Steep Fresh nic = makes smoother???

[vapesmooth1234]

I've always read that the more air nicotine is exposed to, the more it gets harsh. So does steeping with nic in the mix makes it harsher or maybe nic should be added after the flavor and VG steeps?

But yes when I mix something decently high in mg like 8-18mg VG-based nic with just straight VG and no flavor and I don't let it steep, even if the nic is mixed in fresh straight from the delivery box, and even if it's nic salt, it's quite harsh to vape immediately. But it just seems strange to say that letting the nic oxidize and steep will make the juice smoother?

 

[Letitia9]

Air, heat, and light oxidize nic. When you steep just put juice in a cool dark cabinet or box and your nic will be fine. You can buy smooth salts, though I've not seen the need, I use regular salts and found them to be very smooth. If you are vaping a fresh mix with salts it could be the pg or alcohol in the flavorings giving you the harshness. Especially if it isn't shaken completely.

 

[5150sick]

Nicotine can totally ruin an entire batch of DIY even at 3mg if it's oxidized.
Once it get's there you have to throw the nicotine away.

But flavored eliquid with nicotine needs to steep sometimes

 

[fozzy71]

some mix then add nic later but I never do. I mix with 3 - 4.5mg and let it steep for at least 1 or 2 months, often times much, much longer.

8 - 18mg of nic is a pretty broad range, and quite high if you are sub ohming IMO. maybe try using less nic?

 

[Letitia9]

You do not have to throw away nic that has oxidized unless you find the taste too peppery to be of use.

 

[5150sick]

Once nic gets to a certain point it's of no use to anyone.
If you use nicotine as bad as I've seen some get it will totally throw your mix off.
I've caught myself wondering why everything I made had a funky taste to it only to find that the nicotine I was using had turned colors to dark yellow from clear and had an ashtray type odor.

Nicotine definitely has a flavor to it.
You can taste when it's not there.

 

[Letitia9]

There are some who deliberately oxidize their nic, they like the peppery notes and harder th.

 

[hellcatrydr]

IMO nic begins to oxidize the moment you open the bottle.
Oxidization is rust. Oxidized nic is nasty tasting.
As soon as you add nic, deterioration begins in earnest.

Remember, nicotine is the only active ingredient in juice. It's also the only one that degrades fairly rapidly.
Nic should be as "fresh" (meaning taste-free) as possible added only after steeping, or better yet, just before vaping.

This also allows you to make much larger 'no-nic' DIY batches without fear of deterioration.
I'll make a 1000 ml batch to last maybe 6 months, but maybe once a week I just load my 60 ml daily use bottle and add 3ml of nic, and I'm set... and there is no nic flavor or color to my juice because the nic is always less than a week old.
No-nic juice will last a year or more with no color change.
No need to refrigerate or keep it in total darkness either....

jm.02

.

 

[eStorm]

Try that with VG based nic. You will have muted, no flavor juices till the nic with VG base mixed with the rest of your juice. That alone depending on flavor manufacturer can take weeks. Therefore mixing every bottle/batches kinda fresh is more recommended with adding the nicotine from the beginning.

Some flavors itself can be pretty harsh, steeping it longer won't fix it, only a so called binding/balance flavor/note could eliminate the problem. Too much nic or/and bad VG/pg/nic itself can cause harshness. Leaving it exposed to light air, in hot places or steeping it in water baths, ultra sonic cleansers, slow cookers without checking temperature regularly will cause harshness.

Not shaking your mix, starting materials will cause harshness. Too much flavor too. There's a whole long list about what can cause harshness, take a look at your method and make changes if you can rule out its being nic/pg/VG and/or old flavorings.