How many drops of flavoring should you put in your e-liquid?

DIY (Do It Yourself) is attracting more and more vaping enthusiasts looking for personalized, affordable and flavor-rich liquids. But one question keeps coming up: how many drops of flavoring should you add to make a successful DIY e-liquid?

Here is a complete guide to creating balanced recipes, avoiding pitfalls and enjoying an optimal vaping experience.

Making your own DIY e-liquid: the right ingredients and the right dosage

To make your DIY liquid, you need to gather a few essential accessories:

• A neutral base made up of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG).

• A flavor or a concentrate to add taste.

• A nicotine booster (or several boosters) depending on the desired nicotine level.

• Bottles of suitable capacity with a dropper.

The PG/VG ratio directly influences your preparation:

• The higher the PG level, the more pronounced the taste and throat hit will be.

• The higher the VG volume, the denser and smoother your liquid will be, but it will require more flavors.

On the nicotine side, depending on your goal of quitting cigarettes, you will need to add boosters based on the volume of your bottle and the desired level.

Steeping time for each type of flavor

Steeping (or steep) is a crucial step to fully develop the flavor of your liquid:

• Fruity and fresh single flavors (e.g.: mint, strawberry or mango alone): 2 to 7 days.

• Complex fruity and fresh flavors (e.g.: passion fruit with strawberry, soursop and a hint of mint): 7 to 10 days.

• Classic flavors (tobacco tastes): 15 to 21 days.

• Dessert flavors (vanilla, caramel, desserts): 3 to 4 weeks.

Respecting this step prevents a flavor that is too bland or unbalanced in your homemade liquid.

How do you calculate the number of flavor drops?

Let's take a simple example with a bottle of 10 ml filled with neutral base in 50/50 PG/VG:

• Dosage at 5%: 25 drops.

• Dosage at 10%: 50 drops.

• Dosage at 15%: 75 drops.

• Dosage at 20%: 100 drops.

Please note:

• If your base is rich in VG, slightly increase the quantity of flavors.

• Conversely, for a PG-rich base, you can reduce the dosage of flavors.

Every drop counts in the final dilution to bring out all the flavors of your DIY products.

Common mistakes to avoid

In case of under-dosing DIY flavor

Under-dosing will result in a bland, flat liquid. You will feel like you are vaping vapor with no taste or flavor.

There is no problem with vaping an under-dosed DIY e-liquid, many vapers do it intentionally to avoid saturating their taste buds and to keep their coils lasting longer.

In case of over-dosing DIY flavor

An excess of flavor can saturate your taste buds, make vaping nauseating, and even shorten the lifespan of the coil in your e-cigarette.

Here, you will absolutely need to add neutral base. An over-dosed e-liquid cannot be vaped without becoming a problem in the long run.

If the steeping time is not respected

Vaping a liquid without steeping means exposing yourself to an artificial, unbalanced, and sometimes unpleasant taste. A little patience is needed to fully appreciate the flavor of the product.

However, beyond taste, vaping a non-steeped e-liquid is possible and safe.

Recommended dosage methods

Best-selling DIY flavors

Now that you're an expert on calculating your DIY flavor, discover the DIY flavors that are the most popular and highest-rated in our catalog!

Making your own DIY e-liquid is an excellent way to personalize your vape, reduce your purchase price and discover an endless variety of flavors.

But to succeed with your recipe, it is essential to properly follow the dosage of flavors, to follow the preparation steps and to use suitable tools such as a calculator and graduated bottles.

If these steps seem too involved, know that large formats of 50 ml e-liquids and above are available to you, and that even the most popular flavors exist in ready-to-vape format such as Arômes et Liquides e-liquids at great prices. 

By following these tips, you will avoid mistakes and fully enjoy your e-cigarette and your homemade DIY products!