Dionne's Journey on eliquids... Part 4

Hey! It’s wonderful to see you here again! Come on in and get comfy…

Last time we talked about the various anxieties we might experience when making a decision to commit to moving away from tobacco products and instead investing in an electronic cigarette kit…

We all have different reasons why we want to make the change and move away from smoking and we all have some shared worries too.

In providing an alternative to smoking we have different needs too, so now it’s time to get down to working out what is the best equipment and products.

I hope that my attained knowledge and experiences will be of help to you in doing this. Actually it was whilst searching online for e-liquid that I found Exhale! For me, this was a landmark occasion and changed my life for good!
Rather than launch into the models of electronic cigarette to choose I believe one of the most important factors to consider is the e-liquid, so I’d like it if we could focus on that today.
What kind of smoker are you?

What type of tobacco product do you use?

When making your choices it is essential to be guided by your personal needs. Choosing an electronic cigarette that you like the look of is important however the MOST important factor of all is getting your ELIQUID right. After all it is the nicotine in the cigarettes that we’re addicted to and therefore we need to make sure we continue to get this as we make this big change in our lives.
Choose an Eliquid from a supplier who can vouch for, and has certification of the quality and safety of their Eliquids.
ELIQUIDS

E-liquids are made from a base which is either a blend of Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerine (VG) or can also be only PG or only VG. Into these bases, liquid nicotine is added and various flavourings which might be natural or chemical. Remember, your chosen supplier should have certification of the quality of the e-liquids and their ingredients.

VG only e-liquids are much more viscous.

The thicker consistency of VG only e-liquids will coat the coil of your atomisation device more quickly and they will need to be renewed more frequently. We will talk about atomisation devices later….

Which nicotine mg strength should you choose?
Choose your e-liquid nicotine mg (milligram) strength to match that which you currently use.
Don’t choose a high strength because you currently smoke 30 Low Tar cigarettes a day. Your head will likely spin. Look at your pack or pouch and make your choice using that information.
So, have a look at your cigarette pack or tobacco pouch. You’ll see on it a stated nicotine content.
If you roll your own your pouch may have 3 nicotine contents stated on it. This would account for the thickness you roll your cigarette.
It is this nicotine content which should guide you to the e-liquid mg strength to go for.
If you are someone who feels that as part of the switch you would like to eventually stop having any nicotine at all, this is achievable and you can slowly decrease the nicotine over a period of time by either dilution of your e-liquid or you might gradually wean off by later on buying lower e-liquid mg strengths. This is very easy to manage.
If you want to make reduction by the dilution method I suggest buying the same flavour you choose in a 0mg as well so that you can dilute the nicotine content without loosing any of the flavour. Dilution is excellent to make the reduction very slowly.
My own preference is to use Exhale Black Label E-liquid which is a 60% PG/40% VG liquid that is available in 24 very high, 18 high, 12 medium, 8 low, and 0mg strengths in all of the flavours. They are massively popular and are favoured by a great many confirmed Vapers!
Now to choose a flavour…..
OH, GOLLY… What is that? With flavours called ‘Afro Dizziac' & ‘Green Steam’(from T-Juice) to ones simply called ‘Apple’ or ‘Tobacco, there is a great deal of choice where flavour is concerned and it’s going to be fun to experiment… “Go for it” Why not?
However, at the beginning, during your transition, it makes sense to stick to, or include in your purchase, a tobacco type flavour as similar to your usual brand as possible. Some of the flavours available simulate well known brands so it is worth asking for advice on this as the e-liquids cannot, for legal reasons, be called by these names!
Your taste buds know what they are used to and that is what they will be searching for…. Later, as your taste buds really wake up (by then you’ll have made the transition successfully), you may no longer want tobacco type flavours, you’re free to leave them behind, have them occasionally or just stick with them.
I began with tobacco flavours and later made a choice to eliminate and move away from them completely. I began by choosing strong fruit flavours like Lime and Lemon and other strong flavours like Ice Mint, Green Mint and Menthol (odd because I never liked menthol cigarettes!). As your body recovers from the effects of years of smoking your sense of taste and smell improves enormously.
So, with e-liquid it is the mg strength of nicotine that is important, the flavour you like finally and having that delivered in a way that satisfies the way you liked to smoke.
Remember that if you want to lower the mg strength over a period of time, you can do that. Or stay as you are, happily vaping and causing no harm.
Allergy

It is uncommon but occasionally some people might find they are sensitive to Propyl Glycol and so they will be able to choose a VG only e-liquid.

Exhale stock Decadence Premium in 18mg which is a VG only liquid and offered in a great range of flavours.
I find VG only liquids being a glycerine to be a little sweet to the taste and VG liquids are also thicker in consistency too. This thicker consistency does shorten the life of an atomiser coil because it creates a residue much more quickly.
Some people choose VG only liquids as well because they want to make a more ‘organic’ choice.
As always, ensure your supplier has certified safe eliquids.
Next time lets begin to explore the ‘business end’ of things and look at the types of electronic cigarettes you might come across.
See you soon!
18th Feb 2014 Dionne Westwood

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