If you’re gonna take the plunge into the world of DIY vaping, there are a lot of important things to consider before you get started. One is deciding what e juice flavor you’d like. You also have to figure out where you’re going to source your ingredients so that you can have the most high-quality flavors possible. You have to decide whether you want nicotine salts or freebase nicotine. But, perhaps most important of all is the nicotine level of your e-liquid batches.
Choosing the right nicotine strength for your e juice batches can make or break your ability to feel satisfied when you vape. Former smokers are used to a certain amount of nicotine intake, due to the fact that nicotine is an addictive substance. So, choosing your nicotine strength must be carefully considered when starting a DIY e juice venture.
Today, we’ll be discussing the importance of choosing the right nicotine concentration for your DIY e juice batches. The nicotine content that you vape has a lot to do with how much you enjoy your hobby, as you’ll see.
What Exactly is Nicotine, Anyway?
Nicotine is an addictive chemical that comes from the nicotiana tobacum plant, which is the tobacco plant that is specifically cultivated for the tobacco industry. It’s a chemical compound, of which there are many in tobacco. Nicotine is largely associated with cigarette smoking, as it’s the compound that makes cigarettes so addictive. But, when nicotine is separated from cigarette tobacco and extracted, it can be enjoyed without the other harmful chemical compounds found in a tobacco cigarette.
Vaping was invented to be used as a smoking cessation tool to help people quit their cigarette habit. Vape juice, whether found in an e cigarette or a sub-ohm system, contains nicotine compounds that have been isolated and extracted from tobacco. This allows people to satisfy their nicotine craving without having to rely on regular cigarettes.
Why Choosing the Right Nicotine Strength is So Crucial
When it comes to DIY vaping, it’s very important that you go with the right nicotine strength, whether you’ll be using an e-cigarette or a sub-ohm vaping setup. The level of nicotine intake directly determines how satisfied you feel after a vaping session. If your chosen nicotine strength is too low, you may experience withdrawal symptoms. If your nicotine strength is too high, you might feel like you just experienced a nicotine overdose.
Nicotine Salt vs. Freebase Nicotine
Now, let’s discuss the two types of nicotine, as they have a lot to do with what your nicotine liquid strength should be. First, there was freebase nicotine. This type of nicotine was taken from the tobacco plant and chemically modified by tobacco companies to be stronger, and, therefore, more addictive. Up until recently, it was the only type of nicotine available in vape juices.
Freebase nicotine is used with sub-ohm tanks that come with sub-ohm vaping devices. It’s often referred to as “regular nicotine” because of the fact that it’s been used for so much longer than its salt nic counterpart. Freebase nicotine tends to have a harsher taste when it’s heated to high temperatures, which is why those using high-wattage systems tend to go with lower to medium nicotine levels. Lower nicotine levels prevent that harsh feeling along the throat.
Then, there is salt-based nicotine, which is also known as salt nic, nic salts or nicotine salts. This type of nicotine is taken from the tobacco plant and combined with benzoic acid, which helps reduce the harshness. It’s used with pod mod e-cigarettes, which are small, low-wattage devices. It provides a nicotine buzz because of its high potency, only without the harshness. The average regular smoker prefers this type of nicotine due to how potent it is. Pod systems deliver less vapor output, but many find they produce that perfect sweet spot.
How to Determine the Proper Nicotine Level for Your DIY E Juice
Now, let’s talk about how you can figure out how much nicotine to add to your vape juice batch. Also, bear in mind that besides choosing the right liquid strength, you need to have good-quality liquid nicotine, whether it be made with nic salts or regular nicotine.
#1: Ask Yourself How Much You Were Smoking Cigarettes
First, keep in mind that the more cigarettes you used to smoke per day, the higher your strength nicotine level should be. A vape juice nicotine level should reflect the amount of nicotine that you used to intake. Remember, too, that some people are more addicted to cigarettes due to an oral fixation rather than nicotine itself.
#2: Know Your Vaping Math
Make sure that you add the proper amount of nicotine-based on the basic formula for e-juice. Whether you’re using regular nicotine or nic salts, you have to be able to measure each milligram properly.
#3: Determine Whether You Want Sub Ohm Vaping or Nicotine Salt Vaping
Decide if you want to make freebase nicotine or salt nicotine juices, and buy your nicotine type accordingly. If you want to use a pod mod electronic cigarette and have more potency, salt nic is the way to go. If you want to go with freebase nic, you’ll need to buy a sub-ohm starter kit.
#4: Make Adjustments as Needed
You may decide that your nicotine delivery isn’t enough to satisfy you, or that it’s too much. If you’re chain vaping off of your e-cigarette or vaping device, you probably need more nicotine.
#5: Go with a Tobacco Flavor to Complete the Experience
Tobacco-flavored vape juice can bring even more satisfaction to former smokers, whether you use an e-cigarette or another type of vaping device.
Truly Important in More Ways Than One
Whether you go with zero nicotine or high nicotine is up to you but use the guide above to figure out which nicotine strength is ideal based on your unique needs. What’s most important is that you choose a nicotine strength that allows you to stay away from conventional smoking for good.