Start at the lowest strength, not the middle
The single most common mistake is starting too high. A pouch delivers nicotine steadily through the gum over twenty to thirty minutes, which feels very different from anything you inhale. If you start at a high strength you are likely to get a hot, tingling feeling under the lip, a dry mouth, and in some cases nausea, light-headedness or hiccups.
OVNS makes four strengths: 6 mg, 9 mg, 15 mg and 21 mg. If you have not used pouches before, start at 6 mg. It is the lowest strength we make. You can always move up; it is much harder to enjoy the product after an unpleasant first experience.
A note on the number. The milligram figure is the nicotine in one pouch, not the whole can. A 9 mg can holds twenty pouches of 9 mg each.
Pick a mint first, a fruit second
Four of the six OVNS flavours are mints, and there is a reason beginners tend to land there. Mint carries a cooling sensation that masks the slight pepperiness of nicotine itself, so the pouch tastes cleaner for longer.
- Cool Mint — the most neutral thing we make. Cold air and mint, no sweetness. The easiest first can.
- Peppermint — sharper and more forward than Cool Mint.
- Fresh Spearmint — softer and rounder, with the edges taken off.
- Wintergreen — sweeter and more distinctive; not a mint in the usual sense.
- Bubblicious and Mango Marvel — sweet and fruit-forward, better once you know what a pouch feels like.
What the first twenty minutes feel like
Place one pouch between your upper lip and gum, flat side against the gum. Within a minute or two you will feel a light tingle where the pouch sits. That is normal and it settles.
Leave it in for twenty to thirty minutes. Do not chew it and do not swallow it. You will produce a little more saliva than usual — swallow normally, there is nothing to spit. When you are done, the used pouch goes in the compartment in the lid, then in the bin.
If the tingle becomes genuinely uncomfortable, take the pouch out. There is no benefit to pushing through it.
How often
One pouch at a time, and give yourself a gap between them. Most people find their own rhythm within the first week. If you find yourself reaching for the next one immediately, that is usually a sign the strength is too low for you rather than a reason to use two at once — never use two at once.
Reading the can before you open it
Every OVNS lid carries four printed dots and only the dark ones count. Two dark dots means 15 mg, four dark dots means 21 mg, and no dark dots means the strength is printed on the back of the can — 6 mg or 9 mg. The dot code is explained in full here.
Who these are not for
Nicotine pouches are for adults 21 and over who already use nicotine. They are not for anyone under 21, not for people who do not already use nicotine, and not for use during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Nicotine is addictive. If you have heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes, speak to a doctor first. OVNS pouches are not a smoking cessation aid and have not been evaluated as one.
