We’ve all been there before. You run out of your initial batch of nicotine and forgot to place an order for another batch…but you need to make some e-liquid. Enough to get you through to that next batch coming in. You look in the back of your stash, past the VG, past the PG, and there it is. A small, slightly emptied bottle of nicotine that you purchased 2 or 3 years ago, sitting in its amber resting place. You think, “YES! This should hold me over until my next mix” and you take it out. However, you notice it does not look like it once resembled. “Has this gone bad?” you ask yourself, wondering if you can salvage any amount to make just one small bottle of e-liquid. Well, that’s what I’m here to help with.
What is “Bad” Nicotine?
First, let’s just define what “bad” means in this context. You see, there’s a gradient to what “bad” is, and some people’s “bad” is someone else’s “fine enough”. Because when nicotine starts to oxidize, it starts to vape harshly, it starts to take on an unappealing color, it starts to affect the flavor of the mix, and it even can emit an off-putting aroma. If your nicotine is properly stored, this process takes place over a long period of time, so while it may not be in its optimal state, it can still be quite usable. However, only your own subjective tastes can determine if a nicotine has gone “bad” enough where it can no longer be vaped. For me, this is often once it starts to vape slightly harsh and affects the flavor of the mix by even 1-2%. For you, that determination may be a bit further down the road. So what are the signs your nic is going bad?
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