Make CBD Vape Liquid in your Kitchen

Vaping has a bioavailability of 60%. The CBD does not go through the liver for synthesis thus making two-thirds of the amount vaped available for use by the body. This means that you can divide your oral dosage by three for the same effect. However, it can be quite an expensive affair. If you count the vape pen and vape liquid, it becomes quite pricey. Vaping has two aspects. The first being the vape pen. This consists of a cartridge, which is sort of like the container for the liquid. The mouth goes on one end of the cartridge while the atomizer goes in the other. The atomizer is the mechanism by which the liquid is turned into vapor. Then there is a battery, of course. The other aspect, vape liquid, is quite tricky. One can get the store bought kind or they can make their own at home.
Store bought is nice but then you begin thinking about all those ingredients you know nothing about. Sure, there will be a list of ingredients but you can never really be sure of the purity and integrity of the product. If you make the product yourself, at least you are assured of quality and safety. This is especially important if you have a delicate constitution. That is if you are prone to allergic reactions. You could also give it some pizzazz that store buying would not allow. One thing is for sure, those days spent developing the vape juice will be well worth it.
Before proceeding, you must understand that taking some CBD oil and putting it in your cartridge does not qualify as vaping. It is madness. It will leave a bad taste in your mouth. It will backfire monumentally. Vaping requires a vape specific liquid. One that can be vaporized easily and efficiently.
Recipe 1
You will need:
5g high-quality CBD dominant bud
2-4 ounces of drinkable alcohol. Preferably, vodka as it will not taint the flavor.
2-4 ounces of 100% US Pharmacopoeia food grade vegetable glycerin
2 sterile containers with lids
Cheesecloth
Syringe
Procedure
Decarboxylate the marijuana first. This will activate the CBD from its CBDa form. See, vaping does not heat the marijuana high enough to activate thus the need to do it at this stage.
Put the activated marijuana in a sterile container then add alcohol. Cover by a quarter inch then place lid and shake vigorously. In some cases, after the marijuana is soaked it increases in volume. Add some more alcohol to keep it under cover.
Place the tightly covered container in a dark place for 10-14 days. Shake vigorously at least once a day. This is the process by which CBD tincture is made. You can make more of this to use in other homemade CBD products
After the prescribed amount of time, strain the concoction through the cheesecloth and then pour into the second container. Add thrice the amount of vegetable glycerin to the tincture such that the ratio is 3:1. Shake vigorously for at least two minutes.
Add essential oils or natural plant tinctures into the mixture for flavor. This time only use one part of flavor in three parts of liquid. The ratio will be 1:3. You can add more flavor if so desired.
The syringe is used to feed the CBD vape liquid into the cartridge
Recipe 2
This uses a ready CBD Concentrate. As opposed to soaking the bud for two weeks, this is a more mix and vape recipe. It is also an alternative for those who will be unable to find the buds.
You will need:
CBD isolate
Vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol
Natural Flavoring
Procedure
Dissolve the CBD isolate in propylene glycol in a small glass bottle. Place the bottle in hot water and leave for ten minutes. This ensures a transparent solution with no residue.
Add the vegetable glycerin the give it a vigorous shake
Mix in the flavor tincture then you are ready to go.
Dos of Home Making Vape Liquid
Do have fun with it. This is a trial and error craft. If you take it too seriously you will be frustrated and annoyed at the end of it all. That attitude will also prevent you from taking risks that should help you arrive at delicious recipes.
Do deviate from the recipe. In the spirit of fun, take a step or two out of the prescription. You might discover a way to do things that no one has before. You might also find that the new out of the way procedure caters more to your needs than the generic one.
Do make a test batch. It would be tragic to make a big batch of disgusting vape liquid. You will have to dump it. Imagine all that bud and supplies down the drain. For this reason, especially if you are a beginner, make a test sample. Did you get it right? Okay, now make the batch following the same guidelines.
Do buy high-quality supplies. The whole point of making a vape liquid at home is to assure the highest possible quality and safety standards. Get very high-quality supplies. Get good bud. Great quality supplies will breed even greater quality vape liquid.
Don’ts of Home Making Vape Liquid
Do not let the vape liquid sit unused for too long. Sure, steeping is necessary but if you let the liquid sit for long then the flavors will start to muddle together and become dull. There is no exact amount of time allowed, maybe if you read opinions on CBD vaping forums. Otherwise, apply the power of ‘guesstimation’.
Do not give up. This is also in the spirit of having fun. Chances are higher that you will not get it right the first time. Or even the second or third. But here is the thing, you know what not to do on the second and third tries. This means that when you do finally succeed, your liquid will be a gem.
Do not use the wrong vape pen. The earlier vape pens were built for a more PG based vape liquid but most newer versions are built for VG. If your recipe is built for VG and your recipe is heavy on the PG, it will probably leak.
Why the VAPE Liquid Lacks Flavor
Too much
Some people like more flavor in the CBD vape juice than others do. To cater for this, they will use a lot more flavor than the recipe asks for. The result is that the olfactory fatigue kicks in and your senses will not detect any flavor at all despite it being in abundance.
Too complicated
The trick to getting the flavor right is mastering a single flavor first before moving on to multiple flavor recipes. Stay away from the intricate flavor profiles first until you have a proper understanding of how different flavors blend. Simplicity also allows each flavor to stand out on its own. Through this, the flavor output is maximized.
Too adaptive
When you have been working with concentrated flavors for a while, the nose gets used to it. Your senses, therefore, do not let you smell the aroma of the flavor. The trick is to switch up flavors a lot. Also, use some menthol when you start noticing the signs of vapor’s tongue. You also need to stay hydrated to keep the olfactory fatigue from developing.
Too little time
When different flavors are involved, there is a need for some time to allow them to settle into each other. Time for the flavors to saturate. To reach their full potential. To blend and become one. This is called steeping. A few hours or even a few days depending on the flavors used is appropriate.
VG or PG?
Propylene glycol is more common in store-bought CBD vape liquids. It does not affect the flavor of the juice in any way thus preferred by a section of the CBD vape community. However, it burns faster which means that one will go through more vape liquid than the alternative. Some people have also reported developing allergic reactions to the PG.
Vegetable glycerin produces a thicker vapor. It also has a sweeter and smoother intake. It slightly distorts the flavor of the vape liquid. Due to the thickness, one is able to vape more with a small amount of liquid. The thickness, however, makes it harder to clean the pen. It also dehydrates the throat a little more than PG.
Using VG or PG is entirely up to preference. That is if, allergies do not come into play. One may use propanediol as an alternative for PG. However, this element is about two or three time the price of PG. There is also a difference in boiling points and is not widely used making it a bit riskier. One may also opt to use a PG: VG ratio of 3:7 while making CBD vape liquid at home.