Don't lock yourself down with arbitrary rules. This is a hobby centered around experimentation and personal preference. Just because someone respected here says something only works at 3% doesn't make that an undeniable fact. It might be a good starting point for you, but it isn't gospel.

Start simple. I have flavors with 3 ingredients and I have flavors with 12 or more. Not everything can be simple, and most things won't be complex. Start with a very literal interpretation with round percentages. Example: Blueberry Cheesecake - Graham Cracker, Cheesecake, Blueberry Puree. Your first try could literally be 3 ingredients and then once you get a decent base you can add complexity.

If you aren't sensitive to PG, you're doing your tongue a disservice by not having at least 25% PG in your recipe (including flavors) It makes a bigger difference than people think.

Sweeteners aren't always a bad thing. Some recipes don't need it because they're sweet on their own, but if you're making a cake or pie recipe without sweetener it'll never be great. They exist for a reason.

EDIT: And for the love of the vape gods, please don't waste your time and energy trying to rapidly steep your juice. Just make it before you need it and throw it in a drawer. Damn near everything is better after 2 weeks.

Making the switch to mixing by weight. Seriously, you can't do that soon enough, it's miles easier than by volume.

1. Never "eyeball" any measurement. Not because it cant taste delicious, but because you will have a hard time reproducing that result.

2. Write down recipes, and keep notes from failed experiments. Knowing what doesnt work is just as valuable as knowing what does.

This holds especially true when you are on your 10th variation of one recipe.

3. Flavors can take time. Just because it wasnt where you want it after a week, doesnt mean it isnt good in a month, or even 3 months.

DIY requires patience.

Don't buy flavors because they sound nice. Buy flavors to make a specific recipe.

Then when you have some experience, you can try your own concoctions.

I still have 20-30 10ml flavor bottles I never used.

Not making everything max VG.

Realizing the only way to build a great recipe is by doing so one step at a time , not throwing 10 flavors together and hope it works. Take a strawberry cheesecake. Instead of compiling all the flavors you think will work , or because so and so used them in his , start out with your strawberry and a cheese cake base. Mix those up , test it , maybe let it steep , adjust your %. Then move on to the next step when you are satisfied. Maybe build the crust. Get that right , then maybe thicken up the cheesecake some , and so on.

Unicorn Milk clone that was dead on. I held that little bottle in my hand, basked in the realization that it cost me 1.08 to make vs. the 25 I'd been paying, and dove head-first down the rabbit hole.

Realising that certain flavours fade far quicker than others.

Now if I want to make a fruit cream I will mix the creamy flavours in a big batch a week or two in advance, then add fruits and vanillas a few days before I want to vape it, in small batches so i'm getting the fresh flavour I want out of them.

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Less is more, when it comes to flavor

Mixing by weight. Good what was I doing before!

I changed vg/pg levels to taste it at different levels, then change from private to public.

Different approach/method, always research for previous work/study. ECF/Underground Vaping was a wealth of knowledge, more than ELR or reddit combined at the time. Some of these subs are only 2-3 years old, ECF/UV goes back 6-7 or even 8-10 years. And they were EXTREMELY active in discussion.

-I clean wicks, but wont change coils, I use bare basics, its like a steep. a good steep will make a good recipe better, but wont turn a shit recipe good

-best tool would be time and proper steep -website, ECF/Underground vaping/ELR/Reddit.. one that changed my view of DIY is DIYORDIE and how petty mixers can be about their recipes and withholding information that folks think is gold. (We either know it already or probably will find out very soon, games been out too long) -Mistakes I didn't realize until afterwards, ..is it a flavor that you really think you'll enjoy? I thought I would love dreamsicle, and I mix it, and its good, and then...realize its not something I want constantly in my tank. and I wont touch it for 6 months and then Ill start the cycle again.
-Biggest mistake I've seen, not that I did it but.. I saw someone make 500ml of a flavor...as a first try/expirement and then dump the whole thing out after a month steep. Waste of materials...start small, maybe like 50ml or batch sample..

...anything else is.. don't stick to just one database. Don't hold allegiance to solely one, reddit, ELR, shit, even the mixer at your B&M, I talk to my b&m weekly, I don't even buy stuff from the store, I usually ask him to change my wick/coils, but I leave tips and donations to the store, him and advocacy purposes. (might as well pay for a service if I'm not paying for a good.) Don't be stingy with your recipes, if you are open about your favorites, others might be open about theres, no internet copyright is gonna protect you, especially if the site is using copyrighted materials for image profiles to begin with :/

If you're adamant about mixing by volume, use labeled syringes