It's hard to find a good e-liquid with the perfect flavor and nicotine dosage. Most e-liquids are either too weak or too strong, and it's hard to find one with the perfect flavor.
Making your own e-liquid may seem daunting, but it's actually a very easy process. What's more, you can customize the flavor and nicotine content to suit your tastes, which means you can create exactly the e-liquid you want.
Not only is it fun to make your own e-liquid, it's also a great way to save money. You'll get more e-liquid for your money than if you bought pre-made e-liquid from a store.
With this guide you can make your own e-liquid at home with the flavor you like.
So gather your supplies and get ready to start mixing! It's easy, affordable and lots of fun.
Why make your own e-liquid?
Making your own e-liquid is a great way to save money and customize it to your personal preferences. You can make large quantities for a small price, you can choose flavors you wouldn't be able to find in the shop, and you can decide how much nicotine is in each bottle!
Substantial savings
The best thing about making your own e-liquid is the savings. You can buy ingredients in bulk, and you'll never have to go looking for them again.
The typical cost of DIY e-liquid is around 3 to 5 times less than that of commercial 10 ml pre-filled bottles, which is quite remarkable.
For example, a typical vaper using 3 mg/ml nicotine would like to prepare 500 ml of DIY e-liquid over the next three months to save money. He currently spends €175 a month on 10 ml ready-to-vape bottles for his monthly consumption.
Our vapoteur will start with a base. This is the least expensive item on his shopping list. He'll spend just €4.50 for a 125 ml base (necessarily nicotine-free due to European regulations) in a 50/50 PG/VG proportion.
To obtain the desired nicotine concentration, he will add a series of 20 mg/ml nicotine boosters to this base. Since 2017, the cost of nicotine boosters has been almost halved, and they will now cost him EUR 5.50 for 5 boosters in the shops and even less at LiquidBox. Finally, he'll choose the flavor he liked best before, but in a concentrated form. For €13.90, he'll add a 30 ml falcon of concentrate to his order.
To prepare 200 ml of liquid it will have cost him only 23.90 €! Making e-liquids will cost 4 to 6 times less than ready-to-smoke e-liquids, unless of course you opt for the LiquidBox XLIn fact, in the XL box, the e-liquids chosen according to your preferences cost less than €10 for a 60ml vial (booster included), which is very close to DIY prices (for ready-to-vape products).
How do you make your own e-liquid at home?
Before making the liquid, make sure you have a clean, dry surface to work on. Make sure your equipment is clean and functional, and that you have all the tools you need. If possible, wear latex gloves. Nicotine can irritate your skin if it comes into contact with it.
Prepare the mixture
We start by combining the components, the flavour then the nicotine, before finishing with the neutral base. For all other additives, it's vital to add them before the base.
As for proportions, while nicotine levels can be easily obtained using calculators, flavour dosages need to be adjusted.
Quantity of flavoring to be added
Flavor quantities are determined by a dilution percentage. When a flavoring is dosed at 10%, this means that the quantity of flavoring must be equal to 10% of the total volume of the bottle. This is equivalent to 20ml for a 200ml bottle.
To determine the quantity of flavoring to put in a preparation, for a liquid to be dosed at 10%, simply multiply the final volume of your preparation by 0.10.
For a 50ml bottle -> 0.10 x 50 = 5ml of concentrated flavor.
If you wish to use several different flavors, divide the total number by the number of flavors you wish to use.
Don't forget to adjust the dose according to the base, as bases with higher VG require an overdose of flavoring.
Bottling and maturing time
Visit e-liquid DIY has many advantages, but requires a little time and organization.
Beyond preparing your liquid, which normally takes less than 30 minutes, you need to be patient and let the flavors of your recipe mature. The maturation time for each flavoring varies according to the type of flavoring used.
We also suggest letting your liquid mature for a few extra days if you've used a VG-rich base.
| SPRAY TYPE | STEEP TIME |
| Fruity | Up to 5 days |
| Coffee, vanilla, mint | From 5 to 14 days |
| Gourmands | 14 to 21 days |
| Tobacco taste | 15 days minimum |
The maturation process takes a little longer depending on the type of flavoring used, but it's definitely worth the wait if you want a quality e-liquid.
It is therefore inadvisable to consume a DIY within a minute of its production: the flavors will most likely be absent. This is one of the reasons why DIY should be planned in advance to avoid running out of liquid!
Don't forget to dedicate some storage space for your preparations. Of course, e-liquids can be prepared in advance and used as required. What's more, many flavor concentrates have a minimal aging period. To get the most out of your DIY e-liquids, we recommend that you allow yourself some maturation time.
Everything you need to make your own e-liquid
The equipment
Start by purchasing a few important accessories for preparing your DIY liquids, such as a dosing device for the various components, or bottles for storing your DIY preparations.
Empty bottles
Empty DIY bottles come in different sizes and can be used to combine and store your liquids. It's up to you to choose the packaging that suits you best! For example, you can store your liquid in a large 100 ml bottle and use a small 10 or 30 ml bottle on a daily basis.
There are also graduated bottles that make it easy to produce your e-liquids without having to measure them.
Syringes
The amount of nicotine and flavorings must be precise for the e-liquid to mature properly. To dose to the nearest milliliter, a syringe or graduated pipette can be very practical.
The ingredients
To prepare your first e liquids, you will need the following items:
- The neutral base according to your preferred PG / VG ratio
- Nicotine boosters
- The flavour concentrates of your choice
Preparing e-liquids for electronic cigarettes is more time-consuming than simply buying ready-to-use e-liquids. However, once you've acquired the equipment and mastered the procedure, it offers many advantages!
You can customize the DIY e-liquid yourself.
Whatever your personal preferences, be they PG/VG ratios, nicotine content, flavors or quantities... You can do it! Whatever type of liquid you like to vape, you can make it.
Would you like to personalize your favorite fragrance by adding a different flavor, perhaps cinnamon or lavender? Is it possible to add a hint of tobacco? It's certainly possible!
Once you've mastered the techniques involved in mixing your e-liquid, you'll be able to create large volumes in one go. This is one of the advantages over buying ready-to-use e-liquid.
Do It Yourself or not?
DIY e-liquids offer many advantages over ready-to-vape liquids: greater customization eliminates boredom at an affordable price! But you need to master the basics to get good results.
Mastering the basics of DIY e-liquid making is essential for good results, but once you've done that, the possibilities are endless. You can customize your e-liquid to have the nicotine content or flavor you want, and you can make as much or as little as you need.
DIY liquids also give you the chance to get started without spending too much. Although not all fragrances mix well, you can buy a small number and test them safely before deciding whether DIY is for you.
If you're looking for a low-cost alternative to DIY, Box XL is for you! You'll find Mix and Vape and prêt à vaper for a minimum of 300ml at rock-bottom prices, thanks to our partnerships with manufacturers: €10 maximum for a 60ml vial of impeccable quality!