The rise of THC vape oil in vape carts has proven to be a revolutionary alternative for smokers around the world. For the reason that it has many advantages over smoking. If you find yourself lucky enough to stay in a country or state where Cannabis is legal, you may have seen the rise of Weed-based Vape Juice in Dab Pens.
THC & CBD E-liquid is not only a great way to get high, but it is also a great method to kick your nicotine habit.
At mrbaked.co, people are always asking if they can make THC vape juice at Home? Now to answer your question… Yes, it is possible to make Cannabis Vape Liquid in your own home! Not only is it possible, but there are a few options available to you which we will discuss below.
How To Make THC Vape Juice & Oil
In some places, it isn’t possible to purchase Cannabis in any form for one reason or another so your only option would be to make your own THC Vape Juice.
Luckily for you, There are a few simple ways to make it. And all of them carry the same principals of extracting the THC oil from the cannabis buds and mixing it with a carrier liquid such as propylene glycol (PG), Vegetable Glycerine (VG) or some form of Wax Liquidizer for extracts.
If you decide to use extracts instead of fresh buds, I would advise using a solventless wax, like Rosin. The solvent-based extracts can be dangerous if not purged correctly. Rosin extracts are also safer to make and can be done at home for a relatively small amount of money.
Overview of the 3 Simple Cannabis Vape Juice Recipes.
The three recipes we discuss will vary in difficulty and time, but they are all relatively easy if you can source some high-quality weed and the equipment.
1. THC Vape Juice – Long-term THC extraction with Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerine. (VG) (up to 3 months).
2. THC Vape Juice – Short term THC extraction with PG and VG. (3 hours).
3. THC Vape Oil – Rosin extraction which is then mixed with Wax Liquidizer (2 hours max).
Overall these methods are pretty effective, but the Rosin extraction Vape Oil is the quickest and cleanest if you already have the concentrates.
However, if you don’t, you would need a Rosin Press similar to the highly-rated Dulytek DW6000 or its little brother, the Dulytek DM800. It is possible to do it with a pair of hair straighteners if you must. More on that below.
Recommended vape gear…
- VapeXhale Cloud Evo Desktop Vaporizer Review.
- Tubo Evic Wooden Portable Vaporizer Review.
- Arizer Go Dry Herb Vape Review. Discreet and Reliable.
- Boundless Tera V3 Dual Battery Dry Herb Vape.
Recipe 1 – WEED Vape Juice (Long term extraction)
This method a pretty easy method but isn’t very popular because it takes a long time. It is difficult to mess up and only requires you to grind your cannabis buds, decarboxylate them, then mix it with your PG/VG and leave it to sit for three months, mixing every now and again.
Here’s what you need!
- Cannabis flowers – As a rule of thumb you can mix approx 1/4 (7grams) of an ounce with approx 80ml of liquid (adjust as required for different strengths).
- Food grade Vegetable Glycerin (VG) and Propylene Glycol (PG) Mix
- Baking tray or Pyrex oven safe bowl
- Aluminum Foil
- Oven
- Freezer
- Glass Jar with an airtight lid
- Rice press
- Cheesecloth
- Stirring spoon
- Syringe
- Bottle
The steps
1. Set your oven to 250℉ (121℃).
2. Next thing we need to do is grind up your cannabis buds, try to make the grind quite coarse but as even as possible.
3. Following that, you will get your baking tray and spread the ground up cannabis evenly across it, then cover with foil.
4. Once the oven has heated, place the baking tray inside.
5. Next, get your PG/VG, if you bought it separately you will need to mix it. You can mix this to whatever percentage you like really. But, I’d recommend a minimum of 50% VG. However, just remember PG brings out more of the flavor which is why I tend to buy a mix of 60/40 in favor of VG.
40% is near the maximum PG levels I’d ever use because it can be quite harsh for some people, myself included.
6. After 40 minutes remove the cannabis from the oven and allow it to cool. (this decarboxylation step is crucial for converting THCa to THC)
7. Once the buds have cooled place them into your jar, then add your PG/VG mix until the buds are saturated.
Make sure there is enough to completely cover all the cannabis.
Note: I used a little measuring jug because I am doing the quicker method 2, which is where you should go now if you are too. Go to Method 2, step 2. If you are sticking with this one use a jar with a lid.
8. Next, give your mix a stir, put the lid on tight and put the jar away in a cool dark cupboard for three months. I take mine out and stir it every two weeks. When doing so, I add some extra PG/VG mix if and when required.
9. After three months are up, remove the mixture from the cupboard and give it a little stir.
10. Place your rice press over another glass jar or jug and line it with a couple of layers of cheesecloth.
11. Pour your mixture into the rice press, cover with some more cheesecloth then squeeze until your heart is content. Your mix should run into the jar leaving a clean THC vape juice.
12. Syringe up into a bottle, add to your e-cig, and enjoy.
Recipe 2 – Cannabis Vape Juice (Short term extraction)
This method is very similar to the first, with the addition of heat to speed the process up. In short, we will mix the cannabis with the PG/VG mix then add the jar to the pot with water and slowly extract the THC from the cannabis into the mixture using heat.
1. Follow method 1 up to step 7 then come back here. Go to Method 1
Additional Equipment.
- 2 pots (or a double boiler would make life easier)
- Stovetop
- A Thermometer(must be precise)
- Water
8. Pour your water into the bigger pot or double boiler, approximately half an inch deep, then add some water to the second pot and place it inside as seen in the photo.
(there are many ways to do this and this is how I do it).
Then add the pot to the stovetop and allow it to heat until you reach a constant temperature of 220℉(105℃). This is where your accurate thermometer comes in handy.
9. Add your Cannabis mix in the jar to the water in the pot and allow it to heat up to 180℉(85℃). Once you reach this heat, you need to maintain it without going over.
This step is crucial as it allows the THC to fuse with the PG/VG mix without destroying quality.
10. Once the temperature inside the jar has reached 180℉(85℃), you want to leave it on the stove for a minimum of 1-hour some recommend 2, 3 or even 4 for more potency. As long as you keep it in the safe at a decent temperature you are free to experiment with the time.
Remember to keep mixing frequently and adding more PG/VG if it looks to dry. Don’t add too much though as it will weaken your mixture.
11. Once you are happy, it is time to remove the mix from the pot and set it aside to cool a little.
12. With the mixture still warm enough that it still flows nicely, take your rice press and cheesecloth. Line the press with 2-3 layers of cheesecloth.
Hover it over a bowl or Jug. Pour your mixture into the press. and alow it to strain through.
Allow as much as possible to drain, then cover the top with more cloth and squeeze the rest of the mix out into the bowl.
This is what you should be left with.
13. The final step is to use the syringe to remove the liquid from the jar and add it to your e-liquid bottle. Now you can add it to your favorite e-cig and enjoy a vape.
Take Away: Next time I will experiment with less PG/VG Mix so it is a bit stronger. Maybe 80ml.
Other articles to read…
- Is Vaping Cannabis as Addictive as Smoking?
- Is it Cheaper to Vape Cannabis than Smoke It?
- How to Watercure Your ABV (Already Been Vaped) Weed.
- A List of Awesome things to Do With AVB Cannabis.
Recipe 3 – THC Vape Oil (Rosin Extraction)
This is by far our favorite way of making Cannabis E-liquid because it is the easiest way to control the strength of the liquid. You can do this starting from fresh buds or you can acquire some Rosin and start from step
The basics of this method are to press your raw cannabis buds in your Rosin Press or Hair Straightener to Create Rosin wax which you then add to your EJ mix and heat ever so slightly to mix the two together.
Here’s what you need!
- Cannabis Rosin or Flowers – Compact nugs work best.
- Rosin Press or Digital Hair straighteners
- Parchment paper
- Small Pyrex glass
- A Wax Liquidizer like the Non-GMO 100% Natural Organic Food Grade Medical Terpenes.
- Stirrer Spoon (I use my dab tool for this one)
The steps
I bought some wax but if you want to make the wax yourself from weed, I have added the steps in. If you have bought wax, jump to step 6.
**If you have a rosin press follow the manufacturer’s recommendations, If not follow this.
1. The first thing you want to do is grab your cannabis flowers and pack them into neat compact bundles that would fit comfortably within your press or hair straighteners.
2. When you have your weed ready you want to get your Press or hair straighteners ready.
Ideally, you want to be pressing your nugs of weed between 250-280℉ (120 – 140℃). This can be hard to judge when it comes to hair straighteners so I would recommend setting the heat on them accordingly. Use a thermometer for backup just to make sure the temperature is in range.
3. Put your weed onto a piece of parchment paper then fold it over, then place them in the center of the hot plates then squeeze with all your might for about 5 seconds. When finished, remove the pressed nugs and sit the rosin and paper to the side to cool.
4. Repeat the previous steps until you have approximately 0.5g of Rosin.
5. Now we need to remove all the THC goodness from the parchment paper. The easiest way to do this is to stick them in the freezer for 1 minute. As a result, the rosin will harden quickly. Now take a small pick, like a dab tool and start to scrape it off the paper.
Once you have a small piece of the extract on the pick, use that to collect the rest of the rosin with ease. It’s magic.
6. Next, we want to take our little Pyrex or any decent glass vial and add in 1ml of the Medical Terpenes (or whatever mix you choose to use), then add 0.5grams of rosin.
If you want to make more, just remember, 1ml of the mix for every 0.5g of cannabis wax.
7. You now need to heat the mixture; You can do this a few ways. Some people heat the glass with a windproof lighter for a few seconds until it bubbles then mix it, but I wouldn’t recommend trying that.
I boil a kettle then add a small amount of boiling water to a bowl and set the vial with the mixture in it for a while until they can easily mix. leaving a smooth golden e-liquid.
Now your e-liquid is ready to use, Just transfer it into your bottle or vape cart using a syringe and you’re good to go.
Some last thoughts on DIY THC E-liquid
Cannabis e-liquid is pretty easy to make following the methods above, and you are guaranteed to get a good hit.
As long as you ensure you follow our methods and heat guides thoroughly, you should ensure the full decarboxylation process occurs. This is required for activating the psychoactive compounds in the cannabis plant so don’t miss it.
Alternative Ways to Vape Cannabis
Surprisingly, I still meet people that don’t know there are options for vaping dry herbs in their unprocessed form using dry herb vaporizers.
I know right?!
You can also get concentrate vaporizers for vaping your extracts, like the above Rosin. You can vape it without the EJ Mix. Don’t believe me? Read on.
Dry Herbs Vaporizers
Using the actual flowers from the female cannabis plant is the most common way users like to reach that high. We all are familiar with using it to roll a blunt or pack a bowl, but not everyone knows you can vape the herb itself? Be careful though; you can’t just put any form of weed in any type of vaporizer. For dry herbs, you will need a dry herb vaporizer like Tubo Evic or the Arizer Go.
If you are unfamiliar with what a dry herb vaporizer is, here’s a simple answer: “A dry herb vaporizer, is a vaporizer that is for vaporizing dry herb, aka flower.” These vaporizers are generally easy to use and come in many different styles from portable to desktop vaporizers.
Dry herb vaporizers use either convection or conduction heating, or a combination of both, which is known as a hybrid.
What’s the difference?
Convection is when the herb is heated by the hot air passing through the chamber that is holding the bud. This is the optimal way to vaporize your plant because it will produce an even temperature throughout the chamber, thus resulting in better flavor and overall extraction.
Conduction is when the herb is heated through direct contact with a hot surface. This usually comes in the form of a heated ceramic, stainless or glass oven. This is less efficient with shorter sessions and can result in uneven extraction, although some of the top brands like PaxVapor have been improving this over the years by implementing smart technology into the devices.
Hybrid is a combination of both. These devices are usually intended as convection devices and end up being a bit of both because the heater is so close to the chamber. As a result, the chamber gets hot causing some extraction through conduction.
One example of this, in my opinion, is the Arizer Go. It claims to be convection, but I challenge anyone to grab the bowl end of the glass tube after a session and tell me there is no conduction heating going on there.
More articles to read…
- Kannastor GR8TR Grinder Review.
- 7 Ways Vaping is Different to Smoking Cannabis.
- Can Police Dogs Smell Cannabis Vaporizers?
- 29 More Dry herbs You Can Vaporize Instead of Weed.
Concentrate Vaporizers
Extract vaporizers come in many shapes and sizes. You have your regular old dab rig which is simply a quartz banger (a glass bowl that attaches to your bong). You then use a blow torch to heat the banger until it reaches temperatures between 350-850℉ (105-450℃) depending on whether you want low or high temp dabs.
I usually go right about the middle, sometimes below. It is tough to judge the temperature using this method, so this is where the e-nail comes in.
The e-nail in it’s simplest form is a coil that attaches to a digital meter which controls the heat of the coil. The coil is attached to the quartz banger and bong setup similar to the dab rig above. This way we can set the temperature of the coil, and it maintains that heat throughout the session.
These are fantastic for all dabs but particularly low temp because you don’t have to worry about it cooling too much before your concentrate is finished.
Last but not least, We have the Portable Concentrate vaporizers. These come in many shapes and sizes themselves. I personally own the Puffco Peak and the Dr. Dabber Switch which both work primarily in the same way,
They are both battery-powered heaters with a bowl and a waterpipe attachment that is used to vape concentrates. We also have pen types like the Puffco Plus.
The Final Puff
So the original question was whether you could put raw cannabis buds into an e-cigarette and went through the ways you can make it happen. We have gone over some simple methods where we can achieve this without much effort.
As previously said, our favorite method is rosin extraction mixed with wax liquidizer because it is the easiest way to control the strength of the liquid. Furthermore, any leftover wax can be used in my dab rig which is always a bonus.
We also took a look into some of the more modern methods of vaping your weed and why they are worth considering. Dry herb and concentrate vaporizers have come a long way in the last few years and are now my preferred method of THC ingestion.
If you give this DIY THC e-liquid recipe a try, let us know how it worked out. Or, if you have any suggestions, I’d love to hear them.
Alternatively, just say hi. We do our best to reply to everyone
Stay Elevated
Jack OG
