No, vaping doesn’t define who someone is as an individual. That being said, for plenty of people, vaping becomes a part of their identity. Vaping is part of socializing with others. Like many other things, it becomes part of a bond held between a group of people.
Because of this, it simply makes sense to many to make vaping as an individual to them as possible. For many, this is done with the style of vaporizer they use. Some liquids give off a great scent while being used. People like this specific flavor or smell to be a part of the activity for them.
As vaping grows in popularity, there have been more and more people deciding to start making their own e-liquids. For some, doing this simply adds to the joy they find through vaping. It’s become a part of the process of making vaping personal to them. If you have been putting thought into also creating your own liquids at home, there are many benefits, regardless if you’re brand new to vaping or have been doing it for years.
Making your own e-liquid at home not only saves money compared to buying them at retail price, but it also gives you more combinations of flavor than you could ever count, including the ones you imagine on your own and are unable to find in stores. Also, great pride comes along with being able to say that you have created a great flavor that no one else has been able to try.
I already know exactly what you may be thinking. Many people have the same exact thoughts. “Creating my own e-liquid sounds complicated, Shouldn’t I leave something this complex up to the professionals?” This thought couldn’t be further from the truth. While it’s going to take practice to create an amazing flavor everyone wants, all you need to get started is a few items essential for equipment, the four standard ingredients, and a recipe. With this simple start, you’ll have the freedom and ability to make alterations to the recipe you use, mix to the exact flavor you’re wanting to create, and do all the experimenting you want.
What you’ll need to get started
In order to get started creating your own e-liquid, you will need to get familiar with the standard ingredients and the needed equipment. That being said, you won’t be needing a team of technicians or an expensive laboratory. There are just a couple of essential components you will want to make sure you have. This will be all that’s needed to create your own unique, miniature e-liquid factory at home. A simple google search will provide you with plenty of options concerning a do-it-yourself e-liquid starter kit. Here are the ingredients you will need to have.
VG, Vegetable Glycerin
This is a thicker fluid you are able to find in everything from pharmaceuticals, personal care products, the food you eat, and of course, e-liquids. When it comes to vaping, VG is used to facilitate the clouds you create when vaping. By itself, VG has a little of a sweet taste that is able to affect the flavors you will create.
PG, propylene glycol
This fluid isn’t nearly as thick as VG. There is no odor to PG and it has almost no taste to it. It can also be found in pharmaceuticals, foods, and personal care products, just like VG. If you are more concerned with the taste of your liquid than the cloud amount created when you vape, you will want a higher amount of PG in your liquid.
Diluted Nicotine
Depending on the nicotine strength you prefer, there’s a wide variety of options, here. What’s important is that you’re well aware of the fact the higher the level of nicotine in your liquid, the more careful you will want to be. Because of how harmful nicotine can be, you’ll want to make sure not to have a spill while creating your mixture. Either a PG or VG base is used to dilute the nicotine. While it will create an effect with several other aspects of the mixture you are creating, the base liquid will not affect the strength of the nicotine you are using.
The thickness of your liquid will be determined but the PG to VG ratio of your base, not the level of nicotine you use. The Nicotine level will also have very little effect, if any, on the taste or flavor of the e-liquid you are creating. Using a container with 100mg/mL is a great place to start when you are deciding the level of nicotine you want to use in your liquid. This 100mg/Ml won’t pertain to the finished e-liquid strength. This only pertains to the base fluid’s strength.
To ensure the longevity of your liquid, you will need to make sure you’re storing your liquid properly. If you’re looking for long-term storage, you will want to keep the liquid refrigerated. If the goal is short-term storage, a dry, cool, dark place will be fine.
Nicotine salt, optional variation
Similar to the traditional nicotine, nicotine salt is a liquid suspended in a VG or Pg base. The main difference is nicotine salt is bound chemically to its base through an acidic compound. E-liquids are known for being smothered with nicotine salt from the difference in its binding process. If you prefer a liquid with a higher level of nicotine, the liquid may be throaty or harsh if the nicotine isn’t in this salt form. At these same high levels, nicotine salt is known for being a more flavorful and pleasant vape.
Recommend Read:- How To Pick Right Nicotine Level For Vaping?
Flavor Concentrates
When creating your own vaping liquid, making your own flavor is where things get really exciting. Almost any flavor you can imagine has a concentrate you will enjoy. Soft drinks, fruits, candies, cereals, coffee, desserts, if it’s a consumable product, there’s more than likely a flavor for you to create. Make sure you remember that almost every one of these concentrates will be diluted with a PG base. When you make your liquid’s ratio, you will have to take this into consideration. While these concentrates don’t exactly need to be refrigerated, it’s important they are kept away from heat.
The supplies you will need
Bottles
You will need to make sure you have plenty of bottles both for mixing and storing your liquids. The majority of commercial e-liquids are packaged with 30mL, 60mL, and 120 mL bottles. If you plan on testing your liquids or simply making samples, you may consider using just a 15mL bottle. If the plan is to try a new recipe you haven’t mixed before, it is definitely recommended you use a smaller bottle. This way, if you’re unhappy with the results, you don’t have as much waste and you’re able to get the most of the ingredients you have.
Pipettes and /or syringes
In order to have a clean transfer of your ingredients from one container to another, you will need to have transfer pipettes and syringes. You can find both of these with milliliter increments that have been marked clearly, allowing you to transfer volumes with precision. You can also find pipettes and syringes in several different sizes. If you need to transfer a high volume of flavor, this might be transferred more easily with a 10 or 20mL syringe. If you’re using a small amount or using more than one flavor at lower percentages, a 1 or 5mL syringe might be a better choice.
Gloves
It’s imperative that you keep both your hands and your liquid from anything that may contaminate the mixture. Any latex or vinyl gloves will do the trick. Keep in mind, any direct contact between nicotine and your skin can be very harmful. Any time you are mixing your own e-liquid, you want to make sure your hands are covered for safety.
Labels
No, labeling the liquids isn’t a must. That being said, if mixing your own liquids is going to be something you do a lot of or you prefer to have a selection of liquids at your disposal, it’s worth the price of buying labels for your bottles. Use your label to mark the PG/VG ratio, version number, and the date you mixed the liquid. Keep in mind, just because a liquid is a different flavor doesn’t necessarily mean they will be different in appearance. Labels allow you to know exactly which liquid is what.
Select a ratio and recipe
Depending on how long you’ve been mixing your own e-liquids, make sure you are using a recipe you feel comfortable with. If this is something you are new to, it might make sense to use a recipe that only calls for a couple of flavors. Remember, it is a good idea to be sure the amount of all your flavors combined doesn’t exceed 20 percent of the volume of your bottle. You will end up with a perfume-like taste or flavor that has been muted if your liquid contains too much flavoring. If you make a mistake or don’t receive the end results you’re looking for after the first mix, keep trying. You will not come up with a perfect mixture on your first go-round.
The VG/PG ratio will have an effect concerning how your liquid vapes. While this doesn’t exactly affect the liquid’s flavor, your pull quality and the visibility of the cloud of your vape will be affected. The ratio will denote the percentage of the volume of the bottle filled with VG and PG. For instance, if you are mixing a liquid with half VG and half PG, you will want your label to say “50/50.”
If you are looking for a thicker liquid, providing a thicker cloud or vape, you will want to use a ration of 70 percent VG and 30 percent PG. If you’re more concerned with the quality of the flavor you’re mixing, you will want a ratio of 30 percent VG and 70 percent PG. If you are using a vaporizer with lower wattage, it’s recommended that you use a 50/50 ratio.
After deciding exactly what you want your liquid to be, you will need the right measurements to get the results you want. You will need to calculate your flavors, nicotine, etc. Doing all of this can be frustrating, regardless of how long you have been creating your own e-liquids. Many of the places that sell the ingredients will also have formula calculators to help you save time and effort.
When you’re finished mixing
As we mentioned earlier, it’s always a good idea to label the bottles with the flavor and other information from the mixture. Along with a label for the bottle, it can also be helpful to take notes of the process after you’re finished, at least with the first few mixtures. This provides you with helpful information if you want to produce a specific flavor at a later time.
Steeping
In order to achieve the maximum flavor, you will want to make sure your liquid has been steeped. By steeping, we simply mean your liquid needs to sit for a while to allow the ingredients to mix fully throughout the content of the liquid. You will want the liquid to be able to breathe through this process. To do this, make sure you keep the lid off the bottle the finished mixture is in. Also, if any of the flavors you mix are made with alcohol, this allows it to evaporate from the liquid.
You will want your liquid to steep anywhere from a couple of days to two or three weeks, depending on both the flavoring and ratio you used. The thicker or heavier a liquid is, the longer it will need to steep.