Can you make vape oil at home ?

It is not impossible to make your own e-cigarette oil, but this comes with extremely high health and legal risks and requires extreme caution.
⚖️ Legal Red Line: In China, making your own e-cigarette oil is highly likely to be illegal.
In China, the act of making your own e-cigarette oil is almost equivalent to being illegal, and it mainly violates the following red lines:
Illegal Business Operations Crime: Electronic cigarettes are classified as tobacco products. Their production and operation must obtain a license issued by the National Tobacco Monopoly Administration. Any unauthorized large-scale production and sales may violate this crime. There are clear precedents showing that multiple individuals have been sentenced for privately producing electronic cigarette products without obtaining the necessary license.
Drug-related serious crimes: If any controlled narcotic or psychotropic substances (such as "etomidate") are added to the e-liquid by oneself (whether for personal use or for sale), it will constitute a drug crime. The punishment can be as severe as life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Regulatory ban: The "Electronic Cigarette Management Measures" has explicitly prohibited the sale of "electronic cigarettes that allow users to add e-liquid themselves". Discussions related to this topic on online forums have also been blocked, which clearly demonstrates the strictness of the regulation.
Even from the perspective of personal health and safety alone, making your own e-cigarette oil is definitely not a wise choice.
?? Health Risks: Several Major Potential Threats of Homemade Products
Inhaling directly the unscientifically tested mixtures into the lungs poses a much greater threat to health than the uncertainty itself:
Chemical hazards: Inhaling certain substances used for skin or consumption (such as vitamin E acetate) can directly cause lipid pneumonia, and in severe cases, it can even lead to death. If the purity of household-grade PG/VG products does not meet the standards of the pharmacopoeia, the impurities they contain will also cause damage to the respiratory tract after being atomized.
Nicotine poisoning risk: Nicotine is a highly toxic chemical. Even a slight increase in the concentration of the solution (such as 100mg/mL) and accidental contact with the skin can lead to poisoning. It is difficult to ensure uniformity when preparing at home, resulting in unstable inhalation doses.
Heavy metal pollution: Unprofessional operations in the environment may easily introduce heavy metal impurities. After being atomized, they enter the lungs along with the steam and deposit there.
?? If you consider making it yourself, here is what you need to know.
If, after understanding the aforementioned risks, you still decide to make it yourself (especially in a legal area abroad), the following information is for reference only and is intended to help you understand its complexity.
1. Essential Materials List
You need to prepare the following materials and tools:
Solvent-based liquid: Food-grade (USP/Ph. Eur. certified) PG and VG. Purchased through reliable channels to ensure high purity.
Spice Concentrate: Only use PG-based fragrances specifically designed for atomization. Do not use homemade or household oily fragrances at all.
Nicotine solution: Usually, it is a high-concentration solution (such as 48mg/mL or 100mg/mL) of PG or VG.
Safety toolkit: Includes nitrile gloves, goggles, laboratory coat, precision electronic scale, and special measuring cups/injectors. Storage containers such as child safety locks are also essential.
2. Basic steps of the standard
Calculate the formula: Use an online DIY e-liquid calculator, input the target VG/PG ratio, nicotine concentration and total volume.
Safe Mixing: Put on protective gear in a well-ventilated area and weigh the ingredients in the following order: base liquid → fragrance → nicotine.
Stirring and venting: Secure the bottle cap tightly, then shake it manually for a few minutes. Afterwards, you can open the cap and gently press the bottle to release the air.
Static aging: Place the e-liquid in a cool, dark place for 1-2 weeks. Occasionally shake it to allow the flavors to blend.
3. A simple recipe reference
This is an example of a 50/50 VG/PG ratio recipe, for reference only.
Ingredients Proportion (Volume/Weight) Function Description
Propylene Glycol (PG) Approximately 40% Primary flavor carrier, providing throat hit sensation
Vegetable Glycerin (VG) Approximately 50% Generates vapor
Flavoring (Essential Oil) Approximately 10% Provides flavor
Nicotine Solution (Nicotine) As needed for calculation Provides nicotine
4. How to Ensure Safety as Much as Possible
If you decide to attempt it, please prioritize safety at the top of your list:
Precise operation: Use a precise electronic scale (accurate to 0.01g) and a pipette to carefully clean and disinfect all the equipment. If calibration is needed, place the weighing bottle on the electronic scale to zero, and then slowly drip in the target component.
Raw materials and regulations: Purchase from reliable sources to ensure that all raw materials are certified by USP/Ph. Eur. Before blending, be sure to check the local laws and regulations regarding the purchase and homemade production of nicotine.
Storage and Child Safety: All raw materials (especially those with high concentrations of nicotine) must be stored in child-proof bottles and kept in a cool, out-of-reach place for children. It is also recommended to use child-proof caps for homemade finished bottles.
Emergency handling:
Skin contact with nicotine: Immediately rinse with soap and plenty of water for 15 minutes, and remove contaminated clothing.
Eye contact: Rinse with clean water or normal saline for 15 minutes.
Inhalation/Eat Ingestion: Immediately call emergency services. Do not induce vomiting. When seeking medical attention, inform the doctor about the substances you may have come into contact with. All rescuers must be careful to avoid indirect contact.
Taking into account all these risks, choosing legal products from legitimate channels is the safest way to protect one's own safety and avoid breaking the law.