Can you mix e-liquids? Yes, and here is how to do it well

E-liquids are all built from the same basic ingredients: VG, PG, flavourings and, usually, nicotine. Mixing two of them simply gives you a liquid with a bit of each. There is nothing magical or risky about combining two finished e-liquids, as long as you only combine products sold for vaping.

People mix for three reasons: to create a new flavour, to adjust nicotine strength, or to tweak thickness for a kit. Each one works, but each needs a little thought. Never add anything that is not an e-liquid, nic shot or VG/PG base. Food flavourings, oils and sweeteners from the kitchen do not belong in a vape.

The best mixes combine flavours that already appear together in food and drink. Fruit plus cream, fruit plus menthol, tobacco plus caramel or coffee: these are pairings your brain already enjoys. Two strong, competing flavours, like a cola and a custard, are more of a gamble.

Start with simple combinations, such as strawberry with a vanilla custard, or a lemon with a spearmint. Many vapers also mix an iced and an un-iced version of the same fruit to dial the chill up or down. Keep a note of ratios that work, because you will forget by next week.

When you mix liquids with different strengths, the result is a weighted average. Equal amounts of 10mg and 20mg give 15mg. Two parts 20mg to one part 10mg gives about 16.7mg. A 0mg shortfill mixed 50:50 with a 6mg freebase gives 3mg.

The same logic applies to ratios. Equal amounts of 50/50 and 70/30 make 60/40. If you are combining a thick shortfill with a thin 10ml bottle, check the final ratio still suits your coil. Nicotine is addictive, so be clear about strength before you mix rather than discovering it afterwards.

Do not tip two full bottles together on a hunch. Test in a tank or pod first, with a few drops of each, so you only lose a couple of millilitres if the result is awful. Once you find a ratio you love, mix a bigger batch in an empty bottle.

Mixing salt and freebase nicotine is fine too: you get something like a hybrid, smoother than freebase but with a little more catch than pure salt. Empty bottles are in e-liquid bottles, and a marker pen is the most underrated vaping accessory there is.

Mixing goes wrong in a few predictable ways. The most common is forgetting what went into a bottle, which leaves you with a mystery strength and no idea how to recreate the one mix you loved. The next is producing a ratio your coil cannot handle, such as an 80/20 blend in a tight MTL pen.

The worst mistake is adding non-vaping ingredients. Kitchen flavourings, oils, alcohol and sweetener drops are not made to be inhaled. Keep every mix in a child-resistant bottle, clearly labelled, and stored away from children and pets.

You have 10ml of a 20mg strawberry nic salt and 10ml of a 10mg vanilla custard nic salt, both 50/50, from the same brand. You mix them together in an empty 30ml bottle, shake well and label it strawberry custard, ready for your MTL pod.

Before you write the strength on the label, what is it? Work out the total nicotine in each bottle first, then divide by the combined volume of the mix. Writing the sum on the label next to the result is a good habit, because it lets you check your working later.