Dabbing Etiquette

LET FIRST-TIMERS KNOW WHAT THEY’RE GETTING INTO

Before handing the water pipe over to someone who’s dabbing for the first time, make sure you let them know what they should expect. Ask them how often they smoke, and where their tolerance level is at. Also, make sure they understand that dabbing is a whole different ball game. 

HAVE SOME COMMON-COURTESY.

If there are ladies in your group, let them go first. If you’re the only lady or there aren’t any ladies, ask the whole group who wants to have first-dabs. Easy. Simple. Not hard.

DON’T BE A SLOB

Seriously, man. Clean your gear. Nobody wants to dab from a super-nasty nail, dabber, or water pipe.

MAKE SURE YOU’RE PREPARED

Always know your torch’s butane level, and keep an extra can or two on hand at all times. Be sure to have a dabber, alcohol wipes (to clean the dabber between dabs), food for your friends, cold water in the fridge, and – most importantly – enough wax for everyone.

PLEASE DON’T WASTE

Don’t be the person that accidentally takes too much wax and isn’t able to clear it all. Take what you are able to dab, but be sure to dab what you take.

CONTRIBUTE OCCASIONALLY

Dabs are expensive, and your friend is being really nice by smoking you out. Don’t take advantage of this, or you’ll find yourself being left out of group dabs. Nobody likes a freeloader, so be sure to contribute every once in a while.

DON’T OVER-DAB

Yeah, dabbing too much is possible, and it’s not pretty. Make sure you know your limits and if you’re a first-time dabber, only take really, really small dabs.

JUST DON’T TOUCH THEIR STUFF

Simple rule: if it’s not your wax, don’t touch it with your hands. If the concentrate isn’t stable, you’ll end up getting it all over your hands and wasting it. This won’t make anyone happy.

DON’T THROW DOWN A HOT DABBER.

After you dab, don’t just set the hot dabber/tool down directly on the table. Usually, this hot dabber has hot wax and the wax ends up getting on the table. Make sure you have somewhere (like an ash tray or a stand) to set the dabber when you’re done.

DON’T TOUCH THE HOT NAIL.

Pulling the stem to clear the water pipe: this is a common habit for many people, and sometimes this habit comes out of nowhere when you’re dabbing. The nail will be hot; don’t touch it. It’s not necessary and you’ll just end up with really, really burnt fingers.