Eliquid - Facts & Info
Facts about e-liquids - We'll answer the most common eliquid related questions you have.
Right from its very beginnings (soooo many years ago now) EXhale has aimed to be not only the UK's, but also the worlds’ premier supplier of e-Liquid. That ambition has had to be revised somewhat since the implementation of the TPD. We have adjusted our goals from World Domination and will be just as happy with the UK.
Our objective: to provide our customers with eliquid that is of remarkable quality and above all, completely safe.
To achieve our purpose we continuously carry out our own rigorous testing and sampling. As part of our mission we have made contact with many hundreds of manufacturers and suppliers around the globe and only when satisfied that we had the right companies and that they had been able to prove to us that they could deliver without fail and consistently meet our exacting requirements did we select their liquids for our store. We've built relationships and have got to know each of our manufacturers individually and most importantly we know exactly were the eliquids we buy come from - which is something that has only become more important (and rightly so) under the demands of the TPD.
We feel that the results of our efforts speak for themselves and furthermore that our work and the experience we have under our belts allows us to justifiably hold our hands up to proclaim that EXhale’s e-liquid is far and away the best you can get. We’re confident that when you've tried our liquids that you'll agree!
Our e-liquids are:
without allergens,
are not tested on animals,
are of pharmaceutical and food grade quality.
EXhale offers an ever evolving High Quality E-liquid Range
Our Hangsen - EXhale Black Label
Underpinning our success is the story of Exhale Black Label eliquid. A product that has allowed us to make firm foundations, helping us to achieve our quest to be the UK's No.1 supplier. We wanted to produce our own brand of e-liquid not just become a stockist for others.. To achieve this goal we worked very hard seeking out the right manufacturer in whom we could trust to produce for us the best high-quality low priced e-liquid.
It took us a very long time......and that's because we didn't & don't mess around. Nor did we take shortcuts. Everything we do is by the book.
Every batch of eliquid made to bear our name is sampled randomly to ensure that it continually meets our exacting standards allowing us ensure our manufactures are maintaining the standards of quality we demanded of them. We expect nothing less & know that you do too.
Indeed, we take our responsibilities & your safety seriously. Even before the TPD restrictions, EXhale was sending its own brand liquids for randomised testing in EU labs. They always came back with 100% clear results.
The Effects of The Tobacco Products Directive
Unfortunately post TPD Exhale can no longer have its name emblazoned on the Black Label bottles. It is however still the backbone of our eliquid offering. It now bears the name Hangsen, the name of our manufacturer. Rest assured ladies and gentlemen, this is exactly the same eliquid still made to our exacting standards. And we still randomly sample it to check that it stays this way.
Credentials of Hangsen (Exhale Black Label)
Is 100% compliant with TPD regulations, holds EU CE Certification & RoHS Certification, Germany LFGB – (Lebensmittel, Bedarfsgegenstände and Futtermittelgesetzbuch) & Confirms to GMP - Good Manufacturing Practice, ISO9001, ISO13485.
Low Cost NOT Low Quality
Despite the extra costs incurred on the industry by the TPD we continually strive to keep our prices low . We prefer to say they are low cost rather than to call them cheap - which we think you'll agree is a totally different thing!
Admittedly though, it is true to say our liquids are probably the cheapest high-quality eliquids you'll find anywhere in the UK.
We really want you to enjoy our flagship eliquids just as we do so before going for any of the premium branded liquids (which are superb) we would urge you to try ours - You will not be disappointed.
Hangsen (Black Label) eliquid is very high quality blended as a base of 70/30 PG/VG and offered in 0mg, 6mg, 12mg and 18mg in 10mg bottles. It is our best selling nicotine and non nicotine liquid which comes in flavourless as well as a menu of remarkable flavours including some simulations of branded cigarettes and tobaccos.
We used to have the liquid shipped direct to us from China however more recently the manufacturer has opened a base right here in the UK. This means that we can obtain our liquids much more quickly without customs and excise delays which combines to allow us to provide an even better service to our customers.
Hangsen (Black Label) Eliquid delivers a fantastic & incredibly satisfying throat and chest hit and offers you incredible... Nay! EXTRAORDINARY value for money (remember, EXhale believe in low cost not cheap).
Click this link now to see the Hangsen (Black Label) e-liquid range.
If you've got questions - we have the answers!
What is E-liquid & What Is It Used For & What Does It Contain?
E-Liquid is the proper term for the liquid that is used to vape. It is sometimes called juice, ejuice, vape oil, nic liquid...
Whatever name you use it's the same for it its the same thing; a fluid product used to create vapour and carry nicotine that is delivered while you are vaping using an electronic cigarette.
This has also been given many other names mostly in an effort to distance it from it's association with cigarettes and smoking. You may hear it referred to for example as a personal vape device, or personal vapouriser, an eCig, ePen, Vape Pen or Shisha Pen etc.
Our Beginner guide holds a glossary of current and past vaping terminology as more detailed information than can sometimes be provided here. Click this link >>>>to go there now so that you can get the lowdown on just what on earth all these newfangled words mean.
Whatever the name given all devices work in the same way vaporising the eliquid which is inhaled.
To answer why it is we need the eliquid vapourised to be inhaled we need to look at its components of which there are most usually 3:
- nicotine in liquid form in various strengths per ml - unless no nicotine is added in the production of a 0mg eliquid.
- flavouring - unless it is to be a flavourless liquis. Flavourings are either naturally or artificially derived. They are always of food grade.
- Either individually or as a pair, those two components are added to the base (sometime called a dilutant)
Base/Dilutants
The base is made from:
- a blend of Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerine (VG) or
- or is made of either 100% PG or 100* VG. Most often it is VG that is used as a 100% base particularly favoured by those who favour organically derived products.
As an example of a blended base Hangsen (was EXhale Black Label) uses a base blend of 70% PG and 30% VG
What are PG & VG?
- PG = Propylene Glycol
This is a clear, colourless & viscous liquid which is commonly used in the food and pharmacological industries. It has a slightly sweet taste.
Propylene Glycol does not cause sensitisation.
PG shows no evidence of being a carcinogen (it doesn’t cause cancer) or of being genotoxic (it doesn’t affect your DNA).
- VG = Vegetable Glycerin.
Also known as vegetable glycerol, this liquid is also very commonly used in the food and pharmacological industries. It is a carbohydrate derived from plant oils and is much thicker and more viscous than PG hence often you will see VG in a lower ratio to the PG in a blend, engineered to that the eliquid is not too sticky or thick to refill quickly. If liquids are too sticky another consequence is that they do not flow so well to the wick and coil therefore the vape experience is poorer.
VG is used as a sweetener. It is also an ingredient in a number of cosmetic products. It is also used in place of alcohol to extract botanicals.
In the eliquid VG is the element that is used prominently for producing the denseness of the vapour that is produced.
For detailed information about these to elements (PG & VG) as well as on other elements and a glossary of terms that are used in vaping please refer to our Beginner Guide .
How Does One Decide on Which Nicotine Strength & E-Liquid Flavour Is Right When They First Vape?
This is actually THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL.
We spend a lot of time and money when choosing our vaping device. How it looks, the power storage capacity of the battery, it has or used, how much voltage or wattage it can produce, in our tanks we want to know the resistance the coils, are replacements easy to buy and fit, is it easy to refill, will the wick be made of organic cotton....., but the fact of the matter is that it is choosing the right nicotine strength of eliquid and its flavour that is most important and will ultimately decide if we succeed or fail at an attempt to stop smoking and transition to be a vaper. (We will come back to equipment in a little while)
We discuss this in-depth inside the pages of the EXhale User Manual - see the sub-chapter entitled:What Flavour & Nicotine Strength Is The Right One For You?
EXHALE'S BEST ADVICE POINTERS
The absolute best advice we can provide you with when you are about to start out with vaping is to choose an eliquid that is
The same nicotine strength of smoking ONE cigarette (more on this in a moment) combined with the liquid being of a similar flavour as your cigarette or tobacco.
We want to break this down a bit and explain why this combination is so vital. Let's first address flavour;
Flavour
To have the very best chance of succeeding the idea is to make your vaping experience as much as possible a 'like for like' experience to when you smoke.
Look at the flavour menu. Find one similar to your brand of cigarette or tobacco. Many flavours have been given suggestive names and are simulated to taste like some of the well known brands. For legal reasons the brands names cannot be used so think outside of the box when looking at the names. To give you some insight... Desert Ship is a flavour that has always been popular and is one that is designed to imitate a brand. Think about what a ship of the desert might be by another name... - there you see now what we mean!
If you are in doubt, or want advice on choosing please do call us and ask as we would he happy to tell you if there is a simulation of your brand or if not which is most like it...
Don't be seduced by all those flavours on offer. You can experiment with some of them later on AFTER you have successfully transitioned.
Nicotine Strength
The most common mistake made in selecting liquid strength is that people automatically think that they must choose the highest number of mg strength there is. Since the TPD, this is restricted to 18mg but we did used to get 24mg and much higher too, though those would be for custom blending purposes (DIY eliquid)
A person beginning vaping is staking a lot on this being a success and so, they (mistakenly) think that the bigger the impact of nicotine they have at the outset the more chances that they will not fail at it. This is made more important when they have tried and failed to stop smoking many times before, or if they dont have a lot of money and buying vaping equipment is the money they would have used to smoke for the upcoming week or so.
Someone might say to themselves...I smoke 30 cigarettes a day and therefore since this is a lot, I must need the strongest 18mg dose there is.... but consider this please... would a person who smokes a very very low strength of cigarette or a very very thinly rolled roll-up even at 30 cigarettes per day be taking in as much nicotine in that day as someone who has smoked the same number of cigarettes but who has rolled their smoke much fatter or who used a filterless and very strong cigarette or tobacco?
No, of course not. The person who was smoking thin, or ultra low cigarettes would be taking in much less nicotine and so this same logic must be applied to choosing the liquid... it is a choice that should be based always on WHAT IT IS THAT YOU SMOKE AND NOT HOW MANY.
If a person smoking low nicotine cigarettes/tobacco vaped with a too high strength nicotine they would be overdosing. They may feel shakey or giddy or feint, or even be sick. Their throat and chest may feel tight or sore. And if they continued to attempt to vape like this... they would be destined to fail because this experience is feeling so awful and is nothing like that of the smoking they are trying to stop, isn't the idea after all to be healthier?
So how do you decide?
Well, rather helpfully on all UK cigarettes and tobacco there is the information we need provided... there is a statement on the pack telling you how much tar, how much carbon monoxide etc is present. And here is where you find the nicotine content of the 1 cigarette - This is the all important number.
TIP: On a pack of tobacco sometimes there will be 2 or three nicotine strengths stated and if you look closer you will probably see some circles of different sizes, the largest circle with the largest nicotine content indicate the thickness hand-rolled tobacco cigarette.
The following information shows the equivalent nicotine levels of regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes (cartridge/disposables) and eliquid mg:
Most full flavoured / High / 18 mg
Full Flavour Medium / Medium-High / 16mg
Light / Medium / 12 mg
Ultra-light / Low / 6 mg
None / Zero / 0 mg
WHAT TO DO IF YOU DIDN'T GET AN EXACT MATCH?
Eliquid is generally available as 0mg (zero nicotine) 6mg (0.6mg) 12mg (1.2mg) 18mg (1.8)mg so what do you do it your cigarette's nicotine content is stated as being 0.7 or 0.8.
You might decide to buy one bottle in 6mg and one in the 12mg. I would advise starting with the lower one and seeing if this is sufficient. If you are still craving, try the 12. The idea when you vape is to inhale the vapour and exhale it as if you are smoking and when satisfied to put it down. There is some good psychology behind this as, as it happens when we smoke, we are actually satisfied and the craving we had disappears after the first few puffs but because we have lit this cigarette we continue to smoke it because it is wasteful not to. With vaping nothing is wasted. When you are satisfied you simply stop and put it down (or if it feels better, keep hold of it).
I said there is no waste and I meant it... that bottle of 12 you bought but didn't need. after all, Next time you need vaping supplies, buy a bottle of 0mg. Mix this (in a used bottle) 50/50 (half and half) with the 12mg and you have the equivalent of 2 bottles at 6mg! Ta-Dah!
Back to the liquid strength choice.... you can also if you wished use your numbers brain to achieve different strengths by mixing 2 different strengths together which may bring you closer to the number that you wish to be at. .
- 0mg mixed with 6mg 50/50 (1/2 of each) will give you a 3mg liquid.
- 6 with 12mg = a 9mg
- 6 with 18mg = a 12mg
- 12 with 18mf = a 15mg
Other ratios will give you even more scope but most people dont need to fuss with mixing like this at the early stages. Why make it tougher on yourself, right? Knowing ratios later on however can be useful if you are trying to reduce the nicotine you vape slowly over a period of time. There is more information about mix rations further on in this guide.
RECAP - Because this bit is so important
- Strength and flavour matching is so important as it will help to ensure that you experience a smooth transition to the e-cigarette/vaping and can help to guarantee you continued success in using it as a permanent alternative to smoking and therefore a healthier lifestyle.
- Choose your nicotine strength based on matching the type of cigarette you smoke, NOT on the quantity you smoke per day. Let your pack be your guide - use the information provided on the packs by UK law. If rolling your own, consider the thickness you roll at.
- Choose an eliquid flavour that is as close to that which you are currently smoking
- Remember - if you wish to sample other flavours and/or to reduce your nicotine intake by dropping down through the mg doses then only do this only after you have successfully made the transition and can consider yourself a vaper.
You might as an example smoke 1 a day of an ultra-light cigarette but just because you smoke many times in a day this does not mean that you should go with a Super High nicotine level. In this scenario you should choose a low strength nicotine liquid that matches the low dose of nicotine in 1 cigarettes from that pack.
WARNING:
- If you choose a nicotine level that is too high you could experience light-headedness. This is because too much/more nicotine is being absorbed into the body that it is used to having.
- If you choose a level that is too low your vape will simply not satisfy your nicotine craving and can lead to failure to transition successfully.
How do I use eliquid?
You can use our Hangsen eliquid to increase your options as a vaper.
They can be used with all standard and MOD tank systems and even to fill (or refill) some eCig cartridges (follow the directions indicated in your product manual for filling the tank reservoir).
Post Transition
Yes, Im talking about your success right now because if you follow our guidance we know you can succeed.
When you have arrived at the stage in your vape-life where you have successfully left smoking in the past (and without question our customers tell us that they much prefer the experience of vaping to smoking) you will already have experienced some of the symptoms of recovery. While not all are pleasant or even easy, they are signs your body has begun to recover and heal itself.
COUGHING
You may find that you are coughing. Some people mistakenly blame eliquid for this but most often it is NOT eliquid that causes the cough, but instead it is a sign that your body is recovering from the damage that has been done to it during years of smoking.
Coughing is a sign that the lungs are beginning to work normally again. There are little hair like structures in the lungs. Their job it is to carry contaminants upwards and out of the lungs, so that they are removed and expelled by coughing. These structures have been coated for so long with sticky tar and unable to move, but now they can do their job again and there's lots they need to remove. So, if this is you, well embrace the cough as a sign that things are returning to normal.
TASTE
Your sense of taste will begin to return so this will make you feel hungrier and more adventurous. Now may be a good time then to try some of our other fabulous flavours of E-liquid,
BREATHLESS NO MORE
You will be less breathless and so can do more. Being less breathless & doing more will help you to feel so much better.
SMELL
Your sense of smell will have improved too. You will probably notice soon after transitioning how bad someone who has just smoked smells.Well, that was you a few weeks ago!
Your home, your clothes, your hair, your breath, your car and your whole environment will all smell so much better without the stale tobacco smoke odour
Your newly awakened sense of smell joins with your reawakened sense of taste and you may notice food smells and tastes so much better than before.
TIME
You dont have to keep going outside, missing the conversation or time with your kids. You don't have to keep making sure you have a lighter, matches or packs of cigarettes. All the extra time and money is yours now to enjoy.
Embrace these changes and enjoy them all - you've earned it!
Reducing Nicotine Strength
As part of post-transition, many users decide that they wish to reduce their nicotine strength and to move away from tobacco flavoured eliquids.
With regard to strength reduction this is best managed slowly over a period of time but not until some weeks or months after having transitioned fully to vaping. We do not recommend reducing if you are a dual user, only if you have fully transitioned.
You can continue to use all the flavours you love throughout reduction which is made easy since our Hangsen eliquid flavours are the same in each of the nicotine strengths.
You simply need to buy the flavour(s) you love in progressively lower nicotine levels - until you reach Zero (0mg). Then if you wish to you can simply continue to vape just the flavour you enjoy or drop the use of the eCig device altogether.
How lovely it is to have such choice!
NOTE: We advise customers to purchase a bottle of 0mg nicotine in the same flavour as their usual liquid. Now mixing O with their usual liquid dilutes nicotine strength but NOT flavour. It also allow you to drop more slowly through the available strengths.
As an example
If you were reducing your intake from 18mg to 12mg (the next lower dose) and the drop is too much all at once, you can mix a little of the 0mg with the 18mg to make decreasing dosage to 12mg more gentle. Using 0mg means that flavour impact from your liquid is constant.
Mixing ratios for the abobe example:
- Mix together 95% of 18mg with 5% of 0mg. The resulting nicotine liquid = 17.1mg
- 18mg 90%/0mg 10% = 16.2mg
- 18mg 85% /0mg 15% = 15.3mg
- 18mg 80% /0mg 12% = 14.4mg
- 18mg 75% /0mg 25% = 13.5mg
At this point a user can swap to buying a 12mg bottle and, then after a period of time, use the same dilution ratio with 12mg and 0mg until they are down near to 8mg and so on.
By dilute dosage slowly over time you can make sure that those nicotine cravings do not return and threaten your success.
At this point with a 0mg liquid you can keep using the e-cigarette and vaping as often as you wish. This might be only when you get the urge or perhaps at times when you feel you would be at risk (such as in a social situation).