Light a Cigarette in the Wind

Lighting a cigarette in the wind can be tricky. If you’re inside a vehicle, you can just put the windows up, light your cigarette, and then crack the window open again. If you’re outside in the elements, there are multiple ways you can still light a cigarette, even if it’s windy. As you try these tips, make sure that you’re facing the wind head-on and carefully shielding the fire source with a cupped hand.

Steps

Choosing a Type of Lighter

1. Consider a butane torch lighter. Torch lighters are wind-resistant. If the weather is cool, keep the lighter in your pocket for several minutes to warm it up. Then locate the adjustment part of the device: it may be a screw, lever or wheel. Rotate the part in the direction of the plus sign to increase the butane level.
2. Carry a charged flameless lighter. Flameless lighters use rechargeable batteries. Since they are electronically operated, they don’t require gas or fuel. They typically recharge with an AC adaptor or USB plug. Since there is no flame to blow out, you can still use them in windy weather.
3. Get a windproof lighter. There are many different types of them on the market. Shop around online or stop in a local tobacco shop. When you find one you like, you may want to read reviews about it first from other people who have tried it, to see if it’s as effective as the seller claims.

Lighting Matches

1. Cut thin shavings into the match. If you have something sharp on hand like a pocketknife, scissors or keys, slide the sharp object down the match. Start at the match’s halfway point and press towards the match head to create upraised wood shavings. These will help the flame grow and stay lit long enough to light your cigarette.
   • This technique will work for wood matches, not matches with cardboard bodies.
2. Use two matches at once. Hold the matches about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} apart from each other. Keeping them in this position, strike the first match. The second match will light slightly after the first. This will give you extra moments to light your cigarette.
3. Hold the matches on an angle pointing downward. The flame will have more material to burn at once, making a stronger fire. You should hold the matches at the very tips of the ends, since the flame will travel upward quickly. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Using Alternative Methods

1. Use the tip of someone else’s lit cigarette. Put your unlit cigarette between your lips. Press the end of the lit cigarette up against the end of your unlit cigarette. Without inhaling, take short, rapid puffs from your cigarette as if you are blowing kisses with your lips, or making short sucking motions on a straw.
   • Try to keep the two cigarette ends flush up against each other so that you ignite the full tip of your cigarette.
   • Once your cigarette starts smoking, you can take a couple of deep inhales to get your cigarette fully lit on its own.
2. Use a disposable cup. If you have an empty paper cup from a beverage, poke a hole in one side of it, for instance with a pen. You can put your cigarette partway through the hole, and light it from inside the cup. That way the cup is protecting all sides of the cigarette from the wind. Make sure that you don’t actually touch the flame to the cup, since paper is flammable.
   • Activate the lighter with your pointer finger instead of your thumb, so that you can point the lighter downwards into the cup without burning yourself.
   • Make a tear or cut in the side of the cup that reaches down to the hole you made so that you can retrieve your cigarette. You can try to pull your cigarette back out through the hole but do so carefully, as glowing ashes may be knocked loose.
3. Get a special case. You can purchase lighter cases online that are equipped with windshields. You can also find pocket ashtrays and lighter cases with built-in electric coils to light cigarettes with. That way the wind will not affect the functionality of the heat source.

Tips

• Try sheltering your cigarette by cupping it from different directions if it doesn't work at first. Crosswinds can be tricky.

Warnings

• Don’t cup the flame so close to your hand that you can burn yourself.
• Get out of the wind if you’re wearing a lot of hairspray. If the wind blows the cigarette out of your hands as you’re lighting it, your hair could catch on fire.
• Don’t discard your lit cigarette butt outside of an appropriate receptacle. Cigarette butts can cause brush fires, especially when it’s windy.

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