To Nic or Not To Nic?

[Nu2Ju]

I am waiting on my DIY supplies to come after placing my first order. I ordered 100 mg nicotine but am having second thoughts on using it...but I guess getting a little fearful is better than going in full on stupid. I am currently vaping 3 mg and am wondering how hard it would be to eliminate nicotine all together & will it effect the taste?

Other than the fear of working with the nicotine I have found I enjoy vaping a LOT and seem to be vaping a lot. I may not be correct but I think the vaping being a placebo for smoking is far more important than the nicotine intake.

I have recipes to try thanks to several sources but many thanks goes to DIY Vapor channel on YouTube. I can't recall how I stumbled on his channel but so very glad I did. He was the one who also directed me to this forum & provided a wealth of information.

Anyone with any experience in eliminating nicotine? Work out good or bad? Flavor changes in juice?

TIA

 

[AndriaD]

I personally think it's true that mimicing the behavior of smoking is far more valuable than the nicotine. However, nicotine is a very useful chemical in the brain, and if you're used to it, then getting rid of it in one swell foop will probably not be comfortable at all. I went from 10mg to 3mg, but I did it very slowly, over more than a year's time; by never dropping more than 1mg or .5mg at a time, I didn't even notice its lack. If you really want to eliminate nicotine, I recommend NOT going from 3mg to zero all at once, or nobody will be able to stand you for a while, you may not be able to stand yourself. And I'd say even dropping 1mg at a time would be uncomfortable -- that's a 33% decrease -- quite rapid. I'd recommend dropping by .25mg, or AT MOST, .5mg, at a time.

You will definitely notice the lack of any throat hit, if you drop nic all at once, and the juice may seem bland, insipid, and too-sweet... like coca-cola with no bubbles.

There is nothing to be afraid of, in handling 100mg nicotine, though certainly caution is well-advised. If you're nervous about it, wear gloves, and try to not get your face too close while you're pouring or dispensing it, to avoid any possible splatters to the face. After handling it for a while, you will probably not feel the need for gloves, except in unusual circumstances -- I never wear gloves anymore, but if I spilled and had to clean up a big mess of it, then I definitely would wear gloves. If you happen to get a drop or two on your skin, rinse it with cold water. No biggie whatsoever.

It's not toxic waste. It's far less hazardous than most chemicals you might use in the yard. Just use caution, as you would with any strong chemical.

Andria

 

[RMarcusY]

I've been nicotine free for several years
I smoked for over 40 years, (pack plus a day.)
I reduced the % of nicotine slowly and it took about a year to go from 18mg/ml to 0mg.
I don't miss it and will not go back to nicotine.
Good luck

 

[JuicyLucy]

I pretty much agree with Andria - just use common sense and be aware when mixing with Nic and you should be fine

After awhile, you may find yourself wanting to lower the nic naturally, like, your brain won't like it as much. That is what happened to me and others

 

[Nu2Ju]

I personally think it's true that mimicing the behavior of smoking is far more valuable than the nicotine. However, nicotine is a very useful chemical in the brain, and if you're used to it, then getting rid of it in one swell foop will probably not be comfortable at all. I went from 10mg to 3mg, but I did it very slowly, over more than a year's time; by never dropping more than 1mg or .5mg at a time, I didn't even notice its lack. If you really want to eliminate nicotine, I recommend NOT going from 3mg to zero all at once, or nobody will be able to stand you for a while, you may not be able to stand yourself. And I'd say even dropping 1mg at a time would be uncomfortable -- that's a 33% decrease -- quite rapid. I'd recommend dropping by .25mg, or AT MOST, .5mg, at a time.

You will definitely notice the lack of any throat hit, if you drop nic all at once, and the juice may seem bland, insipid, and too-sweet... like coca-cola with no bubbles.

There is nothing to be afraid of, in handling 100mg nicotine, though certainly caution is well-advised. If you're nervous about it, wear gloves, and try to not get your face too close while you're pouring or dispensing it, to avoid any possible splatters to the face. After handling it for a while, you will probably not feel the need for gloves, except in unusual circumstances -- I never wear gloves anymore, but if I spilled and had to clean up a big mess of it, then I definitely would wear gloves. If you happen to get a drop or two on your skin, rinse it with cold water. No biggie whatsoever.

It's not toxic waste. It's far less hazardous than most chemicals you might use in the yard. Just use caution, as you would with any strong chemical.

Andria

Thanks for the quick reply and information. My supplies will not be in until next week (or so per tracking & coming from 1 corner of the country to the other basically). I picked up gloves to use & will be cautious. I will drop down slowly to give it a try & see how it goes. I guess I was just concerned more with the increase in the amount I vape compared to what I was smoking after cutting back than the nicotine.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Thanks for the quick reply and information. My supplies will not be in until next week (or so per tracking & coming from 1 corner of the country to the other basically). I picked up gloves to use & will be cautious. I will drop down slowly to give it a try & see how it goes. I guess I was just concerned more with the increase in the amount I vape compared to what I was smoking after cutting back than the nicotine.

It's different for everybody, but if cutting back on nic is important to you, I'd go slow

 

[AndriaD]

Thanks for the quick reply and information. My supplies will not be in until next week (or so per tracking & coming from 1 corner of the country to the other basically). I picked up gloves to use & will be cautious. I will drop down slowly to give it a try & see how it goes. I guess I was just concerned more with the increase in the amount I vape compared to what I was smoking after cutting back than the nicotine.

Youi're getting far less nicotine from vaping than you ever got from smoking, unless you're vaping like 36mg, 20ml a day or something. The absorption of nicotine from vapor [ETA: in the mouth, throat and nose] is FAR less efficient than absorption of FROM the microscopic smoke particles [ETA: deep in the alveoli].

There is probably more to worry about in the PG/VG and flavors, than the nicotine.

Andria

 

[Heabob]

Nicotine by itself isn't very harmful especially when vaping it.
In fact doctors sometimes use it for treating Alzheimer's Disease.
And it may even be helpful for preventative use.
From what I've read about it anyway.

 

[The Cromwell]

100 mg nic is not real dangerous to mess with. If you get some on yourself just wash it off with soap and water reasonably soon. The worst you would likely get is maybe a bit jittery and nauseous if you let it sit on your skin for too long.
Drinking it now would be bad and ALWAYS keep it out of reach of children.
Just measure it out carefully and all will be fine and shake it up before using it.

 

[jahbradley]

Can anyone point me in the right direction to get the best prices and best quality nicotine? Thanks


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[RMarcusY]

I use these people.
http://wholesale.heartlandvapes.com/nicotine-solution.html

 

[RonJS]

I use these people.
http://wholesale.heartlandvapes.com/nicotine-solution.html

I took advantage of their past 2 Holiday sales. Tough to beat one liter bottles of 100mg Chemnovatic nic. for $62.24. (Delivered! (USA))

Item Sku Qty Subtotal
Ultra Premium Nicotine - 100mg Liter
Base Liquid
100% Propylene Glycol USP Kosher
UP-NIC-100mg-liter-100pg 1 $82.99
Subtotal $82.99
Shipping & Handling $0.00
Discount (Happy 4th) -$20.75
Grand Total $62.24

Ron
---
"You can tell it's good if you light it and a blue flame comes up; that means it's good moonshine and it won't make you go blind."- Johnny Knoxville

 

[AndriaD]

I usually get nicotine from Ecigexpress.com, since I also sometimes get some flavors there. One trick I discovered, there: they have free shipping with orders over $65 -- but that doesn't apply either to liters or gallons -- my solution was to buy a half-liter, along with some other stuff, so the total reached a bit over $65. Did that twice, so I ended up with a liter of nicotine, and got free shipping on both orders.

Andria

 

[Nu2Ju]

I usually get nicotine from Ecigexpress.com, since I also sometimes get some flavors there. One trick I discovered, there: they have free shipping with orders over $65 -- but that doesn't apply either to liters or gallons -- my solution was to buy a half-liter, along with some other stuff, so the total reached a bit over $65. Did that twice, so I ended up with a liter of nicotine, and got free shipping on both orders.

Andria

Wow! I just placed an order well over the $65 and had to pay ground shipping because of the nicotine I ordered ($21). It actually cost more to ship than the 100 mg of nicotine than the nicotine cost. I will look around before ordering again- taking almost a week or so to get from there to east TN.

 

[Nu2Ju]

I use these people.
http://wholesale.heartlandvapes.com/nicotine-solution.html

How does it compare to the nicotine from Ecigexpress? My first order from e-cig was from someone's recommendation & still waiting on shipment to arrive. Thanks

 

[AndriaD]

Wow! I just placed an order well over the $65 and had to pay ground shipping because of the nicotine I ordered ($21). It actually cost more to ship than the 100 mg of nicotine than the nicotine cost. I will look around before ordering again- taking almost a week or so to get from there to east TN.

I never wanted to buy a whole liter of nic in any case, because of needing so many glass bottles to store it in. Half-liters are the largest quantities I've bought, and even that, I had to store the nic in larger glass bottles than I really prefer -- I prefer to store it in 30ml bottles, so that when I take one out of the freezer for use, it doesn't sit around in the fridge too long or get opened too many times before it's all used up, so there's less oxidation. When I get to the nic stored in 60ml and 100ml bottles, I'll pour some out into a 30ml to use from, and keep the remainder in the freezer till I'm ready to use it, because it oxidizes pretty quickly, out of the freezer.

Andria

 

[Nu2Ju]

I never wanted to buy a whole liter of nic in any case, because of needing so many glass bottles to store it in. Half-liters are the largest quantities I've bought, and even that, I had to store the nic in larger glass bottles than I really prefer -- I prefer to store it in 30ml bottles, so that when I take one out of the freezer for use, it doesn't sit around in the fridge too long or get opened too many times before it's all used up, so there's less oxidation. When I get to the nic stored in 60ml and 100ml bottles, I'll pour some out into a 30ml to use from, and keep the remainder in the freezer till I'm ready to use it, because it oxidizes pretty quickly, out of the freezer.

Andria

I only ordered 120 ml. I knew to store it in the freezer but didn't know to break it down in smaller containers...so I need to put it in 30 ml bottles (glass or plastic bottles make a difference?) to keep in freezer? thanks

 

[AndriaD]

I only ordered 120 ml. I knew to store it in the freezer but didn't know to break it down in smaller containers...so I need to put it in 30 ml bottles (glass or plastic bottles make a difference?) to keep in freezer? thanks

Glass is better; air won't penetrate it, and chemicals won't break it down. Brown (amber) is best, for blocking out light. I share the same appreciation for cobalt glass as many others, but I've heard scary stories of nic stored in those turning blue over time, which can't be a good thing. And those brown bottles, I also keep inside taped and labelled cardboard boxes, in the freezer; it keeps it segregated from the food stores, it's clearly marked as to what it is, and the cardboard is a further defense against light.

Many people keep it in larger bottles than 30ml, but maybe they make/use more ejuice than I do -- I vape 3mg nic, roughly 5ml per day; I make 56ml about every 10 days. Since my son started vaping, I use it a bit faster, since he vapes 5mg, but some of what he vapes is store-bought. It's just better to keep light and air to a minimum to avoid excessive oxidation, which will affect the taste fairly radically if it goes too far -- it'll make it more harsh, primarily, though some claim to taste something like pepper from oxidized nicotine -- to me it doesn't really have much of a taste at all, but it does get harsher, the more oxidized it is. If the bottle you're using from, and thus opening from time to time, is only 30ml, then you'll use it up before that oxidation goes much past yellow/gold -- when I get to the very end of a 30ml bottle, when I add the lil bit to the clear PG and Vg, I can see the yellow tinge, but it's still pretty light, and I don't notice any particular taste. I'm currently using nic that I stored in 2014, and it's as good as when I stored it.

Andria

 

[Heabob]

I only ordered 120 ml. I knew to store it in the freezer but didn't know to break it down in smaller containers...so I need to put it in 30 ml bottles (glass or plastic bottles make a difference?) to keep in freezer? thanks

If you ordered 100mg you can also cut it down to 50mg to give you 240ml.
If you cut the VG NIC with 50% PG it also makes it a bit easier to work with.

Store it in a few 60ml amber bottles for the freezer.
I keep out 2 x 30ml plastic drip tip bottles for weekly use.
Be sure to shake everything real good before and after cutting/mixing.

 

[Carambrda]

Because I live across the pond I got the stuff from a trusted chemical supplies company in Glasgow, Scotland. So I have been keeping 2 × 1 liter (argon-treated, still unopened) plastic bottles of PG based 72mg/ml in the freezer since before the TPD has screwed us over... soz if I'm sounding a bit let-down, but right now I'm about to pour in a quadruple shot of 12 years old single malt Highland Park whiskey with just 8 drops of crystal clear spring water to loosen the aromas and promise to drink it slow so it'll all be great.

 

[RMarcusY]

How does it compare to the nicotine from Ecigexpress? My first order from e-cig was from someone's recommendation & still waiting on shipment to arrive. Thanks

I can't smell it or taste it..... so it's good as the best
I trust them also because I have been to their place and seen their lab.

 

[Nu2Ju]

Glass is better; air won't penetrate it, and chemicals won't break it down. Brown (amber) is best, for blocking out light. I share the same appreciation for cobalt glass as many others, but I've heard scary stories of nic stored in those turning blue over time, which can't be a good thing. And those brown bottles, I also keep inside taped and labelled cardboard boxes, in the freezer; it keeps it segregated from the food stores, it's clearly marked as to what it is, and the cardboard is a further defense against light.

Many people keep it in larger bottles than 30ml, but maybe they make/use more ejuice than I do -- I vape 3mg nic, roughly 5ml per day; I make 56ml about every 10 days. Since my son started vaping, I use it a bit faster, since he vapes 5mg, but some of what he vapes is store-bought. It's just better to keep light and air to a minimum to avoid excessive oxidation, which will affect the taste fairly radically if it goes too far -- it'll make it more harsh, primarily, though some claim to taste something like pepper from oxidized nicotine -- to me it doesn't really have much of a taste at all, but it does get harsher, the more oxidized it is. If the bottle you're using from, and thus opening from time to time, is only 30ml, then you'll use it up before that oxidation goes much past yellow/gold -- when I get to the very end of a 30ml bottle, when I add the lil bit to the clear PG and Vg, I can see the yellow tinge, but it's still pretty light, and I don't notice any particular taste. I'm currently using nic that I stored in 2014, and it's as good as when I stored it.

Andria

Thanks for all the info. I will order some amber bottles to store it in. I am not keeping up with what I vape but am guessing at least double what you do. I am glad you mentioned about the pepper taste because I ordered some juice from a retail place (not going to name them) it had a pepper taste & some had a chemical smell. I ended up tossing it all & deciding to DIY. I have 1 nice store near me that I use some, they are really nice, their house juices are good & their weekly specials are 60 ml for $10 & 120 ml for $16 but don't always have one on special I like. thanks again

 

[Nu2Ju]

I can't smell it or taste it..... so it's good as the best
I trust them also because I have been to their place and seen their lab.

Thanks for the info. I set up an account with email/news letter subscription. I will try them next time I order- way closer to me & maybe they won't charge $21 ground shipping...live and learn

 

[Carambrda]

Thanks for all the info. I will order some amber bottles to store it in. I am not keeping up with what I vape but am guessing at least double what you do. I am glad you mentioned about the pepper taste because I ordered some juice from a retail place (not going to name them) it had a pepper taste & some had a chemical smell. I ended up tossing it all & deciding to DIY. I have 1 nice store near me that I use some, they are really nice, their house juices are good & their weekly specials are 60 ml for $10 & 120 ml for $16 but don't always have one on special I like. thanks again

You could always decide to just replace the white light in your freezer with an amber one.

 

[SteveS45]

@Nu2Ju I have a crazy suggestion for you to get over your fear of working with 100MG nicotine. Take a drop or two and put it on your hand or arm. Be ready to wash it off if you actually feel some adverse affect. Once you see that there is really nothing to be afraid of you will feel more confident working with it while you mix up your DIY.

 

[Street_hawk666]

I tried without nicotine from 1.5 and just couldn't imitate the thickness and feel from diy eliquid so I've stuck with 1.5ml. However I would say that I can go easily a week without vaping so there's more than likely very little dependency on it.. there are many articles stating that more than half of those who switch to vaping from smoking find it easier to stop vaping altogether as the nicotine dependency reduces greatly when vaping. If you can go without Nic altogether then of course it's the better option as there are also health issues along with benefits of using nicotine however most of the studies done on nicotine dependency have been from tobacco products and not vaping.

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[AndriaD]

I tried without nicotine from 1.5 and just couldn't imitate the thickness and feel from diy eliquid so I've stuck with 1.5ml. However I would say that I can go easily a week without vaping so there's more than likely very little dependency on it.. there are many articles stating that more than half of those who switch to vaping from smoking find it easier to stop vaping altogether as the nicotine dependency reduces greatly when vaping. If you can go without Nic altogether then of course it's the better option as there are also health issues along with benefits of using nicotine however most of the studies done on nicotine dependency have been from tobacco products and not vaping.

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And "quitting vaping entirely" is a great way to start wanting a cigarette again. I don't think that desire will ever go away, no matter how long it's been since you had an actual cigarette -- my mom quit the old-fashioned way, before vaping, and after 10 yrs smoke-free, still occasionally craved a cigarette. I've been smoke-free a bit over 3 yrs, and even with the great substitute of vaping, there have been one or two occasions when my idiot brain whispers "a cigarette would be good." Vaping is NOT like other "smoking cessation" -- it's meant to be a replacement... so if you stop using the replacement, you'll probably want the thing you were replacing. An individual might not yield to that desire, from sheer willpower, but willpower has no say-so when it comes to cigarettes, for me. I either vape, or I will smoke. I doubt the day will ever come when that's not true -- it's NOT about nicotine, it's about behavior. Nicotine is only about as dependence-producing (NOT addictive -- there's a vast difference!) as caffeine. Cigarette-smoking is easily as addictive as any narcotic, if not even moreso, so I have to have something to replace it -- 3mg nicotine now, so it's not the nicotine I'm after -- it's the behavior. Do a thing for 39 yrs, it's not going to leave easily... if at all.

Andria

 

[wllmc]

is FAR less efficient than absorption of FROM the microscopic smoke particles [ETA: deep in the alveoli].


Andria

actually the micron size of vape is smaller than that of smoke. that's why smoke will gunk up your lungs and vape does not