A vast majority of vapers including myself have succeeded in giving up smoking using a pre-mixed e-liquid in their vape pen or pod. That is because it is easy, and quite often, you find a tasty e-liquid that becomes your favourite, and you stick with it. But an increasing number of vapers are now choosing to buy the different components of e-liquid and mix them to form liquids to their specific tastes and strengths.
Knowing Your Ingredients
Before talking about mixing your e-liquid, it is important to first understand the main ingredients of e-liquid, there are four of them, each with the characteristics that lend themselves to creating the best e-liquids. The main components are –
- Propylene Glycol – also known as PG, is a food and medicine ingredient. It is a thin liquid that is an excellent carrier of flavour.
- Vegetable Glycerine – (VG), this is produced from plant oils and is a clear, odourless liquid used in food and cosmetic products.
- Nicotine – the nicotine element in e-liquid will be one of two different types either freebase or Nicotine salt.
- Food-based flavouring – are the standard flavours used in the food industry for many years.
The majority of e-liquids used by newer vapers are mixed with PG and VG at an even 50/50 split giving a nice even vape, but there are also e-liquids available mixed to different combinations. E-liquids with a higher level of PG are known as 80/20 and produce a superb vape high in flavour, while vape liquids with a higher VG content are referred to as 70/30. They are designed to be used in a vape device with a sub-ohm coil to produce larger clouds of vapour for those who dream of being a cloud chaser.
The Two Types of Nicotine
There are two different types of nicotine used in e-liquid, they are known as Freebase and Nicotine Salt. The body does not easily absorb nicotine in its standard form. Tobacco manufacturers developed freebase nicotine over 50 years ago and used a harsh chemical process to refine the nicotine to be more easily absorbed. Nicotine salt is a newer product that uses a much more natural process; it is becoming more popular as it produces a smoother vaping experience.
Shortfill And Shots
Now you know what’s in your e-liquid, we can move on. The easiest way to mix e-liquid is to use shortfill and shots, vaping suppliers now stock both. In short, shortfill e-liquid contains PG, VG, and the flavouring, to this you add the Shot containing the nicotine element. Most shortfill e-liquids are supplied in bottles containing enough space so that it is an easy process to pour the shot into the shortfill to create your chosen e-liquid at your prescribed strength.
Going a Step Further
It is also possible to mix your e-liquids in more significant quantities using some basic utensils and larger amounts of shortfill liquids, and the number of shots. There is no fixed ratio for mixing larger quantities, so it’s the best practice to start with smallish amounts and work upwards when you get the desired end product.
That is all the information you need to start mixing your own e-liquids, that perfect tasty vape might be just around the corner.
