Vaping has kept me from many other more harmful vices in my life and I'm having a lot of anxiety about losing the ability to order my ADV juices from Blue dot and other vendors choosing to close.
I'm so grateful to this subreddit. While the amount of information is very overwhelming, I am so glad it exists!
Take one step at a time. Read all the pin articles in the sidebar. Then ask questions. You got this.
I lurked here for 6 months before gaining the confidence to place my first order
I jumped straight into the Discord server as soon as I realized they had one.
It’s saved me a ton of money and time.
I made three orders on my own before I listened to suggestions. My suggestion: (1) participate as much and as often as you can. It rockets your learning. (2) make some simple mixes from recipes first but then (3) sft everything. Take lots of notes including what it reminds you of and what you’d pair it with. Even if it’s wild and crazy thoughts. Write it all down in one place.
Edit: I use nearly none of those first order flavors that I got. It wasn’t until I participated that I took a suggestion and bought flavors someone recommended based on what I said that I was able to find some great flavors. Then, I decided on some recipes to try. Finally, I’m taking testing more seriously. I really did the whole thing backwards and wasted a lot of time.
Hardest part is first flavour order but don't agonise over it as you won't get it perfect and it's inevitable that you buy concentrates that you don't like. Creating the perfect first flavours list is a mug's game.
Just my opinion, but don't put too much stread in the first order lists, they are good as a general guide and to see what some people are using but will not necessarily contain the flavours needed for the profiles you like.
I wouldn't worry too much about ordering flavours that maximise the recipes you can make either, you're going to have to place 2nd and 3rd orders anyway and you'll be in a better position to select flavours once you've mixed a few recipes.
For starters, find 3 or 4 recent and well reviewed recipes on ATF and ELR that have similar flavour profiles as your ADVs and order them.
If you can find a few recipes early on that you can have in your rotation as ADVs then it takes all then pressure off as you've got something to vape. You'll also know the process then and wont be feeling overwhelmed anymore
From that point on it's just finding recipes and flavours as you go which is far less daunting than when you're starting out from scratch and have to learn everything.
It seems like a lot at the start but it's really not hard especially if you're just mixing other people's recipes.
Thank you!!
I think the main thing Im stuck on is that I have no idea what flavors go into my 2 favorite ADV juices (both from Blue dot). Still reading and trying to figure out how the heck I get that info to = what base flavors to order?
Search for an actual clone in ATF and ELR, you might get lucky, but if not then I wouldn't recommend trying to clone it yourself right off the bat, look for good recipes with similar flavour profiles.
You won't be able to say, for example, my ADV is caramel and butterscotch with hints of vanilla and then buy those concentrates and expect it to work out, doesn't work that way :)
You might check out the DIY beginners guide from the side bar. It does give you a starting point. Then decide what you like. Say, if you like strawberry, find a basic recipe just to get you started and so you can make something you can vape. That will build your confidence. If you do your own research, there are so many people here in this sub that will help you-just ask. But read all you can for yourself. You will be surprised how easy it is to get started if you just read the advice that is already written down for you. As long as you are willing to help yourself, people around here will always jump in to give you a hand. Have fun with it! Good luck!
I have read The beginner's guide a few times and I think that's why I'm feeling overwhelmed haha
I remember that feeling! I think everyone feels that way at the start. Did you happen to see the 2 flavor recipes? They were hard for even me to mess up! If you know you like a least one of the flavors used, you have a pretty good shot at making something you can vape. And there's something about the first time you make a juice that you can vape that gives you the confidence to keep on learning! Hang in there sweetie!