Base Basics

Are you a newbie to the DIY e-liquid community? Have you ever struggled with deciding what Propylene Glycol (PG) / Vegetable Glycerin (VG) ratio to choose? Well you’re in luck because that is what we’re going to talk about in this post.

            

One of the hardest thing to decide on when making e-juice, is deciding what PG/VG ratio to use. There are many things to consider when making this decision such as your preference on throat hit, how well you want the flavor to carry, and what type of device you are rocking. Let’s talk first about how PG and VG will affect your e-juice.

PG has three effects on your e-juice; it carries flavors extremely well because it is the carrier of almost every concentrated flavor on the market. It decreases vapor production and enhances throat hit which can be seen as a positive or negative depending on your preference. Lastly, it makes e-juice thinner due to its low viscosity.

VG has the opposite effect of PG. It does not carry flavors as well as PG, increases vapor production, it has little to no throat hit, and it has a thickness similar to that of honey.

The type of mod you are using will also help determine what PG/VG ratio to use. If you are using an EGO pen, you probably want to start with a 50/50, PG/VG mixture so that the liquid will wick well enough to not get a dry hit. Then you want to consider your preferences such as throat hit. If you want a harder throat hit then you can go up to a 60/40 or 70/30, PG/VG ratio, if you want a slightly less throat hit then you could use a 40/60, PG/VG ratio (I would not advise using a higher VG percentage than that in a pen).

   

If you are using a box or mech mod with a dripper and your coils are built to sub-Ohm then you will want to use an 20/80, PG/VG mixture or a max VG (meaning the only PG in the e-liquid comes from the concentrated flavors used). There is some room to increase the PG content for your preferences, but remember that with a setup like that even a small increase in PG will have a substantial effect in the throat hit you receive.

   

If you swap out the dripper for a tank or a sub-Ohm tank, there is a larger range to play with from a 60/40, PG/VG mixture up to a max VG e-juice. You just have to consider your preferences and adjust PG and VG until you find a ratio that meets your needs for flavor, vapor density, and throat hit.

Lastly, a couple things to remember when deciding on your mixture. Concentrated flavors count towards your PG percentage. So if you are wanting to make an e-liquid at 20/80, PG/VG and your flavors add up to 25% you need to increase your PG to make a 25/75 mixture. This also goes for the nicotine that you are using to make your e-liquid. If you are making a max VG e-juice then your nicotine must be VG based in order to truly be a max VG juice.

I hope this information helps you on your way to finding that perfect PG/VG ratio for yourself. Please post any questions or comments below.

Joshua Sheffield, Chemist