All my diy is harsh, new NIC recommendations

[absoluttalent]

I have been making my own for awhile now. And while my flavors have been decent, nothing super awesome, they always have a sort of harshness to them i don't like. With my recipes i cut it down to 3mg per juice, or .9ml per 30ml bottle

I'm thinking it might be the NIC I'm using. I ordered a bottle of 100mg pg base from rtsvapes. Besides the vg and pg, the nic is the only other common thing I've been using across all juices.
Is this because it is 100mg? Or is it just the brand and i should use a different nicotine?

 

[I'mnotZak]

Have you tried making a batch without the nic? You could try a test batch without the nic and if it is not harsh you will most likely have your answer. You could then add the correct amount of nic to the test batch and if it is harsh, you have verified it is the nic. Also, what ratio VG /PG are you mixing?

 

[absoluttalent]

honestly, i never tried a nicless batch yet.
and 70vg/30pg mix is what i have been trying to keep it around

 

[I'mnotZak]

70/30 should not be harsh. I am not an expert and hopefully others will chime in but I would absolutely try a sample mix without nic to test for harshness. That should give you the answer.

 

[JCinFLA]

IMO 100mg/mL Unflavored Nicotine Base will usually be slightly to moderately different from one vendor to another. I've tried the following, and can tell differences in each one of them:

Nude Nicotine
Wizard Labs
RTS
My Freedom Smokes

For me...they're in the order of my preference above, with NN being the smoothest and least peppery of the 4. Of course, it's also the most expensive of the 4. WL was next, because to me it had just a very faint pepperyness to it, but still smooth enough for me to buy it again. RTS nic had alittle more, and MFS had the most IMO. I'd heard after buying & trying MFS...that many tobacco flavored eliquid users actuallly prefer it over some others, because of the pepperyness of it.

So, I'd do what I'mnotZak recommended above, and if it turns out it's the Nic...try another company to get it from. You might even want to buy the smallest amount you can, use it in a mix, and see how it vapes. Then if it's great...buy a larger quantity of it.

By the way, Nude Nicotine even has a 15mL sample of their Nic that they'll send to you for only the $2.75 Shipping cost! You choose the mg, the base you want it in, and a choice of several ratios, too! For you...making & vaping 3mg DIY liquids...15mL of it will let you try quite a bit of eliquid with it!

 

[I'mnotZak]

I found this on the Reddit DIY thread. Another thought, once you do add your nic, make sure that you are shaking the living __________ out of it before adding.

The absolute first thing you should do when experiencing a harsh throat, if you haven’t already, is make a flavorless nicotine juice. You should start at your preferred nic strength & PG/VG Ratio, but it might be a good idea to do high or max VG to test it (possible base irritation, covered later). If it’s harsh, you know right away what your problem is, and you don’t have to waste more resources trying to figure out what’s wrong.

 

[JCinFLA]

honestly, i never tried a nicless batch yet.

You don't need to really make "a batch" for sampling some you make without the nic. Make even as little as 3-5mL of a recipe you already make & like. You should be able to tell from that tiny amount.

 

[JCinFLA]

If it’s harsh, you know right away what your problem is, and you don’t have to waste more resources trying to figure out what’s wrong.

Sounds like that person was suggesting a much larger batch than a small sample. I use a 100DT of Bill's Magic Vapor for testing new recipes. The flavoring in each test batch is only a few drops! Not a huge waste of resources.

If the OP has never vaped unflavored, nor eliquid without nic...I'd think trying a recipe he's familiar with & knows is good, but made without nic for the test...it should be easier for him to tell if it's the nic that's too harsh. But, that's just my

 

[JCinFLA]

Forgot this: If any of your flavoring you're using has Ethyl Alcohol in it, and you're not letting it evaporate off before you vape the eliquid...that could also be a cause of a harshness problem!

 

[I'mnotZak]

Sounds like that person was suggesting a much larger batch than a small sample. I use a 100DT of Bill's Magic Vapor for testing new recipes. The flavoring in each test batch is only a few drops! Not a huge waste of resources.

If the OP has never vaped unflavored, nor eliquid without nic...I'd think trying a recipe he's familiar with & knows is good, but made without nic for the test...it should be easier for him to tell if it's the nic that's too harsh. But, that's just my

Agreed with your 2 cents. They are also referring to the possibility of certain flavorings causing harshness, personal sensitivity, flavor pairings, and steep times. To your point, and mine, keep it simple, start with a very small sample recipe without nic to determine if the nic is the issue.

Simply offering the OP a few options to troubleshoot.

 

[sketchness]

Vape a little VG plain. If this is smooth.....

Vape a little PG plain. If this is smooth....

Vape a little 70/30 3mg plain no flavorings.

This will eliminate or confirm your bases. You should do this with a fresh coil and wick to also eliminate equipment.

I like nude nicotine, vapers tek premium, nicotine river. In that order. Well Carolina xtract is my favorite but it is very expensive. Heartland has a new premium nic from the same place vt gets there stuff. Haven't tried it yet.

Finally. I find pg nic a bit harsher than VG nic ymmv.

 

[DaveP]

I have been making my own for awhile now. And while my flavors have been decent, nothing super awesome, they always have a sort of harshness to them i don't like. With my recipes i cut it down to 3mg per juice, or .9ml per 30ml bottle

I'm thinking it might be the NIC I'm using. I ordered a bottle of 100mg pg base from rtsvapes. Besides the vg and pg, the nic is the only other common thing I've been using across all juices.
Is this because it is 100mg? Or is it just the brand and i should use a different nicotine?

I'm using MFS nic and it was really smooth at 3% nic (IMO) compared to the vendor juices I used to vape. After steeping for a couple of weeks all my juice was really smooth and tasty, but a little weak on flavor. After adding more flavoring to bring the Hangsen up to 10% from the 5% I started with there's more bite and little more harshness, but I attribute that to the flavorings.

As others have said, try starting with just pg and vg for a while and then add nic. Let it steep for a week or two and get a feel for plain juice, then add flavors. You'll figure out where the harshness comes in.

 

[dcfluegel]

i started off using Nude Nicotine, but have been using Nicotine River for a bit now - both have given excellent results... have also used MFS nic and it is very good as well

 

[BrotherBob]

I have been making my own for awhile now. And while my flavors have been decent, nothing super awesome, they always have a sort of harshness to them i don't like. With my recipes i cut it down to 3mg per juice, or .9ml per 30ml bottle

I'm thinking it might be the NIC I'm using. I ordered a bottle of 100mg pg base from rtsvapes. Besides the vg and pg, the nic is the only other common thing I've been using across all juices.
Is this because it is 100mg? Or is it just the brand and i should use a different nicotine?

Noting the way your defining your nic measurements (3mg per juice, or .9ml per 30ml bottle).
Are you using a DIY calculator?
If not, this could be a problem.
If you are using a calculator, could you post the calculator results for one of your poor tasting mixes?

 

[dannyv45]

Vape a little VG plain. If this is smooth.....

Vape a little PG plain. If this is smooth....

Vape a little 70/30 3mg plain no flavorings.

This will eliminate or confirm your bases. You should do this with a fresh coil and wick to also eliminate equipment.

I like nude nicotine, vapers tek premium, nicotine river. In that order. Well Carolina xtract is my favorite but it is very expensive. Heartland has a new premium nic from the same place vt gets there stuff. Haven't tried it yet.

Finally. I find pg nic a bit harsher than VG nic ymmv.

All good advice, but this advice above is the most on target advice as far as keeping it simple and non confusing. And really good NIC recommendations as well.

I have a blog on taming your harsh nic if you would like to have a read.

How to adjust your base to reduce that peppery harsh Nicotine taste | E-Cigarette Forum

 

[absoluttalent]

Noting the way your defining your nic measurements (3mg per juice, or .9ml per 30ml bottle).
Are you using a DIY calculator?
If not, this could be a problem.
If you are using a calculator, could you post the calculator results for one of your poor tasting mixes?

I am using a calc with my recipes.
Cant get exporting to work without a lot of re-formatting to make it readable. But heres the link to one I used

Cinnamon Toast Crunch : http://..................../recipe/141851/Cinnamon+Toast+Crunch

2% Cinnamon Danish Swirl (CAP)
3% Cream Fresh (FA)
3% French Vanilla Deluxe (TPA)
2% Malted Milk (TPA)
2% Marshmallow (TPA)
4% Sweet Cream (TPA)

Flavor total: 16%


My ingredients are TFA instead of TPA (didnt think it mattered since I was under the impression TFA=TPA)
and the TFA sweet cream is instead sweet cream DX.

But other recipes with other ingredients net same result, with only the PG, VG and Nic being common. I am going to do the nicless batch and see how it turns out.

 

[BrotherBob]

I am using a calc with my recipes.
Cant get exporting to work without a lot of re-formatting to make it readable. But heres the link to one I used

Cinnamon Toast Crunch : http://..................../recipe/141851/Cinnamon+Toast+Crunch

2% Cinnamon Danish Swirl (CAP)
3% Cream Fresh (FA)
3% French Vanilla Deluxe (TPA)
2% Malted Milk (TPA)
2% Marshmallow (TPA)
4% Sweet Cream (TPA)

Flavor total: 16%


My ingredients are TFA instead of TPA (didnt think it mattered since I was under the impression TFA=TPA)
and the TFA sweet cream is instead sweet cream DX.

But other recipes with other ingredients net same result, with only the PG, VG and Nic being common. I am going to do the nicless batch and see how it turns out.

I see nothing wrong here. If anything, this mix, (guessing) should taste like a creamy bakery type mix with a smooth taste.
Could read:
Why is My Ejuice Harsh? (Beginner DIY Ejuice Tips)Temp Controlled Vaping Rocks
Problem sounding like a peppery nic contamination. 3 mg should not be noticeable to most folks but there is always exceptions. Could also select a tasteless nic to try/compare.
ie: Might want to try the search function in upper right hand corner of this post. Could type in "tasteless nic"/"Best tasteless nic".