So I'm a nicotine junkie - it's cheaper and more effective for depression/anxiety than pharma products. Been vaping for a couple of years, started making my own juices, and realized I'd gotten up to 2 oz. of 6 mg juice per week. Lungs just weren't having it anymore and the spouse was having breathing/eye problems, too.
Switched to nicotine lozenges and realized that they were destroying my disposable income at $40 - 50/week for the cheapest ones.
The lightbulb went on - why not try making my own nicotine candy with the big bottle of 60 mg/ml nicotine liquid (PG) cluttering up the closet?
Sadly, all of the nicotine candy recipes sounded messy, sugary and awful.
Lightbulb went on again. Apply nicotine liquid in measured quantities to an existing sugar-free porous candy.
Thus the Altoids Sugar-Free Mint nicotine lozenge was born.
WARNING: Keep out of reach of children. Repackage in a child-resistant nicotine lozenge or other medication container so that no one will mistake these for harmless mints. I make no claims that this is safe, only that I've done it without apparent ill effects.
You'll need:
- Poly or nitrile gloves
- 1 ml syringe marked in increments of 0.01 ml with blunt needle (available from multiple DIY e-liquid vendors)
- Tins of Altoids Sugar-Free Smalls or equivalent chalky candy
- 60 mg/ml nicotine in propylene glycol solution (I have not tested with glycerin base, but suspect this would cause the mints to melt or become too sticky)
- Wax paper
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Wear gloves when handling nicotine solutions.
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Arrange mints on wax paper so that they're not touching each other, or they might get stuck together and have unpredictable quantities of nicotine.
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Fill syringe and apply 0.05 ml nicotine solution to each (3 mg nicotine per mint). It's OK if it runs down and puddles under the mint.
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Allow the mints to adsorb the solution overnight or until they're dry enough to handle and repackage. They will swell slightly.
That's it. That's all - 1 tin of Altoids Smalls provides about 52 nicotine lozenge equivalents for $1.00.
The pharmacokinetics are a little different from the Big Pharma version, so I cut the dose per mint to 3 mg. Obviously, you can use higher/lower strength nicotine base to create 4 mg (80 mg/ml solution) or 2 mg mints (40 mg/ml solution).
Place the lozenge under your tongue for maximum absorption and to avoid releasing the nicotine too quickly.
This has been a great tool for me - easy to carry, no air quality complaints, discreet at work, no battery to worry about.
Big "sorry!" to those making their living from selling vape products, but it seems useful to those who are concerned about minimizing harm from our collective habit.
Let me know your thoughts!
Part II - Flavor testing
This is a feasibility study, no detailed science here. I just dipped a toothpick in whatever I had lying around and painted the top surface of each mint with a flavor. Testing for potency, balance and compatibility with the intense mintiness.
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(FA) Lime Tahity - mint flavor still predominates. No distinctive addition from the lime, just a slight bitterness.
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(FA) Lavender - really, really noticeable lavender. Not pleasant with the mint and I don't think using less would help.
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(FA) Hazelnut - Run away. This tastes like a coffee shop disaster - rancid, oily, cloying chemical notes.
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(FA) Bergamot - Liked this a lot - the subtle herbal note from the bergamot makes for a more complex, earthy mint flavor.
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(FA) Mandarin - excessively intense tangerine flavor, too candied and bitter, would use less/dilute. However, it's an interesting combination and worth playing with further.
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(FA) Lemon Sicily - Need to use less flavoring, but this seems to be a winner. Natural-tasting lemon drop/mint, some bitter peel notes on the finish. Might mix well with the bergamot.
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(FA) Cardomom/(WL) Vanilla Bourbon - Wow, delicious. Like a chai candy with refreshing cool mint instead of the "hot" cinnamon.
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(WL) Honeysuckle - Floral, but cloying. Mint amplifies some weird-tasting meaty/coffee notes on the back of the tongue.
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(FW) Cloud 9 - SweetTart lovers, this one's for you, just add mint. Pretty tasty.
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(FA) Rose - this is my flavor sweet spot. The rose floral and mint balance nicely for my taste and this would be a go-to addition for me (not to mention the great breath).
More to come, stopping now before I poison myself [Pro tip: if your face starts going numb, you've had too much].
Okay, taste and spit tests:
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(FA) Jasmine - very subtle floral, would harmonize well with the bergamot/mint combination. The jasmine enhances sweetness and has a lingering floral flavor.
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(FA) Anise - Ouzo shot! If you like anise flavor, this is a very good combination with the mint.
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(FA) Dark Bean (coffee) Espresso - Completely nasty. Vape, don't taste.
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(FA) Mango - lost in the mint. It's a vaguely fruity/floral/buttery flavor if you know it's there.
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(WL) Ginger Ale - Good ginger soda taste with the mint, but not "hot" ginger. This flavor concentrate leaves a noticeable orange stain.
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(FW) Martini - mild juniper flavor, pleasant with the mint but not earth-shattering. Might be a reasonable addition with the blackberry below.
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(WL) Blackberry - natural blackberry flavor is noticeable and goes very well with mint.
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(WL) Double Watermelon - unpleasantly chemical, doesn't taste like watermelon when combined with peppermint.
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(WL) Two Apples - not distinctly apple-flavored, but noticeable and pleasing addition as a mixer for other flavors.
When I couldn't afford any morr DIY supplies, I still had nic base, I'd just rub a dab in my bottom lip for a week or two till I got money haha. This reminded me of that.
I don't know if the mods will have it, but we did have a post about using flavorings for shaved ice.
i dont see why this wouldnt work either. PG nic isn't going to evaporate easily and those mints could absorb an amount of pg liquid. Snus works the same way and has been shown to not cause cancer because its the tar that is carcinogenic. I dont know if /r/Snus would want this discussion though either.
Played around with additional flavorings (mango, etc.), but found that the base mint flavor of Altoids is indeed curiously strong... the mint "tingle" actually contributes to the psychological expectation of the nicotine effect and may help quitters to taper off.
I mentioned pharmacokinetics because the delivery method and release rate is important.
Most OTC nicotine lozenges take 15 - 30 minutes to dissolve if used as directed - you don't want to get that 2 - 4 mg dose all at once. The dose rate (how fast, high and long in your bloodstream) on oral nicotine is very different than inhaled - lower peak so you don't get that satisfying "hit", but it lasts a lot longer.
I found that a doctored Altoids Small under the tongue takes about 10 - 15 minutes to dissolve, and would cut the nicotine accordingly.
Using nicotine-containing liquids on edibles is going to have some risks. Absorption is lower from swallowed nicotine than nicotine applied through skin/mucous membranes, but more likely to cause stomach upset, heartburn, etc.
Testing with lavender, jasmine, violet, rose and some other relatively powerful floral/herbal flavors that I enjoy in candies/pastry. Flavors like coconut and lime might work well with mint - they make yummy vape mixtures, but I couldn't tolerate them as inhalants. The trick is going to be using flavoring quantities that taste good without making the mints gooey.
> Snus works the same way and has been shown to not cause cancer because its the tar that is carcinogenic.
What about nitrosamines?
Tobacco-related nitrosamines are formed from curing and fermenting tobacco leaves - they're present in small quantities in snus and snuff. Vaping generates tiny amounts, but unheated purified nicotine shouldn't contain nitrosamines. Saliva and stomach acid may cause small amounts of nitrosamine formation, but this is true for any nicotine product and you'll get far greater quantities from cured meats.
Thanks. Didn't know snus in not cured.
EDIT: Found a related study:
http://cro.sagepub.com/content/15/5/252.full
EDIT2: Cigarettes:
If the average is about 10 ppm NNN and NNK this is 10 µg / g and one cigarette has about 5 times less 100 - 300 ng / g:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16085512
Just vaping is far better:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25811768
EDIT3: Sorry, of course it must be 50 times, not 5 times.
This might be very controversial in this thread... but I've noticed since I switched from cigs to vaping my cravings have not been nearly as bad as before. I can go a whole day of work without any nic (yeah I'm looking forward to the moment when I can vape at the end) but I actually can make it now. Before I would be worried the whole day and be looking for a moment to sneak a cigarette. I was at about a pack a day at my worst and I'm sure nic affects everyone differently; but after my switch (about two years ago) it's been much more manageable
This is actually the biggest difference I noticed. I still feel some effects on my lungs and stamina. I never was a cougher, I guess the tar just caked my lungs up pretty good.
But the cravings are completely manageable. When I forget my vape somewhere or accidently take empty batteries with me, I'm fine. I still think like "fuck", but it's not like with cigs where I would go out of my way to buy a fresh pack.
Whenever a mod of mine breaks or something occurs that I can't vape (like in a week, I have to have a molar pulled....Won't be able to vape a few days), I just put a little bit of juice on a piece of cotton (Rayon, actually, I haven't used cotton in over a year, but that's besides the point) & stuff it in my bottom lip.
Dipping, reinvented. Just be sure to not drench the cotton wick, just get it a little bit wet with juice. Works very well.
I'll confess that I got through the day at work by using 100% VG flavored 3 mg liquid as drops (formulated for taste - great or weird breath, depending...). However, I could run through 0.5 oz./day this way and it probably wasn't doing my stomach or my waistline any good - VG has calories.
Any idea what the absorption capacity per mint is? Can a single mint soak up 0.5ml, etc..?
0.05 milliliters seems to cover the top of the mint exactly. While the mints are still soaking up the solution, they look spongy and swell by about 10%, then return to approximately the original size, shape and hardness when dry. I don't think I would try using a substantially larger quantity of liquid (e.g. lower nicotine concentration) to get the same deposit of nicotine.
I just don't think this would hit the spot for me and it's too crafty for me to attempt but it's a pretty cool idea thanks for sharing I might send this to my mom she's really into DIY she just has no idea what Reddit is.
Too crafty? Jesus man how do you make juice if putting a dab of nic on a mint is too crafty
This is a great idea for long-haul flights (like 10-hours). I'm considering making a few of these at super-low nic to enjoy during my next intern-continental flight. Props to a great idea!!
I tried this almost immediately after I saw this post. It works and I highly suggest it. Like the OP said, it doesn't smack you right away, it takes about 7 minutes to fully take effect. Many, many thanks to the OP!
So this actually works? I may have to try this just to try it. I wonder how adding more than one flavor to the mint would work.
I just gave this a shot and my results varied. I had all the proper ingredients including 60mg PG-based nic. I used .5ml per altoid small which was the perfect amount to cover the top of the mint. Let it sit overnight but the mints are sticky and almost melted, pitted.
Is this normal results? I am afraid to put them back in the container where they could become one coagulated mass. Letting them sit more.
Try 0.05 ml, not 0.5! Using 60 mg/ml, you've just put 30 mg of nic on the mint!
Oh boy, that was a typo. I have been correctly using 0.05ml of juice. 0.5ml would be a pool on the was paper and I'd just be throwing the mints in it!
I was more successful with my second batch. It dried within 24 hours. Could be ambient temp / humidity that affects the process.
Sidenote: I attempted it with Wintergreen mints. Complete failure, they are too sugary and not as chalky. The result after 3 days was mushy lucky charms marshmallows with nicotine.
These have been great, thanks for the recipe!
I did nicotine gelltabs.
Recipie: 50mL distilled water; 3 mL of 100mg/mL nic in PG solution; 100mg of citric acid; 2mL of wintergreen flavour or 500 mg menthol; 10g gelatine; heat in microwave to dissolve gelatine, mix gently; pour 16 mL in approx 100cm2 tray; dry overnight at 50C; cut in approx 1cm2 squares - approx 1mg/tab each;
Works well
Hi
I would love to try this.
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Q1
I would have about 400 lozenges a month. Can't get these mints in Ireland.
Can you make this type of mint or better at home.
Any Altoid type mint recipe's ?
Any Altoid type Keto mint recipe's ?
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Q2.
Nicotine solution. - I don't understand the math.
You have 60mg/ml nicotine solution in PG.
Then 0.05 ml solution gives you 3mg nicotine per mint.
60mg/ml would give you 60mg / 0.05mg = 1,200 3mg mints.
But...
60mg /ml divided by 3mg/ml = 20 units
So, if you multiply 1,200 by 3mg, then you need 3,600 mg nicotine.
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Can you explain the math's ?
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Q3.
I can only find locally, nicotine shots with 20mg/ml.
How do I mix solution to make 3mg mints?
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Where can I get enough nicotine to make the 60mg/ml solution?
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I love this idea.
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Help me, help, help, help me to make this work.
Won't you please, please help me, help me, help me E. (Beatles).
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Thanks.
I believe the math goes as follows. If you have 60mg/ml divided by 3mg/ml, you get 20 units
So that just means that for every 1 ml, there are 20 units of 3mg, or 3 mg in every 0.05ml (as 0.05 is 1/20th).
So at 60 mg/ml, for every ml, you can make 20, 3mg mints. So if you want to make 100 mints, you need 5ml. If you want to make 1000 mints, you need 50ml of 6mg/ml nicotine.
Please keep this out of our groups. We work hard to maintain this group. And it's called diy e juice for a reason. Thanks.
Mod here, and I disagree. I thought this was an interesting (and frugal) way to use ingredients we all have on hand. In the end, it's all about staying away from cigs.
Thank you - I'm not usually a big poster and wasn't sure where this would be appropriate.