If you’ve ever wanted to vape without smoke for whatever reason, vapourless e liquid is an ingenious way to hide your vaping by getting rid of your clouds.
And with almost no visible vapour, smokeless, vapour-free e liquid can also help reduce unwanted vape smells indoors.
What is vapourless e liquid?
So-called “vapourless” e liquid is just like regular e liquid except that it contains mostly propylene glycol (or PG) and water. This has the effect of producing an almost invisible vapour when vaped and exhaled.
“Clear Steam” vapourless e liquid was first introduced as a concept by UK supplier Jac Vapour back in 2014. Their liquid was intended as a way for vapers to vape without being noticed at a time when vaping was less commonplace.
Though vaping is more socially acceptable nowadays than it was when this product first appeared, the demand for invisible or smokeless vape juice due to vape bans, etc is still quite high.
Is vapour-free e liquid actually invisible?
Though not 100% invisible, vapour from so-called vapourless e liquid is very difficult to detect unless you actually know what you’re looking for.
Or in other words, somewhere between completely invisible and “outdoors breath” on a coldish spring day.
Vapourless e liquid vapour is particularly hard for others to notice if you use it while “stealth vaping”. This simply means holding vapour in your lungs for a few seconds before exhaling.
Why vapourless e liquids reduce vape smells indoors
Vapourless juices can help prevent vape smells building up in rooms in your house simply because you exhale much less smelly vapour than you do with conventional e liquids.
So you still get just enough vapour to provide a satisfying nicotine hit when you inhale. It’s just that most of the vapour residue and aroma of whatever flavours you’re vaping condenses in your lungs.
And less steam on the exhale means fewer aroma particles from your e liquid vapour end up on your furniture, carpets and clothes indoors.
Downsides of using vapourless e liquid
Not everyone gets on with PG e liquids
One possible downside of vapourless e liquids is that they are almost pure PG formulations. This isn’t a problem for me as I actually prefer the flavour and hit from PG liquids.
But for those who prefer a softer, less intense inhale, cloud-free vape juices might not be the number one choice. Likewise, because if the high PG ratio, vapourless juice is off-limits for users with PG intolerances or allergies.
Doesn’t work so well with high-power devices
Another shortcoming of vapourless e liquid is that it doesn’t really work that well in high-power, direct-lung cloud-chasing vape devices.
This is because these kinds of kinds of e cig work best with VG-based e liquids, and so are not ideal for smokeless e liquid, which contains mostly PG.
Vaping vapourless liquids in high (50w+) power devices will still give you less obvious, visible vapour. It’s just that any vapour produced won’t be as “invisible”- or as smooth-tasting – as it would be in a smaller (MTL) device.
Vapour-free nicotine salt versions are not always available
A final issue I have with pre-mixed vapourless e liquid (like Clear Steam) is that it’s often only available with regular nicotine, rather than nicotine salts.
These days, I won’t vape anything without nic salts, as I find they give a much smoother and more satisfying inhale. The high PG ratio of vapourless a liquid means a more intense hit, though this would be a lot softer if nic salt versions were more easily available.
There are two ways to overcome the lack of commercially-available nic salt vapourless juices:
- order zero or low (6mg) nicotine vapourless mixes, and then top up the strength yourself using flavourless PG nic salt shots
- make your own vapourless vape juice with PG, water and nic salts from scratch at home
Best types of vape device to use with vapourless e liquid
The best device types for vapourless e liquids are low-power, refillable “mouth-to lung” pod vapes, vape pens and small mod-tank combos designed for quitting smoking.
These entry-level device types give optimum results in terms of low-visibility vapour thanks to their small (1.0 ohm) coil sizes and very modest output (5-15W).
And because of the high PG and water content in vapourless e liquid, it will most likely run smoothly in even the smallest refillable devices.
Vape devices designed for vapour-free e liquid
Though you can use vapourless e liquid with most low-power vape MTL devices, you can also now find a few dedicated models designed specifically for vapour-free vaping.
These are quite new to the market, and are made not only to make your smoke invisible, but also are also smaller and easier to conceal.
Disposable vapourless vapes
Aspire’s new Mynus vape pod is one of the newest disposable devices to use vapourless technology. This is a non-refillable pod vape that is tiny, produces very little visible vapour, and is very easy to hide in your hand.
However, it has to be said that the Mynus is a strange-looking device that looks more like a spaceship than a pod vape.
How to make your own vapourless e liquid
If you don’t want to buy pre-mixed vapourless e liquid or if you’re vaping on a low budget, you can always try making your own invisible vape juice at home. This is easy to do, and you’ll only need to buy in a few DIY vaping supplies to get started.
You’ll just need to get hold of some:
- unflavoured PG nicotine (preferably nic salt) liquid or shots
- unflavoured PG base liquid
- distilled water (or tap water)
- vape-safe flavour drops
Mixing proportions:
The easiest way to mix your vapourless e liquid is to mix by volume.
Using a DIY vape juice calculator, mix your PG and nicotine together to a strength that is 10% stronger than your target nicotine strength. In other words, if your target strength is 12mg, aim for a 13.2mg mix.
Once you’ve done that, dilute your PG-nicotine mix back down with enough water (no more than 10%) to reach your target strength.
This will give you a liquid that will produce very little vapour (if any at all) as long as you vape at low power (8-12 watts). If you’ve never tried DIY mixing before, get yourself acquainted with the basics of making your own e liquid, first.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking to hide your vape smoke or just improve the smell of your home, vapourless e liquid is worth a shot even if you only try it once.
Bear in mind though that vaping without smoke isn’t for those who don’t get on with PG or who have an intolerance or allergy to it.
