P2PLeon
Try as I might, Trying to Quit Smoking
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Mixing your own e-liquid flavours can be a fun, cost-effective, and rewarding experience—and it isn’t nearly as complicated as you might think. With some unflavored nicotine, your favourite flavours, and a few simple tools, you can be on your way to becoming a “mix-master” in no time.
The General Idea
All juices used in electronic cigarettes consist of at least three main ingredients. Like any recipe, these three ingredients can be adjusted to suit your tastes.
• nicotine
• propylene glycol (PG) and/or vegetable glycerin (VG)
• flavouring
Nicotine is the obvious ingredient, and you will want to make sure you mix your juice to the nicotine level that’s right for you. The nicotine level is expressed in milligrams per millilitre or in mg for short. Mostvapers will stick to a level of nicotine somewhere between 3mg and24mg. Unflavoured nicotine for mixing usually comes in a higher strength, so it can be diluted to suit individual tastes. Undiluted nicotine can be extremely poisonous and is absorbed through the skin, so great care should be taken when using it. Wear protective clothing and gloves and obviously keep them out of the reach of children and pets.
Propylene Glycol (PG) or Vegetable Glycerin (VG) dilutes the concentrated nicotine liquid to the desired strength. PG makes the vapour and is partly responsible for the cigarette-like “hit” that e-cigarette vapour gives the user. Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is smoother and gives less of a throat hit but creates more vapour. However, it is often too thick to use. Many vapers prefer a mix of 80% PG to 20% VG, while others prefer a 50/50 mix. Most flavourings are PGbased and a high VG liquid can be made without the need to add more PG. It’s all a matter of taste.
Flavouring is where a lot of trial and error comes in. While the other ingredients are mixed to exact measurements, the amount of flavour that a mixture needs varies widely depending on the strength of the flavour,the type of equipment being used and, of course, personal taste. Starting with about 5% flavour and working your way up is a good idea. Even at 5%, though, some flavours will be overpowering and will be best when mixed with other lighter flavours. Flavourings are added by the drop to avoid contaminating measuring equipment. Generally,20-30 drops are in an ml, However, the use of a measuring device ie asyringe is recommended as different bottles will provide a differentsized drop and could lead to an inconsistent mix when replicated.
The Ingredients and Tools
Very little is required to get started in mixing your own juice. Here are the basics that you will need:
Nicotine
Propylene Glycol (PG)
Vegetable Glycerin
Flavouring
Measuring cup or graduated cylinder
Small funnel
Pipette or eye dropper
Empty bottles
Latex gloves
Index cards
An e-liquid calculator
E-Liquid Calculators
Mixing is where things get a little complicated. Combining the right amount of just three or four ingredients doesn’t sound too difficult, but figuring out just how much of the concentrated nicotine will be needed can be a challenge. Luckily, there are a number of great people who have taken the guesswork (not to mention the math!) out of it for us. A simple e-liquid calculator is available online, and a more elaborate Excel version can be downloaded.
Before we go any further, here are some examples to try out:
Scubabatdan’s Excel e-liquid calculator.
eJuice Me Up – a free downloadable program
E-Liquid Recipe Mixing Calculator – an online calculator with flavouring options and costs
eliquidcalculator.com – an online calculator with a number of options
E-Juice – and one for your iPhone
Mixing
The calculators will help you determine just how much of each ingredient is needed to deliver the expected result at the right nicotine level. Let’s start with an example using unflavored concentrated nicotine in PG at 36mg. Our goal is an 18 mg solution with an 80/20 PG/VG mixture and 10% flavour. We’ll make 10ml.
A calculator will show that we need the following amounts of ingredients:
• 5ml 36mg Unflavored nicotine
• 2ml PG
• 2ml VG
• 1ml Flavoring (20-30 drops)
Notice that half of the mixture contains 36 mg of nicotine. That’s because we want to reduce the concentration by half to equal an 18mg strength. We wanted 20% VG in the mixture, so 2 ml out of the 10 ml will be VG. 1 ml of one or more flavours will be added to equal 10%, and 2 ml of PG will make up the rest of our 10 ml.
Now is a great time to write down exactly what you have decided to mix. I like to use numbered index cards for each recipe and label the bottle with the corresponding number. The important thing is to know what each bottle is so that you can repeat the mix exactly. Nothing is worse than discovering that you really like a flavour made a week ago and having no idea what you put in it.
Use pipettes, a graduated cylinder, or a measuring cup to measure out the ingredients as exactly as possible so that your nicotine strength stays consistent. Latex gloves are recommended when handling any nicotine solution, especially at higher concentrations. Flavourings are often added by the drop rather than measuring because it takes a little of each flavour.
Now, vigorously shake the bottle and enjoy vaping your new creation! Some flavours will take a little time to fully mix and develop, so don't toss a flavour right away. Try going back to it after a week or so to see if it is any more enjoyable. This is where that notecard becomes especially important!
The General Idea
All juices used in electronic cigarettes consist of at least three main ingredients. Like any recipe, these three ingredients can be adjusted to suit your tastes.
• nicotine
• propylene glycol (PG) and/or vegetable glycerin (VG)
• flavouring
Nicotine is the obvious ingredient, and you will want to make sure you mix your juice to the nicotine level that’s right for you. The nicotine level is expressed in milligrams per millilitre or in mg for short. Mostvapers will stick to a level of nicotine somewhere between 3mg and24mg. Unflavoured nicotine for mixing usually comes in a higher strength, so it can be diluted to suit individual tastes. Undiluted nicotine can be extremely poisonous and is absorbed through the skin, so great care should be taken when using it. Wear protective clothing and gloves and obviously keep them out of the reach of children and pets.
Propylene Glycol (PG) or Vegetable Glycerin (VG) dilutes the concentrated nicotine liquid to the desired strength. PG makes the vapour and is partly responsible for the cigarette-like “hit” that e-cigarette vapour gives the user. Vegetable Glycerin (VG) is smoother and gives less of a throat hit but creates more vapour. However, it is often too thick to use. Many vapers prefer a mix of 80% PG to 20% VG, while others prefer a 50/50 mix. Most flavourings are PGbased and a high VG liquid can be made without the need to add more PG. It’s all a matter of taste.
Flavouring is where a lot of trial and error comes in. While the other ingredients are mixed to exact measurements, the amount of flavour that a mixture needs varies widely depending on the strength of the flavour,the type of equipment being used and, of course, personal taste. Starting with about 5% flavour and working your way up is a good idea. Even at 5%, though, some flavours will be overpowering and will be best when mixed with other lighter flavours. Flavourings are added by the drop to avoid contaminating measuring equipment. Generally,20-30 drops are in an ml, However, the use of a measuring device ie asyringe is recommended as different bottles will provide a differentsized drop and could lead to an inconsistent mix when replicated.
The Ingredients and Tools
Very little is required to get started in mixing your own juice. Here are the basics that you will need:
Nicotine
Propylene Glycol (PG)
Vegetable Glycerin
Flavouring
Measuring cup or graduated cylinder
Small funnel
Pipette or eye dropper
Empty bottles
Latex gloves
Index cards
An e-liquid calculator
E-Liquid Calculators
Mixing is where things get a little complicated. Combining the right amount of just three or four ingredients doesn’t sound too difficult, but figuring out just how much of the concentrated nicotine will be needed can be a challenge. Luckily, there are a number of great people who have taken the guesswork (not to mention the math!) out of it for us. A simple e-liquid calculator is available online, and a more elaborate Excel version can be downloaded.
Before we go any further, here are some examples to try out:
Scubabatdan’s Excel e-liquid calculator.
eJuice Me Up – a free downloadable program
E-Liquid Recipe Mixing Calculator – an online calculator with flavouring options and costs
eliquidcalculator.com – an online calculator with a number of options
E-Juice – and one for your iPhone
Mixing
The calculators will help you determine just how much of each ingredient is needed to deliver the expected result at the right nicotine level. Let’s start with an example using unflavored concentrated nicotine in PG at 36mg. Our goal is an 18 mg solution with an 80/20 PG/VG mixture and 10% flavour. We’ll make 10ml.
A calculator will show that we need the following amounts of ingredients:
• 5ml 36mg Unflavored nicotine
• 2ml PG
• 2ml VG
• 1ml Flavoring (20-30 drops)
Notice that half of the mixture contains 36 mg of nicotine. That’s because we want to reduce the concentration by half to equal an 18mg strength. We wanted 20% VG in the mixture, so 2 ml out of the 10 ml will be VG. 1 ml of one or more flavours will be added to equal 10%, and 2 ml of PG will make up the rest of our 10 ml.
Now is a great time to write down exactly what you have decided to mix. I like to use numbered index cards for each recipe and label the bottle with the corresponding number. The important thing is to know what each bottle is so that you can repeat the mix exactly. Nothing is worse than discovering that you really like a flavour made a week ago and having no idea what you put in it.
Use pipettes, a graduated cylinder, or a measuring cup to measure out the ingredients as exactly as possible so that your nicotine strength stays consistent. Latex gloves are recommended when handling any nicotine solution, especially at higher concentrations. Flavourings are often added by the drop rather than measuring because it takes a little of each flavour.
Now, vigorously shake the bottle and enjoy vaping your new creation! Some flavours will take a little time to fully mix and develop, so don't toss a flavour right away. Try going back to it after a week or so to see if it is any more enjoyable. This is where that notecard becomes especially important!
