What do I need to know? I've done some research, but most answers are quite vague and the ones that seem sensible are full of jargon or non specific answers (or at least not completely clear on what they're saying) and so forth in the sea of information.
From what I see, it's a VG/PG blend of your choice, as is with normal, store bought juice, a dose of nicotine, and your flavor. Now that's my hang up, I can get VG from Walmart no problem, the flavoring? Where do I begin? What I think I see is to use a non-oil based flavoring, that's about it.
Plug it into an online calculator and blend. Is that all there is to it?
I'm into simplicity, and I'll just use it for dripping and quitting, so all I need is VG and Flavor, I guess. Where do I get that flavoring outside of ordering online?
TL;DR: If I want a no nicotine juice for dripping, do I use just use VG and flavor, and where can I find that flavor in a normal store (like a walmart)?
Unfortunately, most flavourings you can find in a physical store aren't too likely to be good/safe to use. Many contain sugar which is a big no no to vape. If it isn't that, they are usually too weak since they are meant for flavoring cakes or frostings. Some of the more popular places to order flavors are in the sidebar, but there are plenty you can find at different sites. Check out ecigexpress.com for some ideas.
Hmm that is a shame. What are the characteristics to avoid? No oil, no sugar, anything else?
While yes, oil is bad to vape, things like "essential oils" from fruits, especially citrus, are safe to vape. There are no real oils in them.
Those are the main two, really. Make sure your VG reads USP or kosher grade. The higher purity percentage the better. You can get 99.7% from essentialdepot.com.
Also, with using just VG, you'll probably have to make your flavor percentages a bit stronger. Pg carries flavors better than VG.
I hear NN nic is good I haven't tried, I have tried RTS, MFS and WL. don't care for RTS and WL even less. Now I'm using VapersTek, it's by far the best nicotine I've tried. Don't underestimate how your choice of nic will determine the quality of you mixes.
I'd suggest trying as many flavor brands as possible. If you already know of 4-5-6 flavors you want to mix with, order those same flavors from Capella, TFA, FlavourArt, Inawera...note that FA and Inawera are mostly higher concentrates and you'll use smaller percentages (2-5%) in comparison to TFA.
Mixing takes a lot of trial and error, best to start at low percentages and work up if need be. Once you find the sweet spot in percentages you'll know quick which flavor manufacturer has that certain flavor that is head and shoulder's better than the others.
Make single flavor mixes at first so you can get a feel of exactly how each flavor taste on it own and perfect the percentage. For example, Inawera Chocolate Cream @ 3-4% standalone is fantastic...add about 1-2% FlavourArt marshallow to it and you've just made your first gourmet mix....I've tried about all the different flavoring brands and have settled on Inawera, FlavourArt and some Hangsen flavors, for my personal taste FA & INW are more consistent across the board and their flavors are more realistic and don't possess any perfume/floral notes in their concentrates...with the exception of INW Dark Fire that smells awful. I'm afraid to mix it if it taste like it smells...good luck
RTS Vapes & Ecigexpress are two vendors that'll have the broadest selection of flavor brands. Bullcity for FlavourArt and a good selection of Inawera.
Read the sidebar!
Read it and it was exactly what I was talking about, most of the information on flavoring wasn't in depth as I expected, at least in my amateur opinion. But the extraction post helped! The main reason for my post is I'm looking for flavoring I don't have to order online, and can find in person at a store.