Make Your Own Vitamin C Serum

If you want to fight the visible signs of aging (pretty much all of them) what you want to do is increase your skin's collagen production.

Among the most effective topical treatments for collagen production is Vitamin C. The big problem is it's very unstable (degrades very quickly generally and very, very quickly when exposed to air or light). For this reason, cosmetic companies have done a lot of research into how to make Vitamin C more stable - they've had some success (although not THAT much) and the products they sell with the stabilized Vitamin C are expensive compared to serum. In fact, stabilizing Vitamin C has proven so difficult that generally Vitamin A (i.e. tretinoin/Retin-A) is preferred for collagen production - it's actually not as effective as Vitamin C (at least on acne scarring), but it's stable.

Some beauty brands charge huge amounts for a little amount.Not to worry let's try our very own serum at home.Before that have a look at the benefits of Vit. C.

Benefits Of Vitamin C:

Wrinkles

One of the most powerful functions of vitamin C is its role in the production of collagen, a protein that gives your skin its elasticity. As you age, collagen breaks down and wrinkles begin to form. Stabilizing your skin’s levels of vitamin C can help to counteract wrinkle formation by increasing collagen production.

Age Spots

When it comes to treating age spots, you don’t need chemical peels and lasers – it turns out that vitamin C can have almost the same results! Age spots are essentially sun damage, and vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, shown to reduce the number of sunburned cells as well as reverse age-related damage to skin. While it’s not a replacement for sunscreen, vitamin C protects against and may repair UV damage like discoloration and fine lines.

Anti-Aging 

Taking vitamin C through a supplement or food is beneficial to your health, but to specifically target signs of aging on your face, topical vitamin C is best. In fact, applying vitamin C to the skin can be 20 times more effective than taking it orally. Topical vitamin C is sold in a wide range of products from serum to lotions. Look for products that contain between 3% and 10% of vitamin C and include the active ingredient ascorbic acid or L-ascorbic acid.

Ingredients For The Vitamin C Serum:

• 1/2 tsp L-Ascorbic Acid or, Vitamin C Powder
• 1 tablespoon distilled water
• 2 tablespoon vegetable glycerin or jojoba oil.
• A drop of Vitamin E oil (optional)
• A dark bottle to store(because its unstable) with a dropper.

How To Make It:

If this is your first time using any type of acidic face treatment, you may want to start off slowly with a 5% solution. Most top vitamin C serum producers are somewhere in the 15-20% range, but you can easily work your way up using the following recipes:

1. 5% Solution

• 1/4 t. L-ascorbic acid
• 1/2 t. jojoba oil / glycerin
• 4 1/4 t. distilled water (make sure it is distilled, as the naturally occurring minerals in purified water can interfere with your serum’s effectiveness)

2. 10% Solution

• 1/4 t. L-ascorbic acid
• 1/2 t. jojoba oil / glycerin
• 1 3/4 t. distilled water

3. 15% Solution

• 3/8 t. L-ascorbic acid
• 1/4 t. jojoba oil /glycerin
• 2 1/4 t. distilled water

4. 20% Solution

• 1/4 t. L-ascorbic acid
• 1/2 t. jojoba oil / glycerin
• 1/2 t. distilled water

Please follow the exact measurements, as any miscalculation may lead to skin burn.

Procedure:

1. Dissolve the Vitamin C powder in the water.
2. If only using water and Vitamin C, you are done. This will store for up to 2 weeks or longer in the fridge.
3. If using glycerin, dissolve the Vitamin C in the smaller amount of water, then stir in glycerin and store. This version will last a month or longer.

Note worthy Points:

• Apply topical vitamin C once a day, ideally after you have exfoliated in the morning to utilize vitamin C’s sun-protecting properties. On rare occasions, topical vitamin C can cause some mild dryness or flaking. It may cause irritation on some as it is acidic.Counteract this side effect with a moisturizer.This will aid in preventing dryness and, subsequently, blackheads. This topical nutrient is safe to combine with all your other skin care products and even works synergistically with other antioxidants. For a super powerful anti-aging punch, combine vitamins C and E together.
• The length of time from when you start using vitamin C until you see results varies with each person. While some people see changes as soon as 2-4 weeks, it may take others 6-8 weeks to see a difference. After around 6 months, you’ll reach the maximum benefits.Collagen production is a very slow process. Also, you really have to use it consistently or your body won't produce collagen and then it does nothing. 
• Using Vitamin C will make you more sensitive to the sun. You really need to be wearing at least 30 spf sunscreen if you're going to be outdoors much at all.
• Don't forget to have patch test done before using it,as some people are sensitive to l-ascorbic acid.
• Shake well before each use to distribute the vitamin C.
• Do not use with copper peptides as they cancel each other.
• Make a new batch every 3 days for maximum freshness and bioavailability, as it degrades quickly. You can test this either with a pH strip (if your level is above 3.5, toss it) or by color (it should NOT be yellow). It needs to be below 3.5 to be effective, but if the pH gets too low (if it's too acidic), it can be irritating. So, pH 3 is generally ideal. You can test with pH strips and you can add baking soda to your serum recipe to raise the pH.
• Some people's skin may be too sensitive to ever get to 20%. It's ok - as long as you can get to 10%, it produces collagen.

Try this out and you will start loving your glowy  and youthful skin.

Until Next,Stay Gorgeous!
XOXO