The Beginners Guide to DIY E-Liquid Mixing: A Comprehensive Tutorial
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It will come as no surprise that vaping is much cheaper than smoking, and it also has many health benefits. However, perhaps for vaping fans, the best thing for them is the sheer amount of flavours available.
While tobacco has a strong flavour that can linger when you choose to vape, you can take advantage of a range of sweet, dessert, drink and fruity flavours too! But here's the thing; it can get expensive.
Vaping will never amount to the cost of smoking, but when you're constantly buying vape juices, it will begin to add up.
Luckily, anyone can make their e-liquids. All you need is some time, patience and this guide! So, if you're ready to learn how to save money and enjoy fantastic flavour combos, read on.
The Basic Equipment
To make your e-liquid, you'll need the following:
- Digital Weighing Scales
- Syringes or Pipettes
- Latex Gloves
- Measuring Jug (Not required if your syringe has measure marks).
- Bottles with droppers or caps
As you can see, there isn't too much basic equipment, and you'll be able to find most of these items at reasonable prices.
The Mixers
Most e-liquids use around three to five ingredients, and the ones you choose will depend on the vaping experience you'd prefer. Two essential ingredients are vegetable glycerine and propylene glycol.
Vegetable Glycerine (VG) is
Vegetable Glycerine is a denser liquid, and many manufacturers use it because it creates a thicker vapour. VG liquid is the way to go if you prefer sub-ohm (direct to lung) vaping because it's a heavy vape juice.
Also, you can create some impressive clouds with it too. However, the substance is incredibly sweet, and some people might find it too overpowering.
Propylene Glycol (PG)
Propylene Glycol is a thinner liquid, and it's often used in food production and beauty products. In terms of vaping, PG gives a throat hit that imitates smoking. It's also responsible for the flavour of your e-liquid.
Because it's a thinner liquid than VG, many people use a mix of both to get the best of both worlds. However, if you're not too keen on throat hits or intense flavours, you might want to avoid PG liquids.
The Flavourings
Flavouring concentrates are available from many different suppliers and usually come in small bottles or sachets. They're often a little more expensive than the other ingredients, but they offer incredible flexibility in creating your own e-liquid.
There are tens of thousands of different flavours to choose from, so you're sure to find something that takes your fancy. However, it can be tricky to know which flavourings will work together due to the variety available.
Remember to check that the flavour concentrates are sugar-free and labelled as suitable for e-liquids.
Measuring and Weighing
Before you do anything else, you'll need to measure out your ingredients accurately. This is essential for two reasons; firstly, if you don't mix them correctly, the end product might not be safe to vape.
And secondly, if you don't measure accurately, you could end up with a flavour that's too strong or too weak.
Digital scales are the most accurate way to measure, but if you don't have any, using syringes or measuring jugs is a good alternative.
Most e-liquid recipes use ratios rather than specific measurements to make things a little easier. This means that you can tweak the recipe to your taste, and as long as you stick to the same ratio, the end product will be consistent each time.
The Recipe
Now it's time for the fun part! Once you've got all of your ingredients together, it's time to start mixing. The easiest way to do this is by following a recipe until you're confident to go it alone.
Vape juice recipes are relatively simple to follow, and as long as you work with percentages, you'll be fine.
For example, a recipe might state that you need to add 7% of vanilla flavouring to the mixture. If the bottle is 30ml, you need to divide it by 100 and then times that amount by seven - which would be 2.1ml of vanilla flavouring.
The principle is the same for VG & PG. Nicotine, however, requires a little more planning because you want to get the combination precisely right. However, if you've used nicotine shots before, it's more a case of finding the correct balance.
The Method
1. Once you have the right amount of VG, use a funnel to place it into your mixing glass.
2. Add your PG and nicotine together, making sure they're well mixed - but don't add them to the VG.
3. Select your strongest flavour, and add it to the PG and nicotine mixture, shaking well. Continue this step with the other flavours.
4. Use a pipette or syringe and slowly add the solution to your VG mixture. You need to shake it vigorously, ensuring everything is thoroughly combined.
5. Leave your liquid to settle for a few minutes, then feel free to taste a small drop.
That's pretty much it! Once you get the hang of it, you'll be mixing flavours in no time. However, some of the really complex blends will always be challenging to replicate.
Also, if you're going to play with e-liquid concentrates, you need to make sure your vape kit is built for flavour delivery. Opt for a mod device, which gives you more flexibility over wattage and coils, which will properly bring out your creations' flavour.
Final Tips
Go For An Equal Mix: When you start making your e-liquids, getting the right combination of PG & VG can be difficult, so it's a good idea to choose a 50/50 ratio. When you get used to creating your concentrates, you can try more ambitious combos!
Choose A Reputable Flavour Provider: This is more of a rule than a tip - because good manufacturers equal flavours you can trust. If you want to sell your e-liquids at some point, you must make sure they're completely safe.
If you found this post useful, please feel free to check out our other content, including the top vape pens for 2022, here.
