Why and How To Make Your Own Vitamin C Serum

Vitamin C Serum is all the rage at cosmetics counters — the dark colored small bottle, with the dropper, priced at sometimes over $100 for a half an ounce. There’s good reason why the cosmetics companies are selling this magic elixir for the skin at a high price. It has antioxidant properties which allow it to repair some signs of sun damage, such as discoloration and fine lines. And it creates collagen production! Most importantly — gets rid of age spots.

Here is an excerpt, from the NIH

It is important to note that Vit. C is equally effective against both UVB (290-320 nm) and UVA (320-400 nm).[2,5] Repeated small doses of UVA penetrate 30-40-times deeper into the dermis as against UVB, which mostly affects the epidermis. UVA mutates and destroys collagen, elastin, proteoglycans and other dermal cellular structures.[2] Thus, UVA causes skin ageing and possibly melanoma formation. UVB causes sunburn, ROS, epidermal mutations and skin cancer. Sunscreens when properly applied prevent UV-induced erythema and thymine dimer mutations that contribute to cutaneous carcinogenesis. However, sunscreens block only 55% of the free radicals produced by UV exposure. Photoageing can be prevented by prevention of UV-induced erythema, sunburn cell formation and inducing collagen repair.[2] To optimize UV protection, it is important to use sunscreens combined with a topical antioxidant. Vit. C does not absorb UV light but exerts an UV-protective effect by neutralizing free radicals, while this effect is not seen with sunscreens. Under laboratory conditions, it has been shown that application of 10% topical Vit. C showed statistical reduction of UVB-induced erythema by 52% and sunburn cell formation by 40-60%.[3]

Although Vit. C alone can provide photoprotection, it works best in conjunction with Vitamin E (Vit. E), which potentiates the action of Vit. C four-fold. Hydrophilic Vit. C helps regenerate Vit. E, a liphophilic antioxidant.[1,3,5,6] Thus, Vit. C and Vit. E together protect the hydrophilic and lipophilic compartments of the cell, respectively. Vit. C and Vit. E synergistically limit chronic UV damage by significantly reducing both cell apoptosis and thymine dimer formation.[3,6]

A combination of 0.5% ferulic acid (a potent antioxidant of plant origin) with 15% Vit. C and 1% Vit. E can increase the efficacy of Vit. C eight-fold.[3] It was noted that this triple combination was very useful for the reduction of acute and chronic photodamage, and could be used for prevention of skin cancer in the future.

But there are two big drawbacks to buying Vitamin C Serum. It’s expensive, and it’s unstable. It lasts, even in that dark colored bottle, for about a week to ten days. So, once you see how inexpensive and effortlessly it is to create your own — you’ll never buy it again — and you’ll use it every day. The best part is, you’ll be able to slather it all over your body.

After doing research on my own, I was frustrated to discover that you really can’t just use a simple two-ingredient formula to create a simple Vitamin C serum — i.e, oil and vitamin C.  You could, but you’d be missing out on some of the synergistic power of adding the vitamin E and the Ferulic Acid. And hey, we’re worth the best, right? When you add these ingredients, you also find some chemical components that have to be factored in — for example, Ferulic Acid does not dissolve in water. So, there are a few more steps involved – but it’s still pretty simple, and way less expensive than buying a pre-made serum that won’t even last beyond a week anyway.  I’ve been making it for a month now, and every time, it just gets a little easier to make… so bear with the process.

1. All you need is to purchase Vitamin C, L-Ascorbic Acid Fine Granular Powder. That’s 170 grams for a mere $12Also, as you read from the excerpt from the NIH above, you should also purchase some Vitamin E Oil. 
   
2. And, because we’re in for all the gusto, some Ferulic Acid Powder.
   
3. With Propylene Glycol. Dissolves the ferulic acid
4. Sodium Lactate. It’s like Baking Soda, adjust the PH, but it’s better than baking soda — helps your skin hold moisture.
5. Distilled Water or Rose Water. You don’t want to use tap water – because it messes up with ph of this serum.
6. I like to use a scale — because it’s so precise, and you can find a nice digital kitchen scale anywhere. You should have one anyway!

Here’s how to mix it all together:When used initially, the Vitamin C Serum may cause redness, so you will want to start out with a low concentration of Vitamin C, 10%, 15%, and eventually move up to 20%.

Here are the measurements for all three formulations for  30 ML:

10% Vitamin C Serum

15% Vitamin C Serum

20% Vitamin C Serum

As soon as serum starts to discolor, and turn yellow, discard it. Store your Vitamin C serum in a container that is easy for you to use. Because you are making small batches, it’s not as important to keep it in a dark bottle. Some people use a spray bottle and just spray the body that way. Let me know how it goes! You should begin to see results with three months — if not sooner.