DIY Juice... Too much trouble?

[1983PhattyGurl]

I've been vaping for a few years now. And I have been through so many bottles of bottles of fluid, so many brands,you all know soooooo much money... And I'm a single mother, so I can't just throw away money on the premium fluid, Mike I would like to. With the flavor ban BS going on, and the price is on the fluid going up, I've been thinking more and more about making my own ejuice.. the problem is, I don't know where to begin... Which brand VG and PG I should get, where to get it from. And is it just going to be one big mess. I've read lots of post about people saying they will never buy another call ejuice. That they should have been making their own years ago. Is there anybody out there that can tell me the best place to get the ingredients from, and some simple instructions on what to do. And where I can find the recipes and.... Everything I've read makes it sound really simple to make, I just have it in my head that it's going to be one huge oily mess... Any advice and suggestions are very much welcomed. Thank you

 

[classwife]

Moved to DIY E-Liquid from General E-Liquid Discussion

 

[capthook]

It's easier than it sounds.
Saves a ton of money.
I was on the road, ran out of juice, went to a store....
$7 for 10ml.
Costs me $0.30 at home.
And I make it just the way I like it.

Spend some time here:
DIY E-Liquid

And on youtube

And here for buying:
Wizard Labs
Bull City Flavors - Best Prices on Flavoring

 

[bombastinator]

Pg and VG are commodity items like sugar or corn oil. It’s basically all the same so you buy it where it’s cheap. The flavoring market has a lot of middle men in it so prices go up dramatically as quantities get smaller. With nic there are limited quality differences.

 

[1983PhattyGurl]

Thanks for replying... Im definitely interested in making my own juice...Is there a good site for recipes?

 

[1983PhattyGurl]

I just folllowed the link you sent... I see the recipes, LOL forgive me I was having a blonde moment... Going through the links now

 

[rfit]

i can boil an egg,make 3 min noodles and i can diy e juice
saves a heap of cash
many kits are available too
VapeWild Advanced DIY Kit

 

[madstabber]

Mixing your own juice is easy and you save sooooo much money. This is what I do. Nicotine river is the best place to get everything for the best price. Trust me I’ve done the legwork. Get your unflavored nicotine base in a mg that with adding flavors will dilute it to your vape mg’s. Example- I buy 50/50 vg/pg nicotine at 24mg’s. I add under 10% flavoring so the final product is about 20ishmg’s. I take nail polish and paint a line on my bottles that is about 10% so the flavorings never go over that line. Once my desired flavor or flavors are in the bottle and under my line I add my 24mg’s base to fill the rest of the bottle. Wait a few weeks for a steep, shaking the bottle at least once a day. Viola, I’ve made my own delicious juice and saved a ton of money. Good luck and I hope you’re able to pick up what I’m putting down, and it is helpful to you.

 

[madstabber]

Nicotine river also sells vg/pg and picking up a small bottle of your preference is a good idea in case you need to adjust flavor/nicotine content. Also an rda is a good idea for testing juices when you start out. You can taste a few drips and adjust flavoring to your liking. Nice to have until you find recipes you enjoy.

 

[zoiDman]

... Everything I've read makes it sound really simple to make, I just have it in my head that it's going to be one huge oily mess... Any advice and suggestions are very much welcomed. Thank you

Can you Mix a Decent Rum and Coke?
And if you wrote down the Recipe, could you Mix it Again?

If you Answered "Yes" to Both of the above questions, Congratulations, you can do DIY!

Many people start out by just buying 250ml or so of Nicotine Base in the Same Nicotine Level and the Same PG|VG Ratio as you Normally Vape.

Then all they do is Add Flavoring(s) and maybe some Sweetener and La Voila, you have Flavored e-Liquids.

There's a Few Steps involved. Nothing major. And you will need to buy a Few Inexpensive things to start off. But the Money Saved in the Next 2 Months will more than make up for it.

Also can be Kinda a Fun Hobby. And a Great Way to Try All kinds of Flavors and Flavor Combinations.

That... And there is Tons of Support here on the ECF in the DIY Section of the ECF.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

No way. Once a recipe is adjusted and my tastebuds vote unanimously I start making 250ml sizes. I still have partial bottles of juices down in the juice cellar collecting dust from last summer. Sometimes I will go down and get a bottle for when the missus gives me that special smile.

 

[NicotineRush]

Start simple. DIY an Unflavored juice. It's the easiest to do and costs the least.
Go to Nicotine River for juice supplies.
100ml/mg pg base nic in smallest size: 60ml 7.99
60ml pg 1.99
60ml vg 1.99
Pipettes 0.15 ea
Scale LB-501 from ebay or amazon 30-35.00
10- 15ml brown glass vials from Glass Bottle Outlet. Cheap
Make an account at ELR (E Liquid Recipes)

Here's a 50/50 6mg nic recipe: (cost literally pennies to make)

This will get you started inexpensively. I made the mistake of going crazy to start and now I have a bunch of flavors/stuff I'll never use. Turns out, my all day vape is an Unflavored!

 

[NicotineRush]

.....and, a couple of these as vg is kind of thick.
Lot of 4 - 4 oz (120 ml) HDPE Plastic Squeeze Bottles w/Yorker Dispensing Caps
7 bucks for 4 on ebay

 

[sofarsogood]

Thanks for replying... Im definitely interested in making my own juice...Is there a good site for recipes?

You don't need too worry about recipes in the beginning. What you need starting out is confidence, one good experience. To insure that mix up a small batch of unflavored with the same PG, VG, and nic percentages as one of your favorite pre mixed flavors then cut it 50% then vape it for a while, get used too the more subtle taste and you might find you like it better than the original mix. After that you can buy all in one flavorings that sound promising until you find a few you like. The whole custom mixing thing is a recipe for frustration and failure. Avoid it until you've proven to yourself you can make one thing you like.

I mix 200 ml once a month. It takes about 15 minutes. The cost is like $2.15. It's not cheap, it's free.

 

[BrotherBob]

I've been vaping for a few years now. And I have been through so many bottles of bottles of fluid, so many brands,you all know soooooo much money... And I'm a single mother, so I can't just throw away money on the premium fluid, Mike I would like to. With the flavor ban BS going on, and the price is on the fluid going up, I've been thinking more and more about making my own ejuice.. the problem is, I don't know where to begin... Which brand VG and PG I should get, where to get it from. And is it just going to be one big mess. I've read lots of post about people saying they will never buy another call eJuice. That they should have been making their own years ago. Is there anybody out there that can tell me the best place to get the ingredients from, and some simple instructions on what to do. And where I can find the recipes and.... Everything I've read makes it sound really simple to make, I just have it in my head that it's going to be one huge oily mess... Any advice and suggestions are very much welcomed. Thank you

Welcome and glad you joined.
Congratulations, I have been waiting years to read a good request and yours comes closest to the point. The adage :

To be successful you need to read and when you think you have it down pat, start reading again. I feel your reluctance to DIY, and justly so. It take time to get it. I recommend you go slow and try One shots/Blends first, to build up a little confidence.
Welcome and glad you joined.
One shot flavors are starting to gain momentum for those interested in mixing their own and want to start out simple. These Flavors are pre mixed flavors that are only designed to be used on their own and mixed with a base of Propylene Glycol, Vegetable Glycerine and Nicotine (if desired) It's kind of difficult when you are still trying out new equipment and establishing your taste favorites. You could save some money/study by mixing one shots (OS/Flavor Blends). I found one shot mixing to be close to the flavor advertised on the bottle and can provide some adjustment of the strength (percentage) of flavor. OS Mixing also is a good introductory to DIY.
One Shots and Blends are simply added per directions of the seller to a Mixing Base, Shake and Vape!
When in doubt of above, you can always post or call the seller.
Might like to visit:
Flavor Blends | Cost effective and time friendly DIY, shake and vape! --- Known as "E Liquid supply" = FLAVOR BLENDS? ****Does sell PG/VG + NIC in 120 ml. and up containers 0-18mg..
The folks above have a 30% off till the 4th.
Thanks to : @Fidola13 Easter Savings
DIYorDIE Concentrates
One Shot Concentrates
Flavors - Gremlin - Gremlin DIY --- Known as "Gremlin DIY" = one shot?
Shipping Rates
Flavor Cartridge
30 mL

 

[dc99]

BrotherBob is dead on with the one shot recommendation. The DiyOrDie ones are pretty darn good. All you need after that is PG/VG Nic and a way to measure. Personally I like the 501 scale. Its an investment but should last for years. As you build confidence you can branch out into simple recipes and before you know it you will be making your own recipes.

 

[Snicks]

The initial investment can be a bit much depending on what you buy but if you keep it simple you can do it fairly cheap (considering flavors, pg/vg/nic and equipment)

When I first got into making my own juice I invested over $500 into my equipment and flavors and such. I don't tell you this to scare you because the truth is you can do this for a fraction of that cost. I tend to go overboard at any hobby I get into. That said and to give some perspective; I invested initially over $500 and within one month of making juice I completely paid off that investment in the savings I made from not buying juice at shops and was already making a profit. No money invested and just making juice. It literally is cents on the dollar when making a 30 or 60mL bottle of juice. Crazy cheap.

Keep it simple at first. Make single flavor or dual flavor recipes. Buy one to three flavors that ship in bottles with a drip tip. Buy a cheap food scale, buy a 12 pack of 30 or 60mL dripper bottles, buy some VG, PG and Nic.

Now mix.

So easy.

ecigexpress is where I buy all of my flavors.
Heartlandvape is my second choice

Nude Nicotine is where I buy all of my VG, PG and Nicotine.

When buying flavors if you stick with 15mL and 30mL flavor bottles they tend to always have a drip tip. Makes it very easy to add via drops to your mix while also using a scale to watch the grams.

If it is a flavor you will use a lot of (which I have several) then buy a 4oz bottle of those flavors but keep in mind they usually just have a cap. So using pipettes comes in handy and you can buy a box of 500 for under $10. Just use them and toss them.

 

[mav_sd]

As others have stated...when you can literally get your liquid for pennies on the dollar...not dimes or nickels, either...lol... it's a no brainer.

Take the right precautions for the littles... secure your ingredients... get yourself one of the kits suggested so far, or just the essentials... and at first, look for recipes with only a couple of flavors, and you will be on your way.

Mistakes will be made, but you're still coming out ahead. When I started vaping in MY state, I went from over 350 dollars a month smoking, down to about 150 bux on eliquid... then started mixing, and found a better place to spend 140 of that 150 bux every month...that's the literal truth about the savings. You'll spend a bit to get started, but once you hit on a few flavors you like, you won't have the waste of failed experiments.

Good luck on your journey, there are tons of experts that are here to help, many who you just met on this thread!

 

[stols001]

I purchase my nic and VG from Nicotine river they have a good selection of flavors too. Other flavor places I use, One Shot DIY, and Flavor Shack and etc., but there are many good options out there.

Because you are hesitant, I would suggest starting with some one shot flavors too, as you learn more about DIY. As you have success, you will get a sense of flavoring percentages you like, as well as how to handle, use and store your ingredients. One shots will offer some success right away, and in the meantime you can read a lot of recipes, experiment with juice calculators, and etc. You can start pretty small, you don't have to buy huge amounts of anything to start with, if you are nervous.

DIY can be as simple or complicated as you make it. I started out with single flavors that I mixed and tasted to get a sense of steeping times, and I then would combine in my tank (not the same as steeping together but it gave me a sense). I then increased complexity (after tasting a lot of storebought juices and reading a lot of recipes) on my own. Others choose one or two recipes and follow those, usually starting with less complex ones, and it's also a good way to get going.

I think some of your hesitance is stemming from the idea that you have to do this perfectly, or everything has to be "just so." Just like starting vaping, there will be successes and failures along the way.... But if you don't start somewhere, you won't get anywhere at all.

I approached flavorings the exact same way I learned to cook, it's just that my measuring equipment and ingredients were different, and whatnot. But, I learned to cook by cooking, not by worrying about whether I would be a "good cook." I wasn't a great cook or flavor mistress to start out, but as I progressed, I got better at it. And, DIY failures are STILL less expensive than "choosing a vendor and reading flavor descriptions." STILL much less expensive.

Anyone can learn DIY with the right tools, literally anyone (IMO) and the DIY forum is full of DIY fervent LOVERS of the process, who will be happy to help you along.

Will you fail? Probably. We all do. We all have recipes we have gotten rid of, but accepting that failure is part of the process of learning is the MOST IMPORTANT part, and being self sufficient is a feeling that is priceless.

Hope you start somewhere, anywhere, etc.

Anna

 

[Snicks]

AGREED. We all fail with some recipes. I tossed four out just last week. I let them steep for a month and they tasted gross. But I had mixed up 6 new recipes that month and two came out amazing. So now I have added those two into my juice rotation. You will fail but you will learn to fail less as you go.