Everything You Need To Know About E-Liquid in the UK!

If you’re relatively new to vaping and you just bought your very first vape kit (or are planning to), it can get pretty confusing to choose a vape liquid. There’s so many flavours to choose from, but that’s the simplest thing to tackle. In truth, there are many things you need to know about e-liquids in the UK if you’re trying to find the best one that works for you. There’s lots of terminology involved, so it can get pretty confusing. Don’t worry too much, though, because Vapourz Lounge is here to answer any questions you may have about e-liquids! So, read on to find answers to the most commonly asked questions about vape liquids. You can use this article as a guide to help you choose the perfect e-liquid for you.

What’s Inside An E-liquid?

First and foremost, you’ll probably want to know the contents of your vape liquid (/e-liquid). E-liquids consist of three main components (sometimes even four):

• Propylene Glycol (PG): This is an odourless liquid that acts as a carrier for your vape liquid’s flavour. This is also the component in vape liquid that gives you that characteristic “throat hit” that you normally get from cigarettes. It’s very thin in consistency, so it vapourises very easily. In fact, PG is used in ice cream and food enhancers to give you maximum flavour.
• Vegetable Glycerine (VG): This e-liquid component is thick and sweet. It gives you vapour production and smooth inhalation. VG is even used in various other things, like caramel, toothpaste, and even soap!
• Flavouring: This component is quite self explanatory. The flavouring in your e-liquid is what gives you a wide range of taste and combinations to try out. You get flavourings in all sorts of forms, like desserts, fruits, menthol, and even tobacco. This part of your e-liquid is mainly present to give you a super enjoyable and tasty vaping experience.
• Nicotine: This is the addictive element of traditional cigarettes. It’s basically what makes you crave smoking. Having nicotine in your e-liquid is entirely up to you. If you’re a smoker who’s vaping to quit smoking tobacco, then you’ll probably want to opt for an e-liquid that contains nicotine in it. The strength of nicotine in e-liquids varies, and you can choose your concentration level as per your usual smoking routine (more on that later). The nicotine concentration on your bottle of vape liquid basically tells you how much nicotine you get per ml of liquid. You don’t necessarily have to buy e-liquid with nicotine if you’re just vaping for flavour and the fun of it, though.

Each of these components plays a key role in your vaping experience! Knowing what goes into your vape liquid is important, because this is what you’re breathing in. You can opt for vape juices with varying levels of nicotine, or none at all, depending on why you’re vaping.

Okay, I Want Nicotine In My Vape Liquid. What Concentration Is Right For Me?

Now that you know you can opt for nicotine e-liquids, you probably want to know how you can go about choosing the right strength for you. If you’re vaping to stop smoking cigarettes, nicotine e-liquids are perfect to satiate your cravings and stop you from lighting a cigarette.

When choosing a nicotine concentration for your e-liquid, it really boils down to how much you smoke (or used to smoke, if you’re slowly weaning off tobacco). There’s a general rule of thumb we follow here in the world of vape:

• If you’re a “social smoker” who smokes only once or twice a week, you’ll want something with a lower nicotine concentration. 3mg nicotine e-liquids may be the right choice for you. In fact, if you’re a smoker who has quit smoking cigarettes, this concentration is usually the final step in giving up nicotine altogether. If you’re not a smoker at all (or you’ve quit entirely) and you just want to vape for the fun and flavour of it, you can get a 0mg vape liquid too.
• If you consider yourself a light smoker (i.e. you smoke less than 10 cigarettes a day), you’d probably do well with a 6mg vape liquid. This amount of nicotine is considered part of the lower end of the spectrum. It gives you a light nicotine buzz to accompany your vaping experience.
• If you’re an average smoker and you smoke up to a pack a day, you’d benefit from a 12mg e-liquid. This is ideal for if you’re just getting started with vape to quit smoking cigarettes. It’s the first phase of the transition period from tobacco to vape, and it’ll be enough to satiate your nicotine craving enough so that you don’t light up a cigarette.
• If you’re a heavy smoker who smokes more than a pack a day, a maximum strength nicotine e-liquid is right for you. You can get e-liquids with 18mg and 24mg nicotine levels. These are ideal for people who need a large amount of nicotine to make their vaping experience as satisfying as possible.

You’ll want to figure out what kind of smoker you are and purchase an e-liquid accordingly. Ideally, you should start off with a high dose (if you’re a heavy smoker) and slowly work your way to the lower end of the spectrum. It’s important to choose the right strength from the get-go, so you can really enjoy your vaping experience and you won’t just give up and stick to cigarettes. It’s also important to choose the right concentration so you don’t over-do it and find the effect to be too much for you.

Okay, Understood! Now, How Do I Go About Choosing A Vape Liquid?

Once you’ve successfully identified what kind of smoker you are, you’ll want to find the perfect e-liquid in the UK for you. There are a few other things to consider apart from nicotine concentration.

There’s so many flavours and brands to choose from, it can get pretty confusing. Not to mention, finding the right VG/PG blend that works best for you.

When it comes to flavour, it all boils down to personal preference at the end of the day. Do you find yourself craving sweet flavours, or do you prefer something more tangy? You can spend hours scrolling through our online shop, because you’ll be so spoilt for choice.

Figure out what kind of taste suits you best, and then go ahead and pick a flavour for yourself. A lot of vapers start off with tobacco and menthol flavoured e-liquids, because it helps emulate smoking a cigarette. This makes it easier for them to transition into vaping full-time. You can easily find the right flavour for you by checking out the filters in our online shop.

Since our products are priced reasonably, you can even pick up multiple 10ml bottles of different flavours and find what works best for you through trial and error. Once you’re more familiar with the taste your tongue likes best, you can even switch it up and mix different flavours together to make your very own blend.

The next thing you’ll want to tackle is how to go about choosing a VG/PG blend that works for you. Ask yourself what you want out of your vaping experience, and you’ll definitely be able to choose the right blend. PG carries flavour, while VG produces clouds.

If you want a strong throat hit with more flavour and less vapour, you may want to choose a 50:50 ratio. If you’re into vaping for the clouds and tricks, don’t enjoy very strong throat hits, and aren’t too interested in flavour, a 70:30 VG:PG blend may be the right choice for you. You can even go higher up to 80:20, and even 100% VG. If you choose a higher VG concentration, you’ll need a more powerful vape kit since VG is pretty thick and harder to vapourize than PG. Consider sub-ohm vaping if this is your forte.

Makes Sense, But What Happens To My E-Liquid When I Inhale It?

Now’s the time for the science part of vaping to enter. If you’re wondering just what happens to your vape liquid when you vape it, you can give your brain a break. We’re here to explain exactly that!

E-liquids are basically aerosols (not steam!), and when inhaled, they break down into water and CO2. The water comes out as the vapour you exhale, and you shouldn’t worry about the CO2, because that comes out when you breathe out normally as well, as part of your normal respiratory cycle.

Based on the settings you use for your vape, the vapour that comes out can be cool or even a little warm. But it will never feel as hot as smoke from cigarettes.

Amazing!… How Long Will My E-Liquid Last, Though?

This really depends on how much you vape. You can make your e-liquid last much longer if you don’t vape very frequently, just as you can run out of vape liquid if you vape consistently.

As for the shelf life of your e-liquid, that’s a different story. The minute you open your bottle of e-liquid, air starts getting in and oxidising it. This process is super slow, though, so you won’t have to worry about your e-liquid going off too soon. Unless you’re the type of person that keeps your open bottle of juice for over a year (just get a new bottle!).

Vape juices are built to last a decent amount of time. The colour of your e-liquid may get darker over time and the flavouring may turn a little sweeter, but it doesn’t get bad unless you keep it out for a long, long time. The bottle itself will state the “best before” date, so you shouldn’t have much of a problem there.

Vape liquids with higher concentrations of nicotine tend to degrade a little faster and also tend to lose their potency over time too. This means the hit won’t be as strong as it was when you first opened it.

If you leave your e-liquid in your vape and don’t use it for a while, you’ll probably notice that the colour changes a little bit. This happens because the fibres in your vape kit’s coil absorb the smaller particles easily, so the darker ones get left behind. To keep your vape juice as fresh as possible, store it safely away from heat and light. By doing this, you’ll be able to enjoy your e-liquid for a longer period of time.

Always check the “best before” date on your e-liquid, or pretty much anything consumable that you purchase. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Conclusion

We hope this comprehensive guide on e-liquids helped you understand how you can choose the right one for you better. If you’re looking for a place to buy e-liquids at a reasonable price, with a wide variety, you can check out the Vapourz Lounge official online shop. We have a wide range of products, and all things vape-related to help get you started! You can even contact us if you have any more questions, and we’ll be more than happy to help.