Have you ever noticed a dark-brown colour in your vape juice and wondered where it could be coming from? Your vape juice supplier must have most likely informed you that the vape juice usually turns dark when it expires. However, when it’s not about to expire, there are many other reasons vape juices turn dark, and this blog is about to expound on them.
Let’s learn why your vape juice is dark.
1. Natural Oxidation
Oxidation is a chemical reaction between any substance and oxygen or other oxidizing substances. In an unfavourable environment (dumpy or wet), the nicotine in vape juices directly reacts with natural oxygen, causing oxidation revealed through a dark colour.
Again, leaving the vape gadget closed loosely can result in oxidation when oxygen enters through the left spaces. You can easily prevent dark colours caused by oxidation by storing your e liquid in a cool and dry environment while ensuring it’s tightly closed.
2. A Build-Up of Dirt and Dust Particles
All gadgets are prone to accommodating dust particles and dirt over time. If the dust particles are left unattended for months, a vape device turns brownish, causing the juice to darken progressively. It’s your responsibility, the vaper, to occasionally clean your vape device thoroughly to prevent the collection of dirt and dust.
You can wipe your device on a bi-weekly basis while performing a thorough cleaning (which involves dismantling the entire gadget if possible and changing the coils) once a month.
3. Effect of Vape Juice Sweeteners
Imagine you’ve been enjoying your beloved vape juice in its original form, and it suddenly starts to turn dark. Vape juices with added sweeteners will likely turn into a dark colour some days after purchasing them. Since most manufacturers barely disclose if their vape juices contain added sweeteners, any tobacco, menthol, dessert, and fruit-flavoured e-juices lie in the category.
Strive to avoid vape juice that comes with added sweeteners as they are known to burn coils easier than their counterparts. If you choose extra-sweetened juices, clean the device regularly as you replace burnt coils.
4. Vape Juice Agitation
While shaking the vape device is known to mix the ingredients adequately to maintain the original flavour, overdoing the process triggers oxidation. Shaking the vape device more vigorously increases the amount of oxygen trapped within the vape juice resulting in a dark colour.
You can still agitate your device whenever you want but do it smoothly to prevent oxidation. Additionally, storing the vape device in a restless environment, such as your bag during bike riding, also counts as agitation and can cause darkening. If you’re moving around with the gadget in your bag, reinforce it enough.
5. Vape Juice Expiration
One of the most common reasons why vape juices turn dark is when their expiration dates arrive. Vape juice manufacturers always label the expiration period on the devices, which lies between one to two years. Expired vape juice is characterized by a dark-brown colour and might not be fit for human consumption.
However, experts haven’t proven any health issues associated with consuming expired vape juices as much as they discourage it. Ensure to purchase vape juices with longer lifespans to have maximum enjoyment and acquire the value of your money back.
6. Vape Juice Mix-Ups
Another reason why your current vape juice might turn brown is when you mix different e-liquids. You could refill your old vape pen with a new e-liquid having extra flavour from the original one.
The e-liquid can most likely turn dark with time due to the mix-up of flavours and brands. Perhaps you intend to get creative with vape juice ‘cocktails’; you should mix all flavours in a clean bottle, free from any pre-existing juice, dirt, or taste that would contaminate your DIY project.
7. Poor-Quality Vape Juice
Quality remains a crucial subject in all industries, including the nicotine world. Poor-quality vape juices have the habit of darkening days after you purchase them, even when you store them carefully. It’s due to the manufacturers barely adhering to the required standards of ingredients and the correct procedures of preparation.
You can easily spot poor-quality vape juices by comparing their prices with those of other brands and suppliers. When the deal is too good, always think twice. Other characteristics of poor-quality vape juices that can save you from normal darkening are weak batteries, no warranty, and a soft casing.
8. Reaction With Heat
Perhaps you got a high-quality vape device far from its expiry date, and you’ve been cleaning it regularly and closing it tightly, but the juice still darkens under unclear circumstances. Maybe you stored the juice in direct contact with sunlight or heat, which causes colour changes.
The nicotine in the vape juice gradually breaks down, altering the original colour into dark brown. You can easily prevent this by storing your vape juice in a cool, dry place and adhering to the manufacturer’s guidelines regarding heat and sunlight.
There you have all the possible reasons that might be causing your vape juice to turn into a dark colour before it meets its expiration. The good thing is that all the causes are manageable with proper storage, among other vape-related practices.