A good majority of vapers who have successfully used vaping as a means of giving up smoking have used a pre-mixed e-liquid sourced from one of many good suppliers of vaping products. These same suppliers will also stock all the products needed for any vaper to mix their own e-liquid if they so choose. The different components of e-liquid can be tailored to produce a vape juice more suited to a preferred way of vaping. By experimenting with these ingredients, any vaper can perfect the e-liquid they are using and heighten the enjoyment of their vaping experiences.
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 components of e-liquids and the properties they have. When you buy e-liquid the product with no nicotine already pre-mixed is referred to as shortfill liquid, this contains three main ingredients that are –
- Vegetable Glycerine – a thick liquid that is derived from plant oils, vape liquids high in this substance produce larger vapour clouds.
- Propylene Glycol – a thinner liquid, which is used for medicines that are inhaled, is a great carrier of flavour when used in vape juice.
- Food Based Flavourings – these are the food industry ingredients used to deliver the flavours in e-liquid.
Any budding e-liquid mixer will have an idea of what their end goal is, a vape with greater flavour will prioritise PG or those who want greater cloud production will favour VG.
The Fourth Ingredient
Having discussed the properties of shortfill e-liquid, the next step is to look at the last and some might say most important component, the nicotine, which is referred to as the shot or nic shot. Sold in various nicotine strengths there are two different types of 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 many vapers.
Mixing Your Vape Juice
Most vaping stockists supply shortfill liquids in a range of different sizes, normally there is also space left in the shortfill bottle to pour your chosen number of shots, all that remains is a quick shake and the vape juice is ready to use. The mixing ratios when combining the short fills and shots is quite confusing, 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 time until you reach your desired goal of a perfectly tasty e-liquid, but by continually experimenting with the different components you might surprise yourself with some of the results.