Some flavors are meant for the belly only. Let’s start with making a vape juice that’s SAFE to inhale.
There are plenty of online stores to get flavors from, but I like Bull City Flavors for us U.S. folks, because they include what’s called an SDS (Safety Data Sheet) report which tells you if there are any chemicals to be avoided when vaping, such as:
Diacetyl
Artificial Sweeteners (Sucralose & Saccharin)
Vitamin E Acetate
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Heavy Metals (Lead, Nickel, Cadmium)
Acrolein & Formaldehyde
Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines (TSNAs)
Your best bet is to get natural flavor concentrates, but some flavors can’t be replicated naturally. Before we get too far into this, I think you should know that there are some 3,000 + flavor manufactures. When browsing flavors at Bull City (I’ma call them BCF from now on), you’ll see a flavor followed by, for example, -Cap, or -FW, or -TFA… etc.
These are acronyms for the manufacturers of the concentrates. They all present the data in their SDS’s differently. The SDS for FW (Flavor West) for example, is incomprehensible to me. TFA (The Flavor Apprentice) is perfectly straight forward to me.
Scroll down on the SDS just a little bit and you’ll see:
Hazard statements: None
Precautionary Statements: None
Other hazards: None
Cap, (Capella) does it this way:
Precautionary statement Prevention:
Avoid breathing mist or vapor. Contaminated work clothing must not be allowed out of the workplace. Avoid release to the environment. (Not sure how to avoid that!) Wear protective gloves. Probably don't want to inhale that one!
You’ll just have to learn/remember which MFG’s put out easily. I don’t buy from those that don’t. There are too many companies that are great alternatives.
BIG problem! All MFG’s make for example, a white chocolate flavor, but some are awesome, and some suck. There’s a website provided by a good friend of mine at Dman's reviews. MFG’s of flavors from all over the world, send this guy tons of flavors for him to review. He gets to try it all, for free! Check out the link, there are tons of reviews. Last time I checked there were over 1,100 reviews of flavors alone.
Hardware, too. Pods, Mods, RDA’s…etc. Note that NO ONE in the DIY community reviews disposables because we don’t approve of them.
SO! I wanted to quit smoking, and my son suggested vaping because that's how he quit.
First, I wondered what's IN vape juice, so I asked google and she mentioned the basics, but when I asked more detailed questions, she pretty much said, "Beats the hell outta me!" I love research and discovered that China is a major exporter of juices. It's illegal to vape in China unless it’s Tabacco flavored. What do they know that I don't want to? But google said vaping is a hell of a lot smarter than smoking… DUH!
Think Over The Counter Drugs, but OTC vape juice. I was enjoying some brown sugar flavored juice, then the state of California decided kids were starting to vape at an early age because of all the good flavors. ??? WTF? They got rid of all the desert and sweet/candy flavors and left us with menthol (cooling agents) fruit flavored garbage. At least, I think it's garbage! But every 17-year-old I know, LOVES the shit! YOU, Mr. Walnuts, you can go ahead and get cancer, die and cost the state a hell of a lot of money so kids can go on doing whatever their parents let them!
Here’s a novel idea. Let’s hold their PARENTS accountable! Not giving a shit if your child vapes is far short of abuse, but well within neglect. A parent could, A: Check their child’s pockets, drawers and what not, teach and encourage wisdom and common sense, or B: teach them how nicotine is bad for their health.
Google AI: Nicotine has several effects on the body, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as changes in blood flow and brain function. It is highly addictive and can lead to long-term health issues such as heart disease and cognitive decline.
Teach the little snotties that if they insist due to peer pressure, get zero nic! Buy the shit for them. GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THEM!
I love a good rant! Back to quitting the stinkies… I was like, WTF am I supposed to do? I crave nicotine! I smoked Swisher Sweet Cigars. One cigar is worth ten smokes. 10 cigars a day = 5 packs/day! I chain vaped. Well, I went back to smoking!
Then one day I realized people are probably making their own juices and googled it. Sure enough… It's HUGE in the U.K, South Africa and a lot of European countries! The U.S. too, but not like the U.K.
People, you can get ANY flavor you want. And I mean, ANY! Black licorice, ANY fruit, cheese cake, S'mores, caramel, fudge, ice cream... Even cucumber! ANYTHING! Literally THOUSANDS of flavors.
Okay, great, but what's IN that DIY juice? 4 ingredients, of which 3 are FDA approved. You didn't think Nicotine would be approved, did you? Ah, but you can slowly reduce the nicotine until you're free of it. What's it matter? It's healthier and nicotine doesn’t enhance flavor.
Back to saving money: With a reasonable investment, say; $50.00 to $75.00 you can make enough vape juice to last a LONG time! How much do you spend on vape juice each month? It's all about what's IN the juice. We KNOW what's in OUR juice. No mystery Chinese, WTF is that? Meaning we know it’s safe! What are you paying for a 100 ml bottle of juice? I'm old and demented, but according to my math, I can make that bottle for a couple of bucks. And it’s cool and fascinating!
So, WTF IS IN IT? Vegetable Glycerin, Propyline Glycol, (VG/PG, or the base) flavor concentrates and nicotine. Now; My insurance gave me nicotine patches for free so I didn't have to buy nicotine. ALL insurance agencies will give you patches for free! Why? Because patches are cheaper than Chemo!
Good luck finding food at the grocery store that contains no VG/PG and flavor concentrates. Unless you hate ice cream. Or cereal, or Doritos... Bean and Bacon soup, brownies, TV dinners...etc. Oh yeah. Canned chicken or beef stocks, Get the picture?
Let's break down the costs. A digital scale that measures down to .01 (100th) mg. $30.00. 1 gallon VG/PG from Amazon. $40.00. Flavors. $2.00 +/- for 10 ml. It’s a concentrate, so at an average of 1.5 ml per bottle you’ll get 7 bottles of juice. $72.00.
That gallon of VG/PG will get you 33 bottles of juice like you get OTC. 100 ml’s. Well, that’s $1.21 per bottle… So, try to follow me here. I sure can’t
7 bottles of juice from the flavor concentrate is $2.00 so one bottle at $2.00 divided by 7 bottles is $0.29 each. But wait, there’s more! You need bottles to store the juice mixes. 25 – 30 ml bottles for $8.75. What’s that, $1.85 per bottle, total? Buy bulk or bigger bottles of flavor and it’s a LOT cheaper!
Damn! Is that math, right? $1.85 for 100 ml of whatever flavor I want? Is there a catch? YES! You must have fun learning, be prepared to make mistakes and be prepared to find out what vaping CAN be about. Should be about. IS about!
The base and flavors don’t expire. Nicotine does, but you’re smart right? You’ll stop that shit asap, right? Give me one good reason to continue using nicotine. I’m not addicted to vaping, but why the hell should I quit!? All the flavors without the guilt.
Note also that you’re going to want to start by making less than 100 ml’s like you get OTC. I got 25 – 30 ml bottles for $8.75 and mixed 15 ml. I mixed 5 bottles. As the Old Goat will explain, you’ll understand there is a learning curve.
You’re not going to want to mix 100 ml’s only to find out it tastes like ass. Well, that’s discouraging, eh? We have a link to a calculator that we’ll teach you how to use, and soon, (Today is 5/4/2026) we’ll have our own calculator that will be far easier to use. You MUST use a calculator when mixing! The link is in another topic in The Goats School.
Furthermore, both calculators contain recipes you can mix, made by folks that know what they’re doing. Thousands of recipes and thousands of flavors! I’m currently hitting a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
You can buy a flavor for a S’mores juice, or you can mix your own. I have some that are what I call “Pre-mixed” as mentioned above, and some single flavors so I can invent my own.
Our resident Old Goat will be posting a shit load of reviews here as well, when he gets his lazy ass off work someday. Prick thinks working 60 plus hours a week leaves him no time for the important things in (my) life.
He also has a little side business in which he makes and sells his own DIY juices to smoke shops. See? The prick has NO priorities. For what it’s worth, both these guys are world renown for their reviews. Flavor manufactures send them shit loads of flavors for free to be tested! They’re brutally honest too!
As I was saying, you’re going to make 15 ml bottles of juice. If you buy only one flavor, you’ll make 7 bottles of juice. A vape calculator will tell you what the average amount of flavor is used in a recipe, but it’s only a place to start. Generally, the recommended dose is between 2 and 5%. Given the concentration of a flavor, that could be too little or too much. Not to mention 5% is more than twice as much as 2%. Know what I mean? Different MFG’s, different strengths/%’s.
Again, sessiondrummer's (Let’s call him Dman from now on) reviews and the recipes via the calculators will kick your ass in the right direction!
Oh, and you’re going to want to get several flavors if only to experiment and learn. Bull City Flavors has “Flavor Packs” that are a great deal. Here’s an example. Ice Cream Flavor packs.
So, back to the cost of DIY… You can’t count the scale or any bottles used for dispensing the VG/PG as mentioned below, because it’s all reusable. For years.
If you insist on nicotine, you can get it here. https://www.centralvapors.com/liquid-nicotine/ Also google, you may find it for less. You shouldn’t need more than one small bottle because there is absolutely NO reason not to wean yourself off the nicotine.
You’re going to need some bottles for your mixed juices. https://www.bullcityflavors.com/products/30ml-pet-chubby-gorilla-bottle-25-pack
You’ll need some bottles to make pouring the VG/PG easier.
I’m pretty sure the old goat will read this and offer advice and constructive criticism ‘cuz he’s been vaping for Years!, and I’ve been at it for a couple months. Been mixing for several months, thinking I’m so smart I don’t need no steenking help, then got so smart I realized I need help. That’s where the vaping calculators and recipes come in handy.
And forums like this. We aim to make this the friendliest, easiest, most entertaining and informative site in the world! Did I mention The Old Goat is in South Africa? Other members are in Ireland, the UK and as far away as Japan! They’re just not as active as the OG and I are. WE’RE TRYING TO BUILD CONTENT!
Oh, and in the calculators, you can build a “stash”. Enter the flavors you have in your inventory and ask what you can make. In my case I asked folks to look at my stash and tell me what I can make INCLUDING ratios (%’s of concentrates).
I know, I know, it seems intimidating, but if this old fart can do it, you can! Just learn the calculators and follow some recipes. I GUARANTEE the most difficult process will be deciding what flavor profiles you like. Deserts, candy bars, bakery, fruits, custards… With THOUSANDS of flavors to choose from, choosing what you like will be the most daunting task.
Okay, I’m “kinda” old, my memory is shit and I can’t follow reading a book anymore, much less writing one. I’m sure this is incoherent, so PLEASE ask questions.
There are plenty of online stores to get flavors from, but I like Bull City Flavors for us U.S. folks, because they include what’s called an SDS (Safety Data Sheet) report which tells you if there are any chemicals to be avoided when vaping, such as:
Diacetyl
Artificial Sweeteners (Sucralose & Saccharin)
Vitamin E Acetate
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs)
Heavy Metals (Lead, Nickel, Cadmium)
Acrolein & Formaldehyde
Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamines (TSNAs)
Your best bet is to get natural flavor concentrates, but some flavors can’t be replicated naturally. Before we get too far into this, I think you should know that there are some 3,000 + flavor manufactures. When browsing flavors at Bull City (I’ma call them BCF from now on), you’ll see a flavor followed by, for example, -Cap, or -FW, or -TFA… etc.
These are acronyms for the manufacturers of the concentrates. They all present the data in their SDS’s differently. The SDS for FW (Flavor West) for example, is incomprehensible to me. TFA (The Flavor Apprentice) is perfectly straight forward to me.
Scroll down on the SDS just a little bit and you’ll see:
Hazard statements: None
Precautionary Statements: None
Other hazards: None
Cap, (Capella) does it this way:
Precautionary statement Prevention:
Avoid breathing mist or vapor. Contaminated work clothing must not be allowed out of the workplace. Avoid release to the environment. (Not sure how to avoid that!) Wear protective gloves. Probably don't want to inhale that one!
You’ll just have to learn/remember which MFG’s put out easily. I don’t buy from those that don’t. There are too many companies that are great alternatives.
BIG problem! All MFG’s make for example, a white chocolate flavor, but some are awesome, and some suck. There’s a website provided by a good friend of mine at Dman's reviews. MFG’s of flavors from all over the world, send this guy tons of flavors for him to review. He gets to try it all, for free! Check out the link, there are tons of reviews. Last time I checked there were over 1,100 reviews of flavors alone.
Hardware, too. Pods, Mods, RDA’s…etc. Note that NO ONE in the DIY community reviews disposables because we don’t approve of them.
SO! I wanted to quit smoking, and my son suggested vaping because that's how he quit.
First, I wondered what's IN vape juice, so I asked google and she mentioned the basics, but when I asked more detailed questions, she pretty much said, "Beats the hell outta me!" I love research and discovered that China is a major exporter of juices. It's illegal to vape in China unless it’s Tabacco flavored. What do they know that I don't want to? But google said vaping is a hell of a lot smarter than smoking… DUH!
Think Over The Counter Drugs, but OTC vape juice. I was enjoying some brown sugar flavored juice, then the state of California decided kids were starting to vape at an early age because of all the good flavors. ??? WTF? They got rid of all the desert and sweet/candy flavors and left us with menthol (cooling agents) fruit flavored garbage. At least, I think it's garbage! But every 17-year-old I know, LOVES the shit! YOU, Mr. Walnuts, you can go ahead and get cancer, die and cost the state a hell of a lot of money so kids can go on doing whatever their parents let them!
Here’s a novel idea. Let’s hold their PARENTS accountable! Not giving a shit if your child vapes is far short of abuse, but well within neglect. A parent could, A: Check their child’s pockets, drawers and what not, teach and encourage wisdom and common sense, or B: teach them how nicotine is bad for their health.
Google AI: Nicotine has several effects on the body, including increased heart rate and blood pressure, as well as changes in blood flow and brain function. It is highly addictive and can lead to long-term health issues such as heart disease and cognitive decline.
Teach the little snotties that if they insist due to peer pressure, get zero nic! Buy the shit for them. GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THEM!
I love a good rant! Back to quitting the stinkies… I was like, WTF am I supposed to do? I crave nicotine! I smoked Swisher Sweet Cigars. One cigar is worth ten smokes. 10 cigars a day = 5 packs/day! I chain vaped. Well, I went back to smoking!
Then one day I realized people are probably making their own juices and googled it. Sure enough… It's HUGE in the U.K, South Africa and a lot of European countries! The U.S. too, but not like the U.K.
People, you can get ANY flavor you want. And I mean, ANY! Black licorice, ANY fruit, cheese cake, S'mores, caramel, fudge, ice cream... Even cucumber! ANYTHING! Literally THOUSANDS of flavors.
Okay, great, but what's IN that DIY juice? 4 ingredients, of which 3 are FDA approved. You didn't think Nicotine would be approved, did you? Ah, but you can slowly reduce the nicotine until you're free of it. What's it matter? It's healthier and nicotine doesn’t enhance flavor.
Back to saving money: With a reasonable investment, say; $50.00 to $75.00 you can make enough vape juice to last a LONG time! How much do you spend on vape juice each month? It's all about what's IN the juice. We KNOW what's in OUR juice. No mystery Chinese, WTF is that? Meaning we know it’s safe! What are you paying for a 100 ml bottle of juice? I'm old and demented, but according to my math, I can make that bottle for a couple of bucks. And it’s cool and fascinating!
So, WTF IS IN IT? Vegetable Glycerin, Propyline Glycol, (VG/PG, or the base) flavor concentrates and nicotine. Now; My insurance gave me nicotine patches for free so I didn't have to buy nicotine. ALL insurance agencies will give you patches for free! Why? Because patches are cheaper than Chemo!
Good luck finding food at the grocery store that contains no VG/PG and flavor concentrates. Unless you hate ice cream. Or cereal, or Doritos... Bean and Bacon soup, brownies, TV dinners...etc. Oh yeah. Canned chicken or beef stocks, Get the picture?
Let's break down the costs. A digital scale that measures down to .01 (100th) mg. $30.00. 1 gallon VG/PG from Amazon. $40.00. Flavors. $2.00 +/- for 10 ml. It’s a concentrate, so at an average of 1.5 ml per bottle you’ll get 7 bottles of juice. $72.00.
That gallon of VG/PG will get you 33 bottles of juice like you get OTC. 100 ml’s. Well, that’s $1.21 per bottle… So, try to follow me here. I sure can’t
7 bottles of juice from the flavor concentrate is $2.00 so one bottle at $2.00 divided by 7 bottles is $0.29 each. But wait, there’s more! You need bottles to store the juice mixes. 25 – 30 ml bottles for $8.75. What’s that, $1.85 per bottle, total? Buy bulk or bigger bottles of flavor and it’s a LOT cheaper!Damn! Is that math, right? $1.85 for 100 ml of whatever flavor I want? Is there a catch? YES! You must have fun learning, be prepared to make mistakes and be prepared to find out what vaping CAN be about. Should be about. IS about!
The base and flavors don’t expire. Nicotine does, but you’re smart right? You’ll stop that shit asap, right? Give me one good reason to continue using nicotine. I’m not addicted to vaping, but why the hell should I quit!? All the flavors without the guilt.
Note also that you’re going to want to start by making less than 100 ml’s like you get OTC. I got 25 – 30 ml bottles for $8.75 and mixed 15 ml. I mixed 5 bottles. As the Old Goat will explain, you’ll understand there is a learning curve.
You’re not going to want to mix 100 ml’s only to find out it tastes like ass. Well, that’s discouraging, eh? We have a link to a calculator that we’ll teach you how to use, and soon, (Today is 5/4/2026) we’ll have our own calculator that will be far easier to use. You MUST use a calculator when mixing! The link is in another topic in The Goats School.
Furthermore, both calculators contain recipes you can mix, made by folks that know what they’re doing. Thousands of recipes and thousands of flavors! I’m currently hitting a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.
You can buy a flavor for a S’mores juice, or you can mix your own. I have some that are what I call “Pre-mixed” as mentioned above, and some single flavors so I can invent my own.
Our resident Old Goat will be posting a shit load of reviews here as well, when he gets his lazy ass off work someday. Prick thinks working 60 plus hours a week leaves him no time for the important things in (my) life.
He also has a little side business in which he makes and sells his own DIY juices to smoke shops. See? The prick has NO priorities. For what it’s worth, both these guys are world renown for their reviews. Flavor manufactures send them shit loads of flavors for free to be tested! They’re brutally honest too!
As I was saying, you’re going to make 15 ml bottles of juice. If you buy only one flavor, you’ll make 7 bottles of juice. A vape calculator will tell you what the average amount of flavor is used in a recipe, but it’s only a place to start. Generally, the recommended dose is between 2 and 5%. Given the concentration of a flavor, that could be too little or too much. Not to mention 5% is more than twice as much as 2%. Know what I mean? Different MFG’s, different strengths/%’s.
Again, sessiondrummer's (Let’s call him Dman from now on) reviews and the recipes via the calculators will kick your ass in the right direction!
Oh, and you’re going to want to get several flavors if only to experiment and learn. Bull City Flavors has “Flavor Packs” that are a great deal. Here’s an example. Ice Cream Flavor packs.
So, back to the cost of DIY… You can’t count the scale or any bottles used for dispensing the VG/PG as mentioned below, because it’s all reusable. For years.
If you insist on nicotine, you can get it here. https://www.centralvapors.com/liquid-nicotine/ Also google, you may find it for less. You shouldn’t need more than one small bottle because there is absolutely NO reason not to wean yourself off the nicotine.
You’re going to need some bottles for your mixed juices. https://www.bullcityflavors.com/products/30ml-pet-chubby-gorilla-bottle-25-pack
You’ll need some bottles to make pouring the VG/PG easier.
I’m pretty sure the old goat will read this and offer advice and constructive criticism ‘cuz he’s been vaping for Years!, and I’ve been at it for a couple months. Been mixing for several months, thinking I’m so smart I don’t need no steenking help, then got so smart I realized I need help. That’s where the vaping calculators and recipes come in handy.
And forums like this. We aim to make this the friendliest, easiest, most entertaining and informative site in the world! Did I mention The Old Goat is in South Africa? Other members are in Ireland, the UK and as far away as Japan! They’re just not as active as the OG and I are. WE’RE TRYING TO BUILD CONTENT!
Oh, and in the calculators, you can build a “stash”. Enter the flavors you have in your inventory and ask what you can make. In my case I asked folks to look at my stash and tell me what I can make INCLUDING ratios (%’s of concentrates).
I know, I know, it seems intimidating, but if this old fart can do it, you can! Just learn the calculators and follow some recipes. I GUARANTEE the most difficult process will be deciding what flavor profiles you like. Deserts, candy bars, bakery, fruits, custards… With THOUSANDS of flavors to choose from, choosing what you like will be the most daunting task.
Okay, I’m “kinda” old, my memory is shit and I can’t follow reading a book anymore, much less writing one. I’m sure this is incoherent, so PLEASE ask questions.
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