Help please, looking for DIY 100% VG peppermint

[hildicat]

I feel like this should be relatively easy to do but I cannot seem to find a recipe. I would like to make 0 nic, 100% VG peppermint juice with maybe a little sweetener. Think something like an Altoid. I would also like to do this with readily available, store bought ingredients because I am leaving for a long trip this weekend and can't wait for a shipment to come in.

I think I can source VG from a local health store or even a Whole foods, and I was thinking to use a peppermint oil or extract that should also be readily available but I have read another thread that states I should not vape anything that is an oil. Also, I have read about various sweeteners like Stevia and Sucralos and I think those should also be easy to find at local stores.

So my question is, who has done this, or something like this and can share their experience, a recipe, or even just some starting points.

Thanks so much!

 

[Hoosier]

Except for the Stevia, I see no problems for what you are thinking. You will need some menthol or Koolada to get the Altoids effect though and some PGA to get the peppermint oil to mix with the VG. I've never seen an artificial sweetener without fillers in a local store, but it my be different there on the west coast.

I too have seen a number of posts saying not to use oils, but since I've used oils, I really have no idea where the concept came from unless folks are confusing veggy oils with mint oils. I know that Rolygate and a number of others of us have used oils for over a year without any issues, but once stuff like this gets going on the internet, it takes on a life of its own.

With oils, you mix in much smaller ratios. 5% is huge for an oil. So you may want to start with 1% mint oil, 10% PGA and mix those together before putting it with the 89% of your base. Top with a drop of menthol or Koolada and a drop of sweetener or EM 10% solution. It will be a bit cloudy, but should be vape-able right away. Adjust the mint oil up very sparingly to taste. (Putting the bottle in a cup of hot tap water, to warm it up, will help with getting it to mix well during shaking.)

 

[hildicat]

Thanks Hoosier,
Thats very helpful. Since I don't think I can get Everclear where I am, what do you think about using straight vodka in place of PGA?

 

[markfm]

A high proof plain vodka should work. Here in NY they sell 160 proof Devil's Springs. Once back from your trip, you might want to check out faeries finest. I was pretty happy with the mint extract sampler pack. The double mint, peppermint, and spearmint are the base oils with alcohol and water, while the wintergreen is the base oil with PG; I use them at fairly high %, since the oils have already been cut.

 

[Hoosier]

I think vodka will be better than water and has been known to do the trick.

(Unless we are talking about drinking it because I'd rather drink Everclear or water than any vodka anyday.)

 

[hildicat]

Ok, so here's what I was able to find. Went to my local 'gourmet' shop and found they carried LorrAnn products. I purchased a bottle each of peppermint oil, vanilla butter nut and marshmallow. They also had a bottle of LorrAnn 'Natural Glycerine'. There were no ingredients listed on the glycerine bottle but two employees at the store said it is in fact pure food grade VG. So I got everything for just under $20.

I have an empty 10ml bottle from Virgin Vapor so I filled it just under 3/4 with the VG. It seemed quite thick so I added about a dropper full of Grey Goose vodka (the only stuff I had around). Mixed it for a while and seemed to thin it out a bit. I then started adding some of the marshmallow for sweetness and some vanilla for smoothness. I added a little at a time and tested each time by dripping a few drops of the completed mixture on my favorite atty. Did this until I could taste a bit of sweet vanilla. Its actually quite smooth and blows huge clouds. Once I got this down I started adding the peppermint. I started by first mixing equal parts peppermint oil and Grey Goose, then added a few drops at a time to my VG mix. I eventually added all of this peppermint/vodka mix to my juice and still wasn't getting enough of a mint hit so I ultimately started adding straight drops of peppermint to the mix until I got my desired sweet minty vape. Its actually quite nice, although I still have plenty of tinkering to do. I think next time I will add less vanilla and maybe more peppermint.

So my main question now is about the VG. Has anyone used LorrAnn's VG? I haven't seen it mentioned here on the forums and I can't find any recipes using it anywhere online. I just made a small amount of this since I am not quite sure if it is safe to vape.

Also, I didn't see much benefit to mixing the peppermint oil with the Vodka. Can someone explain why/if I should continue to do so?

Thanks so much!

 

[markfm]

The alcohol provides a carrier, a base, that makes it easier to mix into the VG.

For VG, I generally just buy mine at Rite Aid or CVS pharmacy. 6 ounce clear bottle, labeled Glycerin USP skin protectant, located near the bandaids, about $5. The ingredients should only state Glycerin 99.5%, possibly followed by the word (anhydrous). This is a Humco relabel, it is VG (per the sticky in this forum area).