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DIY: How To Safely Handle DIY Nicotine

Posted by Ryan G. on December 24, 2019

DIY: How To Safely Handle DIY Nicotine

Are you ready to get into the world of DIY vape juice? As you know, making vape juice from scratch requires a lot of time and effort, but it can be a very rewarding experience. Being able to modify and improve DIY vape juices to match your preferences is fun and will lower your vaping expenses each month.

E-liquid consists of four ingredients: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, pure nicotine, and flavoring. The propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin make up the base, the liquid flavoring allows your e-liquid to enchant your taste buds, and the liquid nicotine ensures that you’ll be able to satisfy your nicotine cravings. 

Nowadays, DIY vape juice making is easier than it ever was, with most supplies being available at vape shops around the country. DIY liquid recipes are available online, and flavor concentrates allow us to make delicious flavor profiles in minutes. Still, in order to make premium juice from scratch, you need the right supplies, the right ingredients and the right dedication to the practice in order to have a successful experience.

One of the trickiest parts of making DIY e juice involves the liquid nicotine. Liquid nicotine is a substance with which you must exercise proper safety to avoid injury. Additionally, choosing the right nicotine content is crucial so that you can satisfy your cravings effectively. If you rather avoid dealing with raw nicotine, consider non-nicotine vape juice instead.

So, if you want to make delicious e juice for your e-cigarette or vaping device, we’re here to make sure that you go about adding liquid nicotine in the right manner. Nicotine liquid requires caution and precision, and it can make or break your e juice batch. 

What is DIY Nicotine?

DIY nicotine is a concentrated nicotine liquid, also known as liquid nicotine or pure nicotine. It’s made specially for DIY e juice. Vaping enthusiasts buy DIY nicotine specifically for creating batches of e juice from scratch. Nicotine is an addictive substance, and vapers want to add nicotine to their batches so that they can satisfy their cravings without having to turn to cigarettes.

What’s in DIY Nicotine?

DIY nicotine is liquid nicotine extracted from the tobacco plant. Nicotine is one of the many chemical compounds in the tobacco plant. Essentially, it’s a liquid extract that is extremely potent, and it’s added to vape juice in small amounts so that each puff satisfies that craving. The target nicotine amount depends on the vaper’s unique preferences. A vaper’s preferred nicotine strength has to do with how much they used to smoke cigarettes before they began vaping.

What Kinds of DIY Nicotine Types are There?

There are primarily two types of DIY nicotine products: nicotine salt and freebase nicotine. Nicotine salt is the nicotine compound blended with benzoic acid, and it’s only compatible with pod mods. It’s more potent than freebase nicotine that was developed using mass spectrometry methods. Freebase nicotine is a chemically modified type of nicotine molecule that’s also referred to as regular nicotine. It’s used in e juices that are compatible with sub ohm setups and other vaping setups that aren’t pod mods. Unlike nicotine salt, it can feel harsh when vaped in high concentrations, so users can’t enjoy it in such potent amounts.

What are the benefits of DIY Nicotine?

The thing about DIY e juice is that you select your nicotine strength by deciding how much liquid nicotine to add to your e juice batch. You can calculate the ideal nicotine percentage using an online calculator. There are many juice calculators available online specifically for this purpose.

So, how do you determine the ideal nicotine strength? Well, if you used to buy premium juices or flavored pods, you can base your number off of that. Whatever your previous nicotine consumption was, start with that amount when making your own e juice.

How Can DIY Nicotine Be Made to Make Vape Juice?

When adding liquid nicotine to an e juice batch, safety comes first. Nicotine can burn the skin on contact, so you must wear latex gloves at all times when handling it. At the bare minimum, safety goggles, head-to-toe clothing, and gloves are essential.

Now, it’s time to walk through the process of making DIY vape juice with DIY nicotine. This process is no different from what most juice makers do. Be sure to read our DIY Checklist for making your own vape juice guide.

First, you need to get your juice supplies from the right vape and nicotine wholesalers. Remember that quality always comes first.

Always choose your vape juice ingredients from trusted wholesalers. Don’t ever use ingredients that contain cheap fillers, even if it looks like they’re more affordable. Using sketchy ingredients in your e-liquid can cause lipoid pneumonia, a potentially deadly disease, as well as other unwanted symptoms and side effects.

As we said, you’ll need liquid nicotine, vegetable glycerine, propylene glycol, and flavoring. Flavoring is its own ingredient, as there’s no such thing as flavored nicotine. Choose your flavoring agents wisely as you want your flavored vapes to have a delicious and sweet taste. If your juice tastes bad, you won’t want to vape it. We suggest sticking with natural flavors as artificial flavors can ruin the taste of your e juice.

You’ll also need plenty of squeeze bottles, a liquid calculator, and equipment for accurate measurements. Get plastic bottles in many different sizes so you can have some bottles for batches and some for individual e-liquid flavors.

Next, decide what kind of nicotine solution you want. Nicotine salt and freebase nic are both available. Remember that nicotine salt is more potent and can only be vaped with pod mods. Freebase nic is less potent but can be used with sub-ohm vaping systems. 

Regardless of the nicotine solution that you choose, the calculations remain the same. In other words, using one type of nicotine instead of the other does not change the basic formula. Just add the right percentage of nicotine-based on the concentration that best suits your cravings.

Things to Keep in Mind

Remember that when making vape juice from scratch, you’ll go through a lot of trial and error. It’s all about experimenting until you find the perfect formula for your unique vaping needs. Don’t be afraid to explore different flavor profiles, nicotine strengths, VG/PG ratios and so on. 

Also, we suggest starting with small batches in the early stages of your DIY juice making venture. This way, if you make a mistake, which is common with beginners, you won’t have wasted a ton of precious ingredients.

As long as you use the right ingredients and handle your nicotine properly. Liquid nicotine is essential if you want to make a vape juice that satisfies your nicotine cravings. Use this guide to go about using liquid nicotine properly so that you can get the most out of your vaping experience.

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Ryan G.
Ryan G.
Ryan is a writer at Vapebox. He fully converted to vaping in 2014 and has been educating new vapers ever since.
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