Nicotine is still harsh, unsure of what to do.

[clamchoda]

You know what? I have not shaken my bottle of nic once at all to be completely honest, could it really make that much of a difference?

This is the main source of your problem, especially at 100% VG Nic.

One possibility is that your nic has oxidized. There are three things you want to keep in mind with your nic. Exposure to UV, exposure to oxygen and exposure to heat.

Oxygen degrades nicotine. Every time you take the cap off your nic, you expose it to oxygen. One thing you could do, is store a smaller portion of your large bottle of nic, into a smaller bottle. This way you are not exposing oxygen to your large bottle every time you make a mix.

I used 100% VG nic for about a half a year. The vigorous shaking required to get out the hot spots every time before a mix was a pain in the butt. I've switched to a 50/50 VG/PG blend and I don't think I'll ever go back.

 

[rchmx]

I used 100% VG nic for about a half a year. The vigorous shaking required to get out the hot spots every time before a mix was a pain in the butt. I've switched to a 50/50 VG/PG blend and I don't think I'll ever go back.

Vigorous shaking really isn't necessary. I've found that, by rotating 360 degrees along all axes my 120ml bottle under cold water for a 1-2 minutes, that that not only gets it mixed pretty well, but, along with the body heat of my hand, does a fine job of thawing it enough so that it's easy to mix with. Then, when I'm ready to mix, I just use the dropper to stir it for 30 seconds or so, and I've never had a problem with hot spots. And the 100% VG nic mixes just fine. Gone through several liters at this point using this process.

Just wanted to add that counterpoint, to show that at least for myself, there is no need to go with a less viscous nic base.

 

[ToxicPlacebo]

This is the main source of your problem, especially at 100% VG Nic.

One possibility is that your nic has oxidized. There are three things you want to keep in mind with your nic. Exposure to UV, exposure to oxygen and exposure to heat.

Oxygen degrades nicotine. Every time you take the cap off your nic, you expose it to oxygen. One thing you could do, is store a smaller portion of your large bottle of nic, into a smaller bottle. This way you are not exposing oxygen to your large bottle every time you make a mix.

I used 100% VG nic for about a half a year. The vigorous shaking required to get out the hot spots every time before a mix was a pain in the butt. I've switched to a 50/50 VG/PG blend and I don't think I'll ever go back.

Vigorous shaking really isn't necessary. I've found that, by rotating 360 degrees along all axes my 120ml bottle under cold water for a 1-2 minutes, that that not only gets it mixed pretty well, but, along with the body heat of my hand, does a fine job of thawing it enough so that it's easy to mix with. Then, when I'm ready to mix, I just use the dropper to stir it for 30 seconds or so, and I've never had a problem with hot spots. And the 100% VG nic mixes just fine. Gone through several liters at this point using this process.

Just wanted to add that counterpoint, to show that at least for myself, there is no need to go with a less viscous nic base.

I'm glad you guys brought this up actually. I chose 100% VG but to be honest Im not sure what the difference is between that and a 50/50 mix of nic other than thickness. I honestly thought 100% VG nic would make the nicotine "smoother" but now I'm not so sure anymore.

EDIT* I'm glad you guys actually have differences of opinion, because I'd love to know the advantages and disadvantages of each.

 

[rchmx]

I'm glad you guys brought this up actually. I chose 100% VG but to be honest Im not sure what the difference is between that and a 50/50 mix of nic other than thickness. I honestly thought 100% VG nic would make the nicotine "smoother" but now I'm not so sure anymore.

EDIT* I'm glad you guys actually have differences of opinion, because I'd love to know the advantages and disadvantages of each.

The only real difference is what you're going to want the PG/VG ratio of your final juice to be. 100% VG nic gives you that little bit extra flexibility in what you'll be able to make. If you think you'll ever want to make very high, or max VG e-juice, than obviously it's better not to have any PG in your nic.

Play around with an online calculator like this:

https://ecigvape.com/e-liquid-calculator-with-pgvg-adjusting.php

You can set the PG/VG ratio of your nic, and then try different PG/VG ratios for the "target" and see if you would be able to achieve what you're looking to do.

 

[AmandaD]

I make high VG juice (85% VG), and I buy my nic in PG. I rarely use more than 8% flavoring, and I vape 3mg. Nic based in PG is a little easier to work with!

 

[Time]

I'm glad you guys actually have differences of opinion, because I'd love to know the advantages and disadvantages of each.

VG based nic only has one advantage and that is for max VG juice.

PG based nic is better for storage and ease of use.

 

[Shiminifonglay]

Only Nicotine should be stored in the Freezer? What about the other concentrates? I just leave mine on a paper bag and put it under the sink since I got them. Any suggestions?

 

[Huckleberried]

Only Nicotine should be stored in the Freezer? What about the other concentrates? I just leave mine on a paper bag and put it under the sink since I got them. Any suggestions?

I keep mine in a dark cabinet. I think as long as they don't get too hot, you're fine. Some of my flavors I've had over 2 years, and they're still good. I've only replace a couple in that time due to flavor fade.

 

[Shiminifonglay]

I keep mine in a dark cabinet. I think as long as they don't get too hot, you're fine. Some of my flavors I've had over 2 years, and they're still good. I've only replace a couple in that time due to flavor fade.

My Nicotine is 100mg/ml PG based, should I also put it in the freezer for storage?

 

[Huckleberried]

My Nicotine is 100mg/ml PG based, should I also put it in the freezer for storage?

I do. When I get a liter of nic, I split it up into 100ml glass amber bottles, wrap them in bubble wrap, then into a gallon size ziploc, or a small box, then put that in the freezer. Only the bottle I'm using to mix with is kept in the fridge.

 

[Air Blower]

To the OP, a few months back I received a bottle of 100mg strength nic from a Canadian supplier that was quite harsh.

I tried diluting to 50mg and it was still harsh. I tried making 1mg/3mg and 6mg unflavoured test bottles and each one increased in harshness with nic strength so I ended up sending back to the supplier, who was fairly new to the market, for a refund.

My opinion was that it was cut with something that created the harshness and all juice I made with it went down the toilet.

As an aside, I had no idea I should have been freezing a portion of my nic until just recently (read it here) and have had a bottle stored in my vape cupboard for around 4-5 months and at no time did it ever become harsh. I'm sure it lost strength and it did turn pinkish but it never became harsh.

 

[Air Blower]

I keep mine in a dark cabinet. I think as long as they don't get too hot, you're fine. Some of my flavors I've had over 2 years, and they're still good. I've only replace a couple in that time due to flavor fade.

I've wondered about this.

I have some CAP VC V1 that seems to have changed in taste and I've had it for about 6 months.

Is there a shelf life for flavourings??

 

[AmandaD]

I've wondered about this.

I have some CAP VC V1 that seems to have changed in taste and I've had it for about 6 months.

Is there a shelf life for flavourings??

There is. Sometimes it's written on the bottles, but it also depends how it's stored (heat, light, etc), how often it's opened, and the individual flavoring.

 

[Air Blower]

There is. Sometimes it's written on the bottles, but it also depends how it's stored (heat, light, etc), how often it's opened, and the individual flavoring.

None of mine have any indication as to shelf life. It's re-bottled at the re-sellers location so I think I'll shoot them an email to see if they could supply me with something.

I have some flavourings that have been kicking around since I started DIY a little over a year ago.

 

[Huckleberried]

I'm sure it lost strength and it did turn pinkish but it never became harsh.

I have a nic test kit, recently tested a bottle that I froze a year ago. No loss in strength at all. I hear of people leaving their nic out all the time, but the process I use is what I'm most comfortable with, especially with large quantities.