Feb 12, 2025
Common Questions About Nic Salts and E-Liquids
As an adult vaper or smoker contemplating the switch from cigarettes, you may have questions about e-liquids. After all, they contain ingredients necessary for your vaping experience. This guide will shed some light on common questions about this topic, including queries like ‘can you mix e-liquids?’ and ‘how long does e-liquid last?’ Read on to find out more.
How to Use Nic Salts
The term ‘nic salts’ is short for nicotine salts, a natural form of nicotine found in tobacco plant leaves. To make certain e-liquids, manufacturers combine this natural form of nicotine with acids. Nic salts are often sold as a pure ingredient, which you could use to add to your own e-liquid. They are commonly found in pre-made e-liquids referred to as ‘nicotine salt e-liquids’. Neither creating e-liquids, nor mixing them is advisable, as pre-made e-liquids are specifically designed by manufacturers to work effectively with vape devices.
What’s the Difference Between Nic Salts and E-Liquid?
Nicotine salts are an e-liquid ingredient you can buy in their original form. E-liquid is the final consumable product, which you can buy in stores or online. It’s useful to know that not every e-liquid contains nicotine salts. Some e-liquids contain freebase nicotine, a different form of nicotine.
Many people confuse nicotine salts with nicotine salt e-liquid and, therefore, refer to these e-liquids as ‘nicotine salts.’ When buying a nicotine salt product, clarify whether you are buying an e-liquid or pure nicotine salts.
Can You Use Nic Salt E-Liquid in a Regular Vape?
Yes, you can use nicotine salt e-liquid in some common vapes, so long as it is a compatible e-liquid recommended by the device manufacturer. Usually, nicotine salt e-liquids should be used in low-powered devices with a high-resistance coil. These e-liquids are unsuitable for higher wattages and lower resistances.
You might also be interested to know that you can sometimes find nicotine salt e-liquids in disposable vapes. In these devices, you will not be able to change or replace the e-liquid, as once the device runs out, it should be discarded.
Does E-Liquid Expire?
Yes, e-liquid does expire after a certain length of time. As a general rule, many e-liquids last up to two years if they’re stored correctly. You should always refer to manufacturer guidance to find the correct e-liquid expiration date. To find out more about expiration dates in e-liquids, head over to our Can E-Liquid Expire? article, which provides more in-depth information.
How to Store E-Liquid
Unopened e-liquid may be stored at room temperature. Watch out for exposure to intense heat or cold, as this could cause your e-liquid to degrade.
Can you keep e-liquid in the fridge? Yes, if you have opened a bottle of e-liquid, you can (and should) keep it in the fridge.
Can You Mix E-Liquids?
It is best practice not to tamper with, or mix, e-liquids. Manufacturers design e-liquids with particular balances of ingredients like Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerin (VG) – two main ingredients in many e-liquids. Vegetable Glycerin, derived from vegetable oil, is used as a thickening agent for the e-liquid. It also helps to create dense vapour that’s typically associated with sub-ohm vaping. On the other hand, Proplyene Glycol provides the throat hit sensation which has been likened to smoking.
Addressing unanswered questions on nic salts and e-liquids can be useful when new to vaping. It might help you gain a better understanding of this product before switching over from continued smoking. While this guide covers common questions on this topic, there’s still plenty of other factors around these two products you may want to learn more about. Head over to our guide for more specific info on e-liquids.
Smoke-free products are not risk-free and provide nicotine, which is addictive. The best decision any adult smoker can make is to quit tobacco and nicotine use altogether. Smoke-free products are not alternatives to quitting and are not designed as cessation aids.
This article is for general information and educational purposes. Some of the information in this article is based on external, third-party sources and we make no representations or warranties of any kind regarding the accuracy, validity or completeness of such information.
