What do you stand for, VG?? It's a question I ask my e-liquids every day, shaking my fists in frustration, but since they are inanimate objects they don't usually respond. Oh, you mean what do the letters stand for? Well, that's an easy one. Read on for some vaping knowledge to impress your friends with and/or finally win the heart of the prom queen.
VG 101
VG stands for vegetable glycerin, a simple, naturally occurring chemical that comes from vegetable oil. VG is present in nearly all e-liquids along with its evil twin (not really) PG, or propylene glycol. It's a thick, colourless and odourless liquid, and has a sweet taste. VG is thicker than PG and gives a much smoother hit when vaped.
Outside of vaping, VG is used in a wide range of food, medical and personal care products such as cosmetics, aftershave, pet food, soap and hand cream, toothpaste and as a sweetener in many foods. In fact, you could well be eating something with VG in it right now (the pet food, it's definitely the pet food).
Every Cloud has a VG Lining
One of vegetable glycerin's best selling points is its ability to create huge vapour clouds when vaped. It produces significantly more vapour than PG, so it is favoured by 'cloud chasers' (competitive blowers of vapour clouds) in their e-liquid. While vaping 100% VG is possible, this is difficult since it would be very thick and most equipment would not work properly with it. Cloud chasers prefer high VG mixes though and ratios can often go to 80% VG/20% PG and even higher.
Advantages of VG
Produces large clouds when vaped - great for cloud chasing
Smooth throat hit for those who don't like the harshness of a high PG mix
Allergies and skin/throat irritation are very rare
Sweet-tasting, and can even be vaped on its own
Comes from natural vegetable oils and is safe to consume
Disadvantages of VG
Not as much of a throat hit as PG, so might not suit heavy ex/current smokers
Doesn't carry flavour as well as PG so flavours might be muted
Thick nature means it can clog up devices - only some vaporisers can cope with it
What Percentage of VG Should I Use?
This is going to come down mainly to personal preference, based largely on the pros and cons listed above. If you're looking to get into cloud chasing then you'll definitely need en e-liquid high in VG, preferably upwards of 70%. If you are/were a heavy smoker and want to still experience the throat hit whilst vaping then high VG is not going to cut it, so you'll have to go for something with more PG. If you're still unsure, why not go for a 50/50 mix and, based on how you feel, either up the VG percentage or lower it. Simple!
VG-Peasy!
Made your mind up? Good, now head over to Vape Mountain's great range of e-liquids now, we've got loads of high VG e-juice to choose from.
