Can Essential Oils Be Used for Flavoring?

[DCrist721]

I'm just wondering if essential oils can be used for flavoring e-liquid? I seem to remember that oils weren't good for vaping, but I also thought that lorann flavorings were candy oils, aren't they?

If oils aren't good to use, is there way to extract the flavor from an oil into something that would be okay to vape?

EDIT: I misspelled "essential" when I first searched, so there are actual a couple of threads on this, but they still don't give me answers about my second and third question.

[ShimmyPrincess]

No vaping expert here yet, but I deal with essential oils for special occassions, and some are toxic. Pure oils can cause skin irritations, etc...I would think they should not be used, but could be wrong.

[Jaaxx]

What Lorann calls "oils" may or may not contain actual oil. You need to look at the ingredient list for the particular flavor you are interested in.

[Sun Vaporer]

Originally Posted by DCrist721

I'm just wondering if essential oils can be used for flavoring e-liquid? I seem to remember that oils weren't good for vaping, but I also thought that lorann flavorings were candy oils, aren't they?

If oils aren't good to use, is there way to extract the flavor from an oil into something that would be okay to vape?

D--They answer to that is an Unequivocal No--Lorann trade name for their products is "oils"--but the flavors we us have no oil in them--hope that helps--Sun

[DCrist721]

I found a thread, I just saw that I misspelled "essential" when I first searched, I left out an "s."

In this thread: Essential Oils
Janet says that she just uses a tiny bit (the residue left on a toothpick from dipping it in the liquid) to flavor her liquid, because the essential oils are so strong anyway, and she says that she hasn't had any problems with her atomizer.

I'd like to hear some more recent opinions though if anyone has tried it recently..

And I would especially like to know if there are any methods to extract the flavor from an oil to a more suitable aqueous solution.

There's this thread too, I'm looking through it now:
Flavoring with essential oils

[Sunshyn]

I remember seeing a great many warnings against using essential oils internally. Extracts or tinctures are often referred to instead when it comes to internal use.

[kinabaloo]

If the oil is pure and not in a base oil that is toxic (unlikely) so that only a tiny amount is needed and the original source is not poisonous and it is declared safe for making up a massage oil say, then there should be no problem. After all, they are supposedly natural products and are often used in aromatherapy. It is their intrinsic strength that gives rise to the warnings, but used sparingly i think most would be harmless.

Indeed, plant oils are chemically related to glycerol - esters and glycerides. Better to use pure lemon oil, say, than a flavouring where the natural oil is diluted in vegetable oil, because one would need just a tiny amount.

I have used small amounts of 'oils' in my mix without any noticeable problems to the atomiser.

[DCrist721]

Originally Posted by kinabaloo

If the oil is pure and not in a base oil that is toxic (unlikely) so that only a tiny amount is needed and the original source is not poisonous and it is declared safe for making up a massage oil say, then there should be no problem. After all, they are supposedly natural products and are often used in aromatherapy. It is their intrinsic strength that gives rise to the warnings, but used sparingly i think most would be harmless.

Indeed, plant oils are chemically related to glycerol - esters and glycerides. Better to use pure lemon oil, say, than a flavouring where the natural oil is diluted in vegetable oil, because one would need just a tiny amount.

I have used small amounts of 'oils' in my mix without any noticeable problems to the atomiser.

The essential oils I was considering using would be purchased from a company which produces and uses the essential oils to flavor their candy. So yes, I'm sure it's fine for internal use.

[Kate51]

I've had three failures trying to use essential oils. They have a way of killing vapor in a big way, and don't pass the flavor/smell test very well. Usually you end up with something that just smells good. Example is for "oils" for flavoring coffee, tea, etc. are usually not effective in vapor, even though they're fine for consumption.
It's best I've found to stick with the extracts, and watch the ingredient list very closely.
Too much sugar will clog attys, too many solids will clog attys, etc.
Main thing with experimenting is to do no harm. When in doubt, don't. Buy from a tried and true source, wasting money and time and endangering safety not recommended.

[ShinKun]

I have been looking into this as well.. I guess it depends on what exactly you are looking for... but, some tinctures are available that are VG based. From what I can tell the herbal goodieness is extracted with alcohol then the alc is evaporated, then the rest get mixed into VG.

There are even kits that you can buy that come with jars filled with herbal mixtures then you can add Vodka or VG as the extractor but the ready made might be a good place to start.

I am going to try and find some locally and will let you know how it works out.