How to French Inhale? (5 Easy Steps)

While newbies are learning how to vape, experienced vapers are trying out smoke tricks to look as cool as Snoop Dogg. 

The French Inhale, also called Irish Waterfall, is a smoking trick frequently performed by vapers and cigarette smokers alike. This vapor trick is simple, just part your lips and let the smoke pour over your upper lip, and inhale through your nose, so it goes up into your nostrils. 

French Inhaling looks cool and isn’t too tricky to pull off, so it’s definitely a smoke trick worth learning. There’s only one method for this smoke trick, and it isn’t too complicated. Just a bit of practice, and you’ll know how to French Inhale too. 

Also, if you were curious where this smoking term stems from, unfortunately, no one knows. Some urban dictionaries claim that the trick is called the Irish Waterfall because of an old English stereotype of the Irish being backward. Therefore, even their waterfalls move the wrong way. 

System Adjustments for French Inhaling

Besides the actual vapor technique, you can make it a lot easier for yourself by adjusting your vape for smoke tricks.

Use an MTL System

There are two types of vape systems available: mouth-to-lung (MTL) and direct-to-lung (DTL). 

MTL is the best for learning how to French Inhale as it creates thick smoke. A plethora of smoke makes the process a lot easier because you won’t have to worry about inhaling all the smoke when exhaling. 

All that vapor produced in a French Inhale vape also helps you with other vape tricks besides the Irish Waterfall like the ghost inhale (push the smoke from your mouth and then quickly inhale) or blowing o’s.

Operate at a High Wattage

Suppose you want to make a dense cloud when you French Inhale. There’s no better way than by amping up your wattage. High wattages force more liquid through the atomizer, so you don’t have a hard time making a proper waterfall.

Use a Low MG Juice

Higher mg juices are harsher on your throat due to their increased nicotine, so I wouldn’t go above 6mg when smoking.

French Inhale Step-by-Step Guide

1. Inhale Properly

To begin, you’ll need to inhale just the right amount and keep the smoke at the back of your mouth. You can also inhale some into your lungs, but pushing the smoke out instead of exhaling may be more manageable until you have a bit more practice. 

If you don’t inhale enough, you won’t be able to do the trick properly since you won’t have enough force for the cloud to be visible, and it will just dissipate around you.

Conversely, if you inhale too much, you won’t be able to inhale through your nose after, as your lungs will be full.

I recommend inhaling around half of your maximum capacity, but overall, work out what’s best for you. 

2. Position Your Tongue

Once you’ve got the vapor in your mouth, keep your tongue positioned at the back of your mouth and make it as wide as possible. This tongue placement helps get an even flow when you blow out of your mouth and prevents smoke from going down your throat.

This step is not as important, but when your tongue’s wide, it makes the smoke come out of your nose a lot wider too, and this looks more impressive. 

3. Position Your Lips

This method isn’t essential, but I think it makes a massive difference to my French Inhale, although this step is as equally unknown as the wide tongue technique.

As you open your mouth, push your lower lip out a bit and make sure your bottom teeth are against your bottom lip. This form greatly helps the smoke rise from your mouth, almost like the bottom of your mouth is a slide.

Like I said—not everyone swears by it, so it’s up to you. Many vapers don’t like it because they think it makes them look a bit stupid while performing the trick, and others simply don’t know about it. 

You do you, but I highly recommend using a wide tongue to blow out.

4. Open Your Mouth and Breathe In

The next step is the fun part and the real reason you’re doing all of this. 

Start inhaling through your nose while pushing the smoke out. The smoke will pour out of your mouth like a reverse waterfall and will begin slowly filling your lungs through your nostrils.

Don’t be tempted to exhale. If you exhale, the smoke will blow out of your nose, and you’ll ruin the trick. 

5. End the Trick

Once you’ve done all the above, it’s your choice where to go next. Some like to breathe in as much as possible, while others exhale immediately, but either way, pat yourself on the back because you just French inhaled!

My personal preference is to blow an O afterward. O’s are the most common vape techniques, they’re easy, and you can find plenty of how-to videos on youtube. 

To do an O, inhale through your nose once your mouth is empty, form an O shape with your mouth and push the smoke out with your tongue. The smoke should follow the shape of your mouth. 

It’s not essential, but it’s an excellent finale and makes you look even more like a pro.

Final Thoughts

The French inhale is a good beginner move, and once you’ve mastered it, you’ll be able to go on to the more advanced tricks and look like Snoop Dogg. You’ll probably cough a lot of times at first, but that’s pretty normal.

I like the French Inhale as it looks a lot harder than it is.

You can do this trick with other forms of smoke and vapor, but I recommend sticking to vaping for obvious health reasons. 

Once you’ve worked out how to customize your ending, it’s time to show off.