Vape juice often comes with several different names. Some of the most popular classifications for vape juice include names like E-liquid, E-juice and more. As you are very likely to see vape juice for sale at many local vape stores, you might be interested in know more about what is in vape juice before you consider trying vaping for the first time.
What is Vape Juice
Vape juice is a mixture of several different foods safe components as well as flavoring agents. Some types of vape juice will also contain components like nicotine or CBD oil. The various extracts that make up vape juice are designed for optimal flavoring as well as to adding infusions of vitamins, caffeine and other health additives.
E juice is a product that's available in capsules as well as a refillable format. You can buy E-juice in vials that you can use for filling up a vape. Most of the time they are available in glass bottles for the refillable format and this can provide you with enough vape juice for you to use over several thousand uses of a device.
The History of Vape Juice
If you have been interested in vaping for some time, it's likely that you've come across different types of vaporizers. There are some vaporizers that are designed for use with wax and hard concentrates, others that are designed for use with dry herbs. The most popular type of vaporizers available today often use e liquid or electronic.
The invention of the liquid comes down to one of the pioneers of vaping. Hon Lik was one of the first companies that created E cigarettes. It wasn't until the early 2000 that they began the process of using modern atomizers as well as e liquids that contain food additives as a solvent. Early vaporizers used an ultrasound vaporization which was expensive to produce. By using resistance heating and e-juice, vapes could produce the same result with a much less expensive process.
PG based E-juice was used to dilute pharmaceutical grade nicotine and this would work as a perfect cessation method for smoking. As the juice continued to improve, more flavors were available and the process of attaining a better quality of vapor was made easier. E-juice would receive FDA approval in the early 2000 and it would quickly become one of the easiest ways to enjoy a vape device.
The Development of Vape Juice
When E juice started to take off in the United States, there were many companies that were simply reselling many of the E liquids from china with their vape devices. Domestic vape juice in North America really didn't start to take off until 2010.
Domestic vape juice and e liquid products fell under proper consolidation and regulation. The E-liquid recipes in the United States all need to be submitted to the FDA. This means that every new flavor and every new blend of a vape juice product is approved.
The development of these products was especially fueled by the sub-ohm vaping popularity that started in the early 2010s. Companies continue to sell illiquid bottles in nicotine free formats and with nicotine style products too.
Today we also have nicotine salts. E liquids that contain nicotine salts deliver a larger head of nicotine. These are the types of e liquids used by company’s like Juul. Throughout 2018 a number of manufacturers have continued to experiment with their vape juice and the strengths of nicotine salt in their e liquids too. What we have today is a series of vape juice options that could allow you to slowly wean yourself off of nicotine if you were addicted to smoking.
The Components of Vape Juice
Each type of vape juice is produced using a simple blend of food grade flavorings/nicotine as well as the carrier liquid which is PG or VG.
The base components of almost every type of E-juice is a ratio of 90% PG or VG and then 10% of the mixture which is made up of the foodgrade flavorings, CBD, nicotine and other components. Vape juice is used to create vapor and certain types of E-juice will only contain the PG/VG and the flavoring without any nicotine or vitamin additives either. Some blends will also have a bit of distilled water to make sure that the vapor quality can be improved as well.
The foodgrade flavoring is highly potent and this is why the ratio of food flavoring to carrier liquids is so low. Some of the flavors it can be found in grape juice include deserts, snacks and more. There's even nicotine flavoring to make a vape juice become a similar experience to smoking cigarettes.
The VG and PG mixtures distribute all of the flavors across the vape juice and then ensure that every draw that you experienced off of your vape is a flavorful experience.
The Styles of Vape Juice
It can often be a bit intimidating to pick out a vape juice if you are looking for refillable liquid or a cartridge based vape option. Many manufacturers also include a special VG/PG ratio for improving the ratio of vapor and flavor. When checking into the ratios and the flavors on the side of packaging, here is what you should know:
- Nicotine salts
Nicotine salt E-juice is usually contain a 50-50 blend of PG and VG. The extra nicotine that's delivered in these mixtures is often aimed at individuals that are trying to quit smoking. Most of the time these types of vape juices are used expressly in prefilled cartridges or pod mods.
- Heavy VG blends
Nicotine content is often much lower in VG based E-liquids. The focus on the liquids that have a ratio above 70% VG is for vapor primarily. VG vape juice in high concentrations will usually just have nicotine levels of 3 to 6 mg. If you're looking for optimal vapor size, this is definitely the type blend that you want but it is important to have an atomizer resistance of at least 0.5 ohms to 0.9 ohms. Smaller atomizers can sometimes get gummed up with VG vape juice.
- Heavy PG blends
A blend of PG at around 70% requires an atomizer with decent resistance. Atomizers with a resistance of 1.8 ohms will often do best here. The focus on PG heavy blends is more on flavor. Vape juice that is high in PG often contains more nicotine between 6 mg up to 24 mg.
- Prefilled cartridge
Many vapes today come with prefilled cartridge vape juices. This type of cartridge style vape can make sure that the change out of old liquid can be done easily. There's no need to fill up the tank and you can just switch between juices when you want. The prefilled cartridge will click into place on the device and it often relies on the cartridge being a manufactured match for your device. By checking in on the manufacturer and ensuring you have a compatible cartridge, you can have plenty of e-juice on hand for your device.
Some types of prefilled cartridge e-juice is not designed for swapping out however. There are some disposable vapes on the market which are designed only for disposable use. This means that you cannot remove the prefilled cartridge and replace it with a new one. These types of devices will require you to buy a whole new vape rather than swap out a cartridge.
- Tank refill
Tank refill vape juice remains one of the most popular ways that you can economically vape. These products will allow you to fill up the tank on almost any type of vaporizer. The tank on vaporizers is often produced using a heat resistant plastic, stainless steel or glass. The tank refill processes made easy as you'll buy a small tincture of vape juice in a glass or plastic container. Using the nozzle on the top of the container you can quickly fill up the tank and be ready to enjoy a quality vape experience.
Finding a vape juice that is compatible with your device means reading some of the ingredients and mixture options. Make sure that you have e juice that is compatible with your atomizer and that you find in a flavor that you enjoy. Tank refills can be done by quickly removing the tank from your vape and then adding vape juice to the fill line. It's usually best not to let your device run too low so that your wick can stay well soaked with vape juice. When the wick is allowed to run dry, and you turn on the device it can sometimes burn out the wick and atomizer.
Nicotine Salt Vape Juice
Nicotine levels can definitely very based off of the e-juice that you decide to use. Typical levels in vape juice can vary from 0 mg of nicotine all the way up to 36 mg in blends like nicotine salts vape juices. If you are trying to quit smoking, there are many vapers that choose a mixture at around 12 to 18 mg for an adequate substitute for cigarettes.
Moving down to 6 to 12 mg and eventually falling to a 3 to 6 mg concentration will allow you to wean yourself off of nicotine. Most sub home vapers that are looking for vape juices with the most potent flavors stick with a nicotine ratio of 3 to 6 mg/mL. These devices can produce great clouds and a small taste of nicotine to enhance the flavors in a vape juice.
PG vs VG Vape Juice
PG was the first type of vape juice that was ever produced. This food additive is completely odorless and tasteless and it has just the right configuration to make sure that you can add flavoring to it. The flavors won't be affected in any way as PG is a low viscose fluid. It can be easily absorbed into a wake and has a very low vaporization point.
VG vape juices are also quite popular. Vegetable glycerin-based e-juices were approved shortly after propylene glycerol. The main reason for creating VG based E-liquids was to allow individuals that had a PG sensitivity to still enjoy vape juice. VG e juice provides less of the heavy flavors that you can get out of a PG blend. It also often requires a bit more heat in order to vaporize. The good news with VG vape juice is that it can be a hypoallergenic mixture and it delivers some amazing plumes of vapor. For vapers that value big clouds, VG liquid is the best option for vaping.
Click here to know more about PG vs VG.
The Pros and Cons of Vaping with E-juice
If you are thinking about vaping using e-juice, you need to know the facts. Weighing the pros and cons of using E juice is important to staying healthy before you start vaping. Here are some of the top pros and cons about vaping with e juice:
Pros
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It's much safer than smoking
Numerous short-term studies have been done on the composition of vapor versus smoke. What has been determined is that vaping is about 95% safer than smoking cigarettes. Because there isn't a need for combustion none of the tar or ash that's associated with smoking makes its way through the device.
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Less odors
Using most vape juice will not result in the same type of odors that you would experience from a cigarette. With a device that contains less odors, you can enjoy a better level of health and improvements to your sense of taste and smell.
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Many flavors
The flavors that are available in e juice have many qualities. There are new flavors that are being created almost every day and this means that you can get a vapor quality that includes flavors like tobacco, menthol, fruits and beverages like Coca-Cola.
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Better control over nicotine
You can customize the amount of nicotine that you are consuming by slowly weaning yourself off of it onto lower blends.
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Inexpensive
Vape juice can be a far less expensive option than smoking. You can get many draws out of a full canister of e juice. Even the container based e juices are a cost savings when you consider that they can produce up to 100 cigarettes worth of draws.
Cons
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No long term studies
The long-term health effects of vape juice are not currently known at this time. Although any vape juice does receive FDA approval before it's put on the market, there are no long term studies on cardiovascular health from heavy vapers.
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Can be a learning curve
Finding compatible vape juices and learning how to use a vaporizer can often be a bit of a learning curve. Once you get past some of the initial learning however, you can get into vaping quite easily.
Conclusion
If you are interested in trying vaping, one of the best ways that you can get started is with a vape juice style vaporizer. These are some of the most widely used vaporizers today apart from dry herb. Vape juice gives you the option of many different flavors, easy refills and more. It's also an excellent tool to help people quit smoking. With most modern vape juices requiring FDA approval, you can feel confident in the product that you put in your vape. Vape juices remain one of the best products for vape fans and beginner vapers worldwide.
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