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If you aren’t aware, many e-liquids now come in short fill bottles. Also known as "shake 'n' vapes," these bottles are a lifesaver for many people. How so? Well, these bottles reduce the need for you to purchase multiple small bottles and allow you to buy a larger bottle for a lower price per volume!

The Existence of Short Fill E-Liquids

According to the European Tobacco Directive, 10ml is the maximum size of a nicotine-containing e-liquid bottle. As a result, manufacturers are forced to produce tiny bottles of e-liquid to conform to the regulation. However, these manufacturers soon realized that they can sell more e-liquid in larger bottles if it doesn't contain nicotine. As for the nicotine itself, they've also started selling them in their 10ml bottles, called nicotine shots, which then would be mixed with short fills.

If you are interested in mixing your short fills with nicotine shots, here's a guide to help you:

Achieving the Right Nicotine Strength

Adding nicotine to your short fill liquids might be a little more complicated than you might realize. This is because you might not know how much nicotine should be present in a certain amount of juice to give the same effects as buying one that has already been premixed. For example, how do you replicate e-liquid with the strength of 5mg?

Imagine having a 100ml bottle of nicotine-free e-liquid. Now, how much should you add to your short fill liquid? Remember, nicotine is expressed in terms of mg/ml. If you have a 10mg nicotine shot, you effectively have 10mg per millilitre. That means if you have a 10ml nicotine shot, you will have 100mg of nicotine.

That said, divide the amount of e-liquid you have (100ml) by the target strength (5mg). Then, divide it with the amount of nicotine per milligrams found in the nicotine shot (10mg/ml). The final number would be 2, meaning that you will have to add 2 millilitres of the nicotine shot into the 100ml e-liquid to achieve a 5mg strength!

Mixing Nicotine Shots with Short Fill E-Liquids

After all that math, how do you correctly mix up the two? While you'll do some shaking, you'll need to follow the instructions below to ensure that you do not mess up the process.

Know that you'll find the instructions on the bottle itself. It might be hidden under a sticker, so peel around to check. Here's a quick guide if you don't find one:

1. Make sure that you're working with a nicotine-free e-liquid.
2. Do the calculation (like the one above) and figure out how much nicotine you'll need to add into the e-liquid.
3. Remove the cap of the short fill bottle, and the nicotine shot, along with a nib found that is only on the short fill bottle.
4. Slowly squeeze out the contents of the nicotine shot into your short fill bottle. If you spill some on your hands, wash it immediately.
5. Put back the nib and cap of the short fill bottle tightly, then shake for at least five minutes. When that's done, wait for a minute or two, then shake it for at least another 5 minutes.
6. Once you're done, leave the mixture for at least a full 24 hours before use.

Final words

Short fill e-liquids have been a great introduction to the vaping industry. Not only do they help vape-lovers enjoy a more affordable hobby, but it allows them to customize their e-liquids to fit their taste. That said, if you've never done this before, don't be disheartened if you fail at your first try, whether the nicotine concentration is too intense, or the flavours are different. Keep on experimenting, practice the process, and you'll soon become an expert mixer!

If you’re looking for vape e-liquids in the UK, get in touch with us to see how we can help.