I’M A BEGINNER, HOW DO I MAKE MY DIY AROMA?
The e-liquid is a simple mixture of four main elements which consists of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), flavours and the possibility of adding nicotine. There are other additives and optional elements that you can add to improve the taste of your elixir but these four are enough to make good quality e-liquid.
Right now, the thought of making your e-liquid might seem overwhelming, but it’s a lot easier than you think. No need to be a specialist or have advanced chemical engineering knowledge, in other words, if you can brew a cup of tea, you can brew your e-liquid!
The ingredients needed to make my DIY aroma
Since e-liquid consists of very specific types of fluids, you will need the proper equipment to make it.
Here is what you will need:
Vegetable Glycerin or VG: Vegetable glycerin is a viscous (thick) fluid found in everything from food and pharmaceuticals to personal care products and, of course, e-liquids. The main function of VG for our purposes is to facilitate the visible “clouds” produced during rejection while smoking.
Propylene Glycol or PG: Propylene Glycol is a thin, odourless, and almost tasteless fluid that is also used in personal care products, foods, and pharmaceuticals just like VG. Vapers who prefer to focus on flavour rather than bigger clouds tend to use a higher amount of PG in their juice, as it is this that gives the famous hit in the throat.
Flavour: Concentrated flavours are available in various varieties, however for a better taste of e-liquids, it is recommended to use flavours specially designed for DIY!
Nicotine: You will use a diluted nicotine liquid which can be PG or VG based, available in different strengths.
It is generally recommended to start the base 50/50 in PG / VG.
The right equipment to make your DIY flavours
You will need the following DIY accessories:
Empty bottles with caps: As a beginner, using a plastic bottle is your best bet.
Syringes: For accurate measurements, get a separate syringe for each type of ingredient, mark the syringes, and always use them for the same ingredient. Syringes can also be useful if you use bottles with small openings.
A pair of gloves: Since you will be dealing with nicotine, it is ideal to use gloves. In contact with the skin, it can be absorbed by your body, which can be dangerous or cause a rash.
Goggles: You can use goggles to protect your eyes if you plan to make e-liquid frequently.
Proceed to mix your DIY preparation
The mixing phase can be carried out in 4 steps:
Prepare the nicotine: Since you will have diluted nicotine, use its concentration in milligrams and the overall volume of the e-liquid to calculate the required amount of nicotine. You can also use our online calculator or a smartphone app to make your life easier.
Preparing the Flavor (s ): This step can make or break the e-liquid and deserves your maximum attention. You can use a single flavour or mix several different flavours. However, for beginners, we recommend starting with one or two flavours and going from there.
Prepare the base: You can choose any VG/PG blend depending on your recipe. It is generally recommended to start the base 50/50 in PG / VG, but generally, it is between 50/50 and 80/20.
Remember that diluted nicotine usually contains levels of PG or VG, so remember to consider that volume.
Mix the prepared elements: When everything is ready, mix it in a bottle and shake it, and I mean shake it because most e-liquid (especially high VG e-liquid) is very thick and needs to be shaken to mix the ingredients well.
Trial and error is the only approach to making e-liquids, but as a general rule, add a little less flavour than the e-liquid calculator or recipe recommends. It’s better to start with less flavour than to spoil the whole batch by adding too much.
Steeping or maturing your DIY mix
This is the most crucial phase of making a DIY aroma! Steeping allows you to take full advantage of the flavours of each aroma, it then develops all its properties.
During the maturation phase, it is best to leave your DIY e-liquid away from direct light and at a constant temperature between 17 and 24 degrees. The purpose of direct UV is to necessarily degrade the nicotine and to accelerate the premature colouring of this one, in the long term a harsh and bitter taste can occur.
The lower the temperature, the longer the maturation time will be, this reduces the agitation of the molecules, the higher the temperature, this accelerates the molecules, and the shorter the maturation will be. Depending on the flavours of your DIY aroma or e-liquid concentrate, the maturation may vary:
For a concentrated fruity DIY aroma, we recommend 7 to 10 days.
For an aroma or concentrate of the gourmet fruity aroma type, we will advise you 10 to 15 days.
For an aroma or concentrate of the gourmet DIY aroma type, we will advise you for 21 to 30 days.
For an aroma or concentrate of the DIY tobacco aroma type, we recommend 30 days.
Of course, this is only a recommendation, nothing prevents you from having higher maturation times!
In summary, it is very important to respect the minimum recommended maturation times to get the most out of your aroma or concentrate. A poorly matured e-liquid may give you dissatisfaction not due to the recipe but probably to a lack of steeping. The taste will be poorly defined and quite messy.
When your DIY e-liquid has reached maturity and gives you complete satisfaction, it is advisable to keep it in the fridge between 3 and 5 degrees to stop its evolution. Do not neglect this important phase for the realization of your DIY e-liquids, your taste buds will thank you for it!