A good percentage of vapers will use an e-liquid pre-mixed from one of many excellent retailers of vaping supplies. But a small number of experienced vapers progress onto mixing their own e-liquid to the desired strength and flavour. By experimenting with the ingredients, any vaper can modify the e-liquid they are using in their vape device and perfect their enjoyment on their vaping journey.
Knowing Your Components
Vape juice, E-Liquid and E-juice are all names for the liquid vapers use in their devices, to mix their own liquids it is first important to understand the different ingredients of e-liquids and what their properties are. When mixing your own vape liquid the product with no nicotine already pre-mixed in is called shortfill liquid, this contains three main ingredients that are –
- Propylene Glycol (PG)– a thin liquid, which is used for foodstuffs and in medicines that are inhaled, it is a great carrier of flavour when used in vape juice.
- Vegetable Glycerine (VG) – thicker than PG it is produced from plant oils, vape liquids high in VG are used to produce large clouds of vapour.
- Food Based Flavourings – these are the food industry staples used to deliver the tasty flavours in vape liquid.
A vaping mixologist will have some idea of what their end product might be, a vape with greater flavour will prioritise PG or those who want superb cloud production will favour VG.
The Crucial Ingredient – Nicotine
Having discussed the properties of shortfill e-liquid, the next step is to look at the final component which is combined with the shortfill liquid, and this is referred to as the shot or nic shot. Sold in various strengths there are two different types of nicotine shot to choose from, freebase nicotine shots are more traditional, but an increasingly popular option is nic salt or salt nic which is nicotine refined differently from freebase. Nic salt also delivers a smoother vape when used in e-liquid, which appeals to certain vapers.
Trying To Mix Your Own Vape Juice
The majority of vaping stockists sell shortfill liquids in a range of various sizes, generally there is space left in the shortfill bottle to pour in your shots, all that remains is a quick shake and the e-liquid is ready for use. The mixing ratios when combining the shortfill liquids and shots is quite confusing and requires proper research, for example adding a 10ml 18mg nicotine shot to a 50ml shortfill bottle will give you 60ml of e-liquid at a strength of 3mg.
My advice is to check the website of your vaping supplier, most have helpful guides to mixing your vape liquids and what products might suit you the best. It’s also important to remember that it may take some experimentation until you reach your desired goal of a perfect e-liquid.
Whether you decide to mix your own vape liquid or continue to try the multitude of tasty and delicious pre-mixed e-liquids on sale, I hope your vaping experience is a good one. Try lots of flavours and ensure you rotate them regularly, and you can help enhance your vaping experience significantly.
