Since the introduction of TPD for vapes and e-liquids in May 2016, bottles of vape juice larger than 10ml cannot be sold with a nicotine content.
Fortunately, nic shots are a convenient way of adding your own nicotine to shortfill e-liquids. In this post we will explain what nicotine shots are, what they are used for and how to properly mix them into your e-liquid.
What are nic shots?
Nicotine shots, often referred to as nic shots, are a 10ml bottle containing nicotine mixed with an e-liquid based of VG (vegetable glycerine) and PG (propylene glycol). Nic shots can be purchased in a variety of different VG/PG ratios so you can select the most appropriate mix for your chosen e-liquid.
For example, if you are using a high VG e-liquid, a high or max VG nic shot would be preferable to avoid thinning out the juice with PG base. You can even purchase cool nic shots with an icy flavour finish to change up the flavour of your juice.
Nic shots most often come in an 18 mg/ml strength, which can seem like a lot, but this will become diluted by the 0mg e-liquid in the shortfill bottle. You can also choose the nicotine type of your nic shots, as they are available with both free-base nicotine or nic salts, depending on which is your preference.
What are shortfills?
Shortfill e-liquids are simply bottles of vape juice that are larger than 10ml. They are most commonly sold as 50ml or 100ml bottles and the name shortfill comes from the fact they are filled short of the top of the bottle to allow room for the addition of nic shots.
Shortfills are most commonly available as high VG e-liquids, but there are also 50/50 ratio e-liquids available in shortfill bottles, like the Double Brew shortfill range. Because they come in bigger bottles they are an easy way to stock up on your favourite flavour, or to be able to carry enough vape juice with you without having to bring multiple 10ml bottles.
How to mix them
Mixing the two couldn’t be simpler, however, it is not legal for the shop assistant who sold you the e-liquid and nic shot/s to mix them for you, this is something you need to do yourself.
There is usually enough room in the top of the shortfill for the addition of enough nicotine shots to create a 3 mg/ml strength overall. For example, a 50ml shortfill will contain 50ml of e-liquid in a 60ml bottle, leaving room for one 10ml nic shot. While a 100ml shortfill will contain 100ml of vape juice in a 120ml bottle, with room for two 10ml nic shots.
First remove the cap and nozzle from all of the e-liquid bottles, then you simply need to pour the contents of the nic shot/s straight into the shortfill. Replace the cap and nozzle on your shortfill and give it a really good shake. It is very important to shake the liquid, as the thick consistency of e-liquid means that the nic shot is likely to just sit on top and not mix well throughout otherwise.
Although the nic shot itself has a high nicotine strength, once it is diluted by the e-liquid it is added to the overall strength will be lower. One 18 mg/ml nic shot in a 50ml shortfill will produce 60ml of 3 mg/ml e-liquid overall.
Although it is possible to add additional nic shots to your shortfill to make a higher nicotine strength we do not always recommend this as it would require you to decant the e-liquid to make room for the extra nic shot, and it can dilute the flavour of the juice.
To shop our full range of shortfills pop in to your local Evapo store or take a look at our wide range of shortfills available online.
