When you start vaping, you are exposed to different tastes that tantalize the palette. It is a smart method to transition off tobacco and allows for a fun way to socialize and chase those amazing clouds. You want a pleasant experience, but the magic is gone if your vape juice is off.
How can you tell if your vape juice is bad? You want to keep your vaping an enjoyable experience, so watch out for these signs that your vape juice is bad. Take the bad vape juice back to the store, throw it out, or move on to the next blend. There are plenty of new e liquid Canada options to satisfy your tastes. Keep having fun with your devices and various flavours.
Here’s a guide on how to tell if vape juice is bad:
1. Bad vape juice has drastic change in colour.
Vape juice is a dynamic, changing formula. It is nearly clear with a slight yellow tone when it is first produced and will change to orange during the steeping and aging process. Oxidization also naturally occurs with vape juice, and light, heat and air slowly affect the colour after you buy it. This is normal.
There are times when you notice a rapid change in the colour of your vape juice when oxidization occurs on a bigger, faster scale. Most people will consume their juice fast, but if it turns dark within a few days, it’s bad and shouldn’t be consumed.
2. Bad vape juice has funky smell.
If there was only one type of vape juice, we all would use it and be cloud drones. Fortunately, manufacturers have painstakingly created formulas to mimic the flavours of everything from:
- Menthol
- Tobacco
- Drinks
- Candies
- Desserts
- Fruit
The flavour and smell entice us, so if you smell your vape juice and there is something off, it is bad. If you bought it new or it hasn’t expired, take it back to your vape store and tell them about it.
3. Bad vape juice is over steeping.
Steeping is a process where flavours are added to a mixture of e-liquid and starts to mature. This improves flavour by diffusion as it rests, and the flavour compounds interact and meld. Steeping is typically done by the manufacturer and continued by experienced vape users after they purchase the product.
Vape juice steeped for a long time can become too strong and become unpleasant for vaping. The juice may taste stale or odd, and you will notice it immediately. This juice will not give you a good vaping experience, so it is better to get rid of it.
4. Bad vape juice has liquid separation.
This isn’t a good look for vape juice and one that makes you think it is bad. There can be a natural separation of the components, and this “out of solution” split does occur, but most manufacturers use a homogenization method to keep all the components combined.
You can try to shake the bottle to recombine the ingredients, as this happens because of the different weights of the material. The viscosity may appear watery on top, as with nicotine and flavouring, while the bottom has heavier components like VG that look thicker.
You may get sediments that won’t assimilate with the rest of the solution. Also, the nicotine can separate from the solution resulting in an uneven-dosed e-liquid that doesn’t provide consistent tank fills. This is unfortunate, but it means the vape juice is bad.
5. Bad vape juice is thickening.
Different juices have different liquidity, and it is something you should pay attention to. When filling up your tank, the e-juice should drip out consistently. Sometimes you need to shake up the bottle to recombine ingredients, but it will be fine.
Not all vape juice is the same:
- Propylene Glycol: PG is designed to give more of a throat hit and be a thinner liquid.
- Vegetable Glycerin: VG is designed to produce thicker clouds for tricks, so it is a much thicker liquid.
If you notice the juice becoming thicker or residue build-up that won’t recombine when shaken, don’t use this juice because it is bad.
6. Bad vape juice is past its prime.
Contrary to popular belief, vape juice isn’t immortal. It is typically designed to have a shelf life of one to two years; when you buy it, there may or may not be a best-before date. Most e-juices are consumed rather quickly, so this doesn’t pose a problem, but if you like variety and purchase lots of different blends, the longer they sit, the older they get.
The longevity of e-juice is tough, but one thing is for sure; everything has an expiry date. All consumable products have a limited shelf life, and the food-based ingredients in vape juice won’t last forever. And if they did, you probably wouldn’t want those ingredients on your body.
Expiration dates are only an estimation and a way for manufacturers to guarantee the quality of their products based on extensive testing. Expiration dates also are determined using perfect storage conditions, which you may not adhere to. Light, heat and air allow the components to break down faster, so do your best to preserve your vape juice but pay close attention to the best before dates when you make your purchases.
