With the possibilities and tricks that allow you to personalize your electronic cigarette, new smokers do not hesitate to create their model. Ranging from simple do-it-yourself to real passion, e-cigarettes are talked about up to “ cloud-chasing ” contests on the internet, the world of vaping is thus booming! But as small as this new nicotine device may be, it’s loved as much for its non-harmfulness as it is for its great bounty when it comes to taste. And this modular feature, let’s face it, has become a real trend that positively advances a better image of vapers.
What you can do with your electronic cigarette
If you have an e-cigarette, you already know that the tool requires a liquid formula which is the essential ingredient for vaping. What’s fun is that you can do your experiment and try to produce your liquid. Indeed, doing your DIY does not require a great brain of chemistry. You just need to have the components such as the base, the aroma and also some additives if you want to be more creative.
The base, or the preponderant element of the liquid
Called PG or propylene glycol (PG), it makes up 80 or 90 per cent of the liquid solution.
Derived from carbochemistry and petrochemistry, this product is used for industrial and domestic purposes. Not presenting any carcinogenic characteristics, its inhalation must however be conditioned at low doses to avoid the risk of skin and eye dehydration. It is essential to use only PG as the base of your e-liquid. Indeed, several solvents can lead to vaporization but at varying levels of toxicity.
On sale to vaping professionals, this base is often presented in a small bottle indicating its characteristics: composition, chemical property of the solvent according to its oxidation (MPG, DPG or TPG for mono, di and tri-Propylene Glycol), the ratio of vegetable glycerin, alcohol and others.
Vegetable Glycerin (VG), the corollary of the base
It acts as a moisturizing chemical agent, it is thus found everywhere in everyday products, whether for cosmetics (soap, face masks) or in food (wine, sparkling water, etc.). And its role in e-liquid is justified because of the moisturizing property of propylene glycol. Often presented in a solution synthesized with the latter, its ratio can vary from 10 to 80 per cent, depending on the needs of the consumer.
The aromas
Flavours personalize the taste of your liquid. Dosed in ml, they may vary depending on the brand or their characteristic. It is important to point out that the aromas used for the vape liquid are very different from those used for food, although they characterize the taste and the smell. Also, it is necessary to choose special smoke flavours that are found at suppliers of e-liquid products. Otherwise, if you mix a food flavouring in your liquid solution, it will cause a chemical reaction that could harm your health since their designs are different. Moreover, has a taste and odour accentuating substance, vape flavours are non-toxic, do not contain nicotine, and are very abundant and varied. The choice of perfume or an aroma depends only on you, and consequently, its quantity can vary according to your desires, it can be accentuated or mixed. Its dosage must however be graduated about the base, knowing that the average is around 10 per cent, which could go up to 15 or 20 per cent for the great amateurs, but beyond that, this could affect the liquid.
Additives
To go even further in personalizing your e-liquid, add new sensations. Additives are products designed to allow an additional perception of your smoke, diluted with the artisanal liquid in low doses to accentuate sensations without altering their taste of it. Very varied, these can be categorized between:
| he feelings
● Malic or sour acid which produces an acid sensation, similar to those of tart sweets. ● The sweetener, translated from English, simply introduces a sweet sensation. ● The kool ade, allows you to feel the freshness of the inhalations, like the effect of menthol chewing gum. ● Acetyl pyrazine, which reproduces the taste of grilled meats or a particular smoke sensation which enhances without altering the solution. |
Among other things, there are also additives with spicy sensations or even reproduction of the taste of real cigarettes for purists.
| The exalters
Also called enhancers, these additives do not contain in themselves an active principle of taste or aroma, but they accentuate the perception of the senses. Thus, adding an aroma enhancer would more deeply awaken the taste buds of the tongue as well as the sense of smell. There are several, but the basics are Vanillin and Ethyl Maltol. |
Follow prescriptions
The question that arises after the ingredients is that of quality and especially safety!
Also, it is necessary to have a minimum of information on the products which one wants to synthesize. With a blind manipulation of materials, one can arrive at a disappointing, even harmful result. These are unfortunately errors that are not covered by guarantees or by law, so be careful! Here are some basic rules to properly prepare your solution.
First of all, each element must be dosed with a precise tool. Although the bottles that contain the ingredients have to measure in cups or meters, always check the percentage of the solution using a graduated bottle. Remember that you are the sole maker of your product so regulate your quantities of additives and nicotine according to the authorized standard. The same goes for the aroma, which must be carefully dosed so as not to corrupt the base; if it exceeds a determined threshold (between 10 to 20 per cent), it will take too long to soak up the VG and risks altering the ” hit ” which will allow the smoke to develop when the liquid is heated.
Here are some recommendations to guide you according to the aroma chosen:
| For fruity and gourmet flavours
If you are rather oriented towards exotic sensations, know that the dosage depends on the property of your base, depending on whether it is richer in propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin. The principle is that the higher the VG, the more aroma it will require. Or: a composition of 15% aroma for an exclusively VG base, 10% for 70% VG, 8% for 50/50 and 5% for 30% VG. For tobacco flavours The principle is always the same except that the dosage must be less concentrated, ie: 10% aroma for 100% VG and so on; 8% for 70%, 5% for 50/50 and 3% for 30%VG. For crazy-up concentrates These are less tough than the others and require a larger quantity to soak up compared to the viscosity of the liquid, i.e.: 20% aroma for a 100% VG base, 15% for 70, 12% for 50, and 10% for 30. |
Then, when your e-liquid is made up, be sure to package it in the best possible way. A break time is required, also called ” steeping ” or ” steeping time ” generally from 2 to several days, before the product is operational. Some configurations are time- consuming requiring several weeks depending on the dosage of the ingredients because the latter interact differently about their quantity. The aromas take a long time to act on the VG, in parallel to the liquid which will take more time to rest. To do this, keep your bottle in a dry place away from light and high temperatures. It is advisable to leave your bottle in the open air for several minutes to allow oxygen to operate on maturation. Finally, don’t forget to stir the liquid every day!
Here are some steeping time recommendations for perfect flavour:
| The configuration is always manipulated according to the distribution of the base between propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. According to the proportion of VG;
the rest will be 2 to 3 days at 100% VG and 2 days depending on the distribution with PG for the fruity and gourmet flavours; 15 days for tobacco flavours whatever the distribution and 4 days at less than 50% for crazy up concentrates, above this quantity, it will be 4-5 days at 70% VG and 5-6 days for a base entirely VG. |
Choose your configuration well
By using only these aforementioned elements, the rest is a matter of taste. To do this, dose your liquid according to the desired result. So for more flavour, opt for more Propylene glycol which is the active ingredient of the solution. But conversely, if you are more of a fanatic of heavy smokes, put more vegetable glycerin at the expense of the first, which will make it more concentrated. As for the dosage of nicotine, the range can vary from 0 to 19 mg depending on the addiction report. To put it simply, if you are a simple smoke lover, you will not have to put any. It is from 6 mg that nicotine takes effect, the rest is at 12 and 16 mg for occasional and regular smokers, and finally 19 mg for heavy smokers, i.e. an equivalence of 20 cigarettes per day. And the same goes for water and alcohol; Ethanol is an aroma enhancer that promotes its fluidity so that it can mix quickly with the solution. Choosing a base with a high concentration of alcohol would improve the effectiveness of the aroma to the detriment of vegetable glycerin.
The benefits of DIY
Almost all e-cigarette regulars use this alternative these days. Making your liquid actually requires a little more time because of the purchase of supplies, and products and they also take time before being consumed. However, all the beauty of the craftsmanship of the vape lies in this ability to personalize its e-liquid to be able to modulate it with many parameters and all this at a lower cost. You should know that the overall price of these materials (base, aroma, enhancers, etc.) does not in any way exceed the value of a ready-to-vape product and that these can be added or saved according to your wishes, which will allow later. If you like to do things yourselves, take out your ideas and apply them to reproduce the vape of your dreams, whether smooth, light, sweet, spicy, or strong… the configurations are numerous and are just waiting for your magic wand.