Blow Smoke Rings

Blowing smoke rings looks impressive but is actually easy to do. This article will show you how.

10 Second Summary

1. Inhale the smoke partway. Keep it in your throat.
2. Move your tongue toward the back of your throat.
3. Make an "O" shape with your mouth.
4. Push out small amounts of smoke.

Steps

Blowing Traditional Smoke Rings

  1. Partially inhale the smoke. Keep the smoke in your throat, not just in your mouth. This may take some getting used to. It may cause you to cough.
  2. Move your tongue toward the back of your throat. With your mouth closed, draw your tongue back, keeping it pointing down toward the bottom of your mouth so that the smoke moves away from your lips.
  3. Shape your mouth into an "O" shape. At the same time, stick your lips out as if you were making an "ooo" sound (like in the word 'boot'). The circle should be as big as you can comfortably make it. Don't stress too much - leave room for movement. You will look rather ridiculous to everyone else, until they realize you're about to blow their minds.
  4. Push small amounts of smoke out. The best way to describe how to do this is by the sound you make when you choke slightly, by contracting your glottis and pushing the air through your lips. You will feel pressure and then a quick burst of smoke, but your vocal chords should not be used. The exhale should only be a guttural whisper, if anything.
    • Try to push a small amount of air out of your lower throat without taking a breath and without moving your lower jaw. Once you master this technique, the rings should come easier.
    • Keep your lips steady as you're pushing the small bit of air out of your mouth.
    • This is the toughest part of blowing smoke rings. Make sure your tongue is far back in your mouth, you have enough smoke to form a ring, and enough breath to push the smoke out.

Adding Spin and Speed to Smoke Rings

  1. After you master the basic technique, try to blow rings with backspin. As you feel the smoke leaving your lips, push the tongue forward, still keeping it pointing down. Don't bring the tip of your tongue up above your teeth, or it will interfere with the smoke ring. Think of your tongue like a conveyor belt.
    • At the same time, bring the lower jaw slightly but rapidly upward. Tuck your lips inward slightly, but rapidly.
    • This will put a "back-spin" on the smoke, helping the ring stay tight. This should create a very beautiful, thick ring of smoke.
  2. To make your O's travel faster and farther, try to incorporate a speedy tongue push along with a rapid jut of your jaw. These two motions should be the last motions of blowing an O, meaning that they should be the motions that push the O from your lips. The difference between this technique and adding spin is that for this technique, you're pushing your jaw forward; in the spin technique, you're pushing your jaw up.
    • Try to keep the tip of your tongue placed behind your lower front teeth at the gum line at all time, and try to only push with the middle of your tongue.
    • The hardest part to master about this technique is the jaw motion. You pretty much have to figure it out on your own.
    • This technique takes the most practice, but once you master it you will be the master of shooting those O's, and will be capable of shooting O's that seem to continue to drift until disturbed.
  3. Use your lips to affect the distance traveled by smoke rings. If you quickly curl your lips after you close and open your glottis, the ring will travel faster.
    • The further in you curl your lips, the faster and farther your smoke ring will go.
    • Don't curl too much or too soon, however. Timing is everything. If you constrict the opening too soon, you may end up with smaller rings than you want.

Quick Methods for Beginners

  1. Blow smoke rings with a light tap of the cheek. This is considered "cheating" by some, but it's an easy and effective way to blow small smoke rings without needing to master the throat technique.
    • Gather smoke in your mouth, but don't inhale.
    • Form your lips in a small "ooo" shape.
    • Using your tongue and mouth to blow some smoke out slowly and steadily, flick or tap your cheek repeatedly. For each flick of the cheek, you'll get a mini-ring!
    • Do this in a steady stream of taps or space the taps out with breaks in between.
  2. Use the tongue-push method for smoke rings. You are basically using the tongue to push smoke out of the mouth without "blowing" at all.
    • Curl your tongue back toward your throat while letting the tip rest on the bottom of the mouth, so that your tongue makes an upside-down "U" shape.
    • Use the flat surface of the tongue to quickly push the smoke out of the mouth. Do this by dragging the tip of the tongue across the bottom of your mouth while keeping the upside down "U" intact.
    • Rings produced this way are small and don't last very long, but are very easy to make.
  3. Use a cellophane wrapper to get smoke rings. An alternate method (e.g. cheating) is to burn a hole in the cellophane wrapper in your cigarette pack. After inhaling smoke, blow it into the hole. Gently tap the wrapper on side without a hole. A smoke ring will appear.

Tips

  • Be patient when trying to learn how to blow perfect smoke rings. You won't necessarily get it right the first time, and it would take a good amount of practice time in order to perfect.
  • When blowing smoke rings, try to position yourself by a window or any other source of light that will shine on the area you will be blowing your rings to. It will make the rings much easier for others to see.
  • Pick out cigarettes that tend to have thick smoke - full flavor, 100s, menthols, etc. Note: the lighter the cigarette, the thinner the smoke will be, making smoke rings less visible. Alternately, you can use hookah or shisha smoke to blow smoke rings.
  • If there is any sort of wind or air movement brought about by too many people moving close to you, you will have a hard time keeping the rings together. In this case, try finding a more suitable position in the room. Depending on where the air movement is coming from, shooting your rings in a different direction can help.
  • If using cigarettes, pack the cigarettes as best as you can. Packing cigarettes involves repeatedly striking the top of the pack on a flat hard surface or your hand to condense the tobacco further towards the filter, leaving that empty paper space on top.
  • You can also use little cigars (cigarillos) to get a thicker smoke. Some brands include:
    • Al Capone
    • Black And Mild
    • Swisher Sweets
    • White Owl
    • Winchester
    • Hamlets
  • To blow a smaller smoke ring through a larger one, just take into account which way the smoke rings are floating, and how fast. Blow a ring carefully, so that it retains shape, yet moves slowly, then constrict your lips a little more, and blow a smaller one. The smaller one should move faster by design, but if it doesn't, use lip curling to make it move faster. After that, it's all aim!
  • The speed at which your O-ring moves will be determined by how much pressure you put behind your "uh." To achieve that, you must push on the smoke in your throat using your diaphragm like you're going to exhale hard or cough.
  • Try practicing in front of a mirror. You will be able to watch the smoke form, how it flows, and how the shape and movement of your mouth affects it.
  • This is a simple method for beginners: to blow smoke rings that persist with speed and accuracy, pop your jaw upwards instead of trying to force air forward with your glottis.
  • When blowing rings, try to keep your tongue out of the way as much as possible, as it will only disrupt the spin you are trying to put on the smoke. Just keep it comfortably at the bottom of your mouth. Don't force it, but keep it down.
  • It's possible to blow rings outdoors - however, be mindful of the wind, as it will easily prevent you from blowing fully formed rings. If you consider the physics of how smoke rings form (vortices), blowing them towards the wind will help them form.
  • For easier practice, try using an electronic cigarette for perfect smoke rings.

Warnings

  • Do not litter the streets with cigarettes. Remember to dispose of a cigarette butt in an ashtray or other appropriate receptacle.
  • Remember that smoking seriously damages your health. Practice the blowing of smoke rings in moderation.

Things You'll Need

  • A cigarette, cigar, shisha (hookah), tobacco pipe or electronic cigarette
  • A lighter

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Sources and Citations

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