Making a DIY e-liquid means mixing a base, a flavor concentrate and, if needed, a nicotine booster. The method becomes simple as soon as you separate the roles. The base provides the volume and the PG/VG ratio. The concentrate brings the recipe. The booster adds the nicotine. An additive is optional and is dosed separately.
Work with clean, graduated and clearly labeled bottles. Write down each quantity before pouring. An improvised preparation quickly becomes impossible to reproduce.
Nicotine is addictive: wear gloves when handling nicotine boosters, avoid any skin contact and keep the bottles out of reach of children.
What is each component for?
The base is a mix of propylene glycol, or PG, and vegetable glycerin, or VG. A higher proportion of PG thins the liquid and carries more throat hit. A higher proportion of VG thickens the liquid and generally increases vapor. Your gear must be able to feed this viscosity.
The concentrate is never vaped on its own. It is designed to be diluted at the percentage stated on its listing. The Cloud Empire Atlantide concentrate, for example, belongs to a range whose catalog dilution is given as a preparation benchmark.
The booster is a small quantity of nicotine-containing base. The Fuuster 20 mg/ml comes in several ratios. Choose a ratio consistent with the final base so as not to change the viscosity much.
How do you calculate the concentrate?
The formula is straightforward: concentrate volume = final volume × dilution percentage.
To prepare 100 ml with a concentrate dosed at 15%, you need 15 ml of concentrate. The rest of the volume will be made up of base and, if needed, booster.
| Final volume | Concentrate at 10% | Concentrate at 15% |
|---|---|---|
| 30 ml | 3 ml | 4.5 ml |
| 50 ml | 5 ml | 7.5 ml |
| 100 ml | 10 ml | 15 ml |
Do not carry a dosage from one recipe over to another. A concentrate recommended at 10% is not equivalent to another recommended at 15%. The product listing and the label take priority.
How do you calculate a nicotine booster?
For a 20 mg/ml booster, the quantity is calculated like this: booster volume = desired strength × final volume ÷ 20.
For 100 ml finished at 3 mg/ml, the calculation gives 3 × 100 ÷ 20, which is 15 ml of booster. For 100 ml at 6 mg/ml, you need 30 ml of booster. These volumes are part of the final total: they are not added on top of the 100 ml.
Example for 100 ml at 3 mg/ml with 15% concentrate:
- 15 ml of concentrate;
- 15 ml of 20 mg/ml booster;
- 70 ml of nicotine-free base.
This calculation assumes the volumes are expressed in the same units. Use a graduated syringe without a needle, or a scale with a correctly converted recipe. Do not mix a measurement in grams with a table in milliliters without knowing the density of the components.
Choose a base suited to your gear
The Base Perfect Mix All Day .01 is an actual item in the Perfect Mix Bases category. See its listing for its exact ratio before putting the recipe together.
A clearomizer with small liquid inlets generally prefers a fairly fluid preparation. A DL atomizer with wide feeds accepts more VG. If the liquid reaches the cotton poorly, the coil can dry-fire. If it is too thin for the tank, it can leak through the air inlets.
The concentrate and the booster also change the final ratio. For full precision, take their PG/VG carrier into account. For a routine preparation, choose components stated as compatible and avoid aiming for a viscosity limit.
In what order should you mix?
- Wash your hands, protect the work surface and put on gloves if you are using a booster.
- Label the bottle with the recipe, the strength, the date and the final volume.
- Measure the concentrate.
- Add the calculated booster.
- Top up with base to the final volume.
- Close the bottle and shake it thoroughly.
Wipe up any spill immediately. Do not reuse a kitchen utensil. Keep the components in their original packaging and the preparation in a bottle meant for e-liquids.
How long should you let it steep?
Steeping lets the flavors spread through the base. Its duration depends on the recipe. Simple fruity recipes often need less time than indulgent or classic blends, but only the manufacturer's indication gives the benchmark for the concentrate you chose.
Shake the bottle after preparing and during steeping. Store it closed, away from light and heat. Taste a small amount on clean gear at the recommended time. If the result seems weak, wait before adding more concentrate: a correction made too quickly is hard to undo.
Are additives necessary?
No. A concentrate is already a recipe. An additive serves to change one specific point, such as coolness or sweetness. It should be measured according to its own listing.
The Plus de Fresh Perfect Mix belongs to the additives category. Add it only after a first trial of the mix without correction, drop by drop according to the stated dosage. Note the exact quantity so you can reproduce the preparation.
Never use a pure additive in the atomizer. If you go over the dosage, dilute by recalculating the whole recipe rather than adding components at random.
Frequently asked questions
Can you vape a concentrate without a base?
No. A flavor concentrate is meant to be diluted at the percentage stated on its listing.
Is the booster added after the final volume?
No. It is part of the final volume. For 100 ml prepared, concentrate, booster and base must total 100 ml.
Do you always need to add an additive?
No. First prepare the recipe as intended. An additive is only for correcting a specific effect, with a noted dosage.
