Vitamin C Serum DIY

Vitamin C, specifically L ascorbic acid and ascorbic acid is among the most studied skin care ingredients with very good effects on skin. This posts explains how to make your own small batches of fresh vitamin C serum at home, ideally 5-20%, around 3.5 pH. 

Uses & Benefits of DIY Vitamin C serum

• Vitamin C promotes collagen production. (Collagen production has anti-aging effects on the skin)
• Vitamin C can treat skin hyperpigmentation.
• Vitamin C is antioxidative and therefore protects against some sun damage. (Contrary to popular belief, vitamin C can even be used in the sun and is not sun sensitive).
• Store bought Vitamin C often oxides within only 1 week and can therefore be rendered ineffective over time, especially if not well formulated and containing sufficient stabilizers like vitamin E. You can therefore avoid this oxidation problem by making your own fresh serum in small batches that last for 1 week within a few minutes.
• Because DIY vitamin C serum is cheap, you can actually use it on other parts of your body other than your face.

You will need the following to make DIY Vitamin C serum

• L ascorbic acid (vitamin C) powder. L ascorbic acid, the most commonly used form of vitamin C used in cosmetics, can oxidize more easily than plain ascorbic acid.
• Water, preferably distilled or dionized
• Baking soda (to alkalinize the pH to be closer to your skin's pH to thereby reduce the potential sensitizing effect of vitamin C serum)
• a funnel that fits into your bottle. Otherwise, a firm piece of paper that can be rolled into a cone and used as a makeshift funnel.
• pH indicator (like pH strips)
• a scale in grams. Otherwise, a small measuring spoon. Using volume-based measurements are not as precise. However, given the wide range of percentage points of vitamin C, there should not be any harm using volumetric measurements.
• a small dark colored glass bottle, preferably with a dropper and an air-tight seal. You can also wrap the bottle in aluminum foil and place the bottle in a dark cupboard.

How to make DIY Vitamin C serum

1. Decide on the strength you need. Most serums range from 3 - 25%. As a general rule, percentages below 10% are ideal for beginners. Many people begin to see benefits with percentages as low as 3 - 5%. Beware, in some cases, attempting to start too high might have diminishing returns because the potential sensitivity associated with a high percentage can have an overall negative effect on the skin.
2. Note the capacity of your bottle. To do this, measure how much water fits into the otherwise empty bottle. Example 100g or 10 teaspoons (tsp). 
3. Calculate how much vitamin C powder to add. To do this, calculate the percentage by the capacity of your bottle. Example, if I want a 9% strength in a 100g or tsp bottle, my calculation will be 9 g or tsp L ascorbic acid, ie (9 / 100) x 100g. The remaining amount will be the water amount.
4. Add enough water with which you can dissolve the vitamin C in the bottle by shaking it vigorously.
5. Add the balance of the water and combine.
6. Adjust the pH with the aim of a pH below 3.5. This is important to enhance the absorption of the vitamin C into the skin and to avoid the potential for irritation caused by the strong acidity of the vitamin C.
7. Keep the bottle in darkness.

Using DIY Vitamin C serum

1. Regarding combining vitamin C with other skin care products. When layering products onto the skin, apply the serum as close to the bare skin as possible (because vitamin C does not penetrate the skin very easily).. Avoid applying in combination with copper ions or benzoyl peroxide (as both will deactivate the ascorbic acid). If you have sensitive skin, it might be prudent to avoid combining with other potentially sensitizing ingredients like retinoids and exfoliating acids like alpha hydoxyacids. (Otherwise, these combinations are usually acceptable).  
2. Apply directly onto the skin, day or night. (Likely due to the photosensitivity of AHAs, it is a myth that vitamin C is photosensitive).
3. As much as possible, minimize the exposure of your vitamin C serum to oxygen. To this end, close your container well between uses.
4. If the serum turns yellow, it has oxidized. While it is not harmful, it is frustrating because it can stain your skin and has an unpleasant metallic smell.

CONTENT RELATED TO DIY VITAMIN C SERUM

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