've put together this quick guide on how to use a dab rig.

Read below to learn everything you need to know about dabbing cannabis concentrates. When you're done, head to the Mood Shop to explore our full selection of highly concentrated THC products.

How To Use a Dab Rig: What You Need

A dab rig has a few distinct parts that serve specific purposes when you're smoking concentrates. Here's a quick rundown of the main components:

Dab Nail or Banger

The nail (also known as the banger) is the part of the dab rig that vaporizes cannabis concentrates by heating them to high temperatures. It's usually made out of quartz or titanium, which can hold up against intense heat.

Most dab rigs feature a built-in nail, but in most cases, you can swap yours out for a different one if you want to switch up your experience a bit.

Dab Tool

A heated nail is, as you can imagine, extremely hot, so you can't load up wax concentrates onto it by hand. Instead, you'll need to use a specialized dab tool, which is made of heat-resistant metal.

A dab tool costs only a few dollars, and you can get one online from the Mood Shop alongside your next order of powerful cannabis concentrates.

Carb Cap

The carb cap is the part of the dab rig that you use to control airflow and temperature while dabbing. Some dab rigs include a carb cap, but you might have to buy one separately and add it to your dab rig setup.

If you want smooth, even hits while using a dab rig, a carb cap is a must.

Cannabis Concentrates

You can't use a dab rig without some dabs.

"Dab" is a cannabis term for concentrates. These powerful products are extracted from the cannabis plant and separated from the primary plant material, leaving behind potent cannabinoids and terpenes. Heating concentrates to the right temperature produces an incredible high.

There are quite a few different concentrates out there, but we recommend getting started with hash, moonrocks, or dab badder. We offer all of these concentrates in the Mood Shop, along with even more powerful options like THCa liquid diamonds.

Butane Torch

You need a high, consistent source of heat to use a dab rig. The classic option is a butane torch.

Using a butane torch can help you heat concentrates to their optimal temperature for the most flavorful and powerful experience. While traditional smoking methods work just fine with a regular lighter, a nail or banger needs to reach extremely high temperatures so that it can retain heat and fully vaporize your concentrates.

Cotton Swabs and Isopropyl Alcohol

Titanium nails and other types of bangers clean off easily with nothing but a cotton swab and some isopropyl alcohol. After hitting a dab, you should always clean off the nail using this simple combination of supplies.

Can You Use a Gas Stove To Heat a Dab Rig Without a Torch?

As a side note, we've seen some online stoners recommend using a gas stove to get your nail or banger red hot in lieu of a torch. However, we never recommend this method; it's an easy way to get burned.

How To Use a Dab Rig: A Quick-Start Guide

If you've never used a dab rig before, it's easy to wonder where to start. We're here to help you out. Make sure you have all the supplies listed above, and then you're good to go.

Step One: Secure Your Nail

The nail is just about the most important part of the dab rig, and you need it firmly in place for a smooth and safe dabbing experience.

Using your hands, check to make sure that the nail doesn't wiggle at all in its place in the rig. If it does, you can hand-fasten it to get it nice and secure.

Skipping this step is never recommended; if you aren't careful with a dab rig, you can end up getting hurt.

Step Two: Heat the Nail With the Torch

Before you load up your nail with concentrate, you need to heat it.

To do this, put the heating element of the torch directly over the nail and hold it in place for around 20 seconds. Once the nail glows red hot, you know it's ready to go.

Once it's heated, let the nail cool for about 45 seconds. The cooling period helps the heated nail reach the right temperature for low temp dabs, which are less potent but more flavorful.

Step Three: Load Up the Concentrate

Using your dab tool, put a small amount of concentrate directly on the hot nail. A little bit of a dab goes a long way, so start with less than you think you need. For the best results, weigh out your dab using a scale.

To get all of the concentrate off the dab tool and onto the nail, rotate it slightly. You should see the concentrate turn into wax vapor within a few seconds if you heat your nail correctly.

Step Four: Inhale Slowly

To hit a dab, cover the top of the dab rig with your carb cap and slowly inhale through the mouthpiece. Hold the smoke in and enjoy the intense flavors and aromas for the best possible experience.

We highly recommend that you wait a while before taking another hit, especially if it the first time you've consumed cannabis concentrates. They're extremely powerful (much more than traditional cannabis flower), so you may be surprised by how much one hit affects you. You should feel the effects within minutes at most.

Step Five: Clean Your Nail

Let the nail cool fully, then use a cotton swab to clean any residual concentrate off of its surface. Leaving melted concentrate on the nail can degrade it over time, so that's never a good idea.

Get Ready for Your Next Dabbing Session With Mood

If you're ready to hit a dab for the first time (or the fiftieth), head to the Mood Shop. There, you'll find plenty of powerful cannabis concentrates, along with premium cannabis flower, edibles, and much more. Use the code "FIRST20" to get 20% off your first order.