A guide for DIY

A complete guide for DIY e-liquid

Many vapers have considered making their own e-juice, but after a quick Google search, they may find it seems too complicated and daunting. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth; making your own e-juice is quite a simple process and can be a lot of fun. This guide will walk you through how to do it step by step and what tools you’ll need. At the end of the text, we’ll link to everything you need, including e-juice calculators and recipes.

Measuring Methods: Weight or Volume

There are two ways to mix DIY e-juice, each with its pros and cons.

Weight method: By using a scale, each ingredient is introduced to the mix by weighing it, taking into account its specific gravity. Simply put, a ml of VG is heavier than a ml of PG or a ml of flavoring. However, you don’t need to keep track of this if math isn’t your strong suit; just use an e-juice calculator that considers these values and let it do the work for you.

Volume method: This method involves measuring each ingredient’s volume using syringes (preferably one per ingredient). It’s the simplest way for beginners to understand since liquids are normally measured this way, but it’s also less precise and requires more equipment and cleaning. Calculators are still necessary when mixing by volume – they’ll not only convert percentages to ml but will also tell you the exact amount of nicotine base you need to achieve your desired strength. Note, never measure nicotine by eye when making e-juice! Always use a calculator to be precise.

What do you need to start mixing?

Regardless of which method you choose to create your e-juice and whatever preferences you have for what you want to vape in the end, you’ll need the necessary ingredients and DIY tools. Here’s your checklist:

Base liquid – Vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol, the two most essential ingredients in e-juice. Base liquid, which is essentially a flavorless and nicotine-free e-juice, can come pre-mixed at ratios like 50/50 or 70/30. But if you want flexibility over the final ratio in your e-juice, we recommend buying a bottle of VG and a bottle of PG. Ensure both are of USP quality – it will guarantee they are pure enough for e-juice mixing.
E-juice concentrates – These determine how your e-juice will taste in the end. Make sure you only use concentrates intended for vaping and avoid substances like essential oils – and all types of oils in general. There are thousands of concentrates to choose from, which can be combined to create countless unique recipes. Brands matter, and each flavoring has different flavor notes and strengths. Initially, it’s easiest to look up a couple of highly-rated recipes from one of the recipe sites that you think you’ll like and buy the specific concentrates for those recipes. To make it even simpler, you can also buy “one shots,” where several flavors are pre-mixed. These are ideal for beginners, and some major juice manufacturers already sell their own ranges as ready-made “one-shot” concentrates. All you need to do then is add base liquid (and nicotine if desired), and it’s ready to use.
Nicotine – Nicotine is optional, of course. The strength of nicotine you choose to buy depends on your desired nicotine level, with the highest allowable nicotine content that can be sold in Sweden being 20mg, which is entirely sufficient as the most common strength of a finished e-juice is 3mg. Nicotine is usually dissolved in a PG solution, but you’ll be able to find it in various proportions if you look around. Be very careful when handling and storing nicotine. Ensure you keep nicotine away from your skin and face. Always wear gloves when handling nicotine, and make sure to keep your nicotine bottles out of reach of children!
Bottles – Purchase a selection of smaller plastic bottles (10-20ml) for test recipes and some 60-120 ml bottles to make larger quantities of the recipes you liked. PET and HDPE plastic are excellent choices for long-term storage, but LDPE should also work. These bottles are both affordable and readily available.
Labels – Acquire some simple adhesive labels so you can label your bottles. Over time, you might find it easier and more professional to use a label maker.
Gloves – Always have a box of disposable gloves on hand. These are invaluable and available at your nearest pharmacy.

The rest of the equipment depends on which mixing method you decide to follow:

Syringes for mixing by volume: I recommend acquiring a few syringes from 1-10 ml. You will also need blunt needles to make drawing up the essence easier.
A scale for mixing by weight: You will need an electronic scale with an accuracy of 0.01 grams. It’s accurate enough to handle all DIY e-juice recipes. You

should also ensure the scale can weigh up to at least 200 grams, preferably 500 grams – you might think 100 grams is enough, but if you ever decide to mix larger quantities or use glass bottles, you’ll need more space.

E-juice calculators: an essential tool

If you want to mix accurately and achieve perfect results every time, you’ll need to use an e-juice calculator. A calculator simplifies the whole process by providing all the information you need, whether it’s the amount of nicotine needed to reach your favorite strength or how much of each ingredient you need to make a bottle of 70/30 e-juice. It might sound challenging, but it’s super simple once you get the hang of it. Many calculators are available online, while others can be downloaded to your phone or computer.

One of the easiest to use, and most popular, is the web-based calculator from E-liquid-recipes.com (ELR). It’s super easy to use once you understand it and has a huge database of recipes and even a forum where you can ask questions or discuss everything DIY. One of the site’s most useful features is the “What can I make?” button under the “Flavour Stash” section. Once you’ve added your flavors to your account, you can get a list of recipes that only use concentrates with the flavors you have at home.

Time to start mixing!

You’ve now checked out which recipe you want to make and bought all the ingredients and tools, so it’s time to start mixing! Use the calculator on any DIY site (we recommend e-liquid-recipes.com), enter how much e-juice you want to make, start with 10 or 20ml so you can first test it and see if you like it, then you can make a larger batch.

What should you do after creating your e-juice?

Label – Label your mixes with the following information: VG/PG ratio, nicotine strength, flavor percentage, and date. Do this immediately. You’d be surprised how many beginners skip this step, only to later be at a loss when they find a perfect blend but can’t recreate it. Save your recipes in a notebook, spreadsheet, or on e-liquid-recipes.com.
Steeping – This often confuses beginners to DIY. Most homemade e-juices containing multiple concentrates need some time to let the flavors blend and settle. This varies between different blends, but you’ll often find that complex dessert- or cream-based blends need up to four weeks to reach their best flavor, while simple fruit recipes might not need to steep at all. Most recipes come with a recommended maturation time.
Testing – Once your e-juice has matured, it’s time to test it. Be aware that resistance and temperature can significantly affect the flavor – a juice that tastes fantastic at 80 watts on a 0.3 ohms RDA vape is likely to taste very different in a 1.8 ohms tank at 15 watts.
Storage – Light, heat, and oxygen can negatively impact e-juice, so store your e-juice in a cool, dark place. Also, make sure they are out of reach of pets and children for safety.

Tips and tricks

Make full use of online tools and resources. Reddit has many subs dedicated to DIY, and e-liquid-recipes.com offers much more than just its calculator. One of its most useful features is the Flavour stash – enter your flavors, and ELR will present a list of e-juice recipes you can make.
Less is more! Using larger amounts of flavor does not necessarily mean you’ll get a more flavorful vape. In some cases, excessive use can lead to a muted flavor in your e-juice!
When following existing recipes, avoid directly swapping concentrates between different brands. One brand’s “Peach” may be a realistic ripe peach while another could be candy or canned peach. And the flavor profile is not the only reason you should avoid swaps…
Be aware of how potent your concentrates are. Potency varies not just between different brands but even between flavorings from the same brand. Companies like Flavourart and Inawera are notorious for their strong concentrates, where 1-2% is more than enough to dominate a recipe – but even some of their flavorings can be used in the 5-10% range. A good indicator of potency is the “average mixing quantity” percentage, which can be found on each flavor’s page on ELR.
Take notes – After testing, make good notes, either online or in a notebook. Is a flavor too strong? Would it be better as a 50/50 blend instead of max VG? Having detailed notes will help you improve your future e-juice blends and significantly enhance your skills in homemade/DIY e-juice.
Simple flavor testing – want to find out how each concentrate will affect your blends? The first step is to

vape it only. Follow ELR’s recommended percentages if you’re unsure where to start.

Remember, just like with any hobby, DIY e-juice can be as simple or as complicated as you want. You can mix a simple vape juice in less than a minute, or spend months trying to find the perfect combination of ten flavors for a traditional Thai dessert e-juice.