DIY Beauty: homemade vitamin C serum
Wednesday, 15 October 2008
I’m so excited about this DIY homemade vitamin C serum! I was thinking of getting the L-Ascorbic Acid for awhile but was worried that I wouldn’t be able to concoct a proper serum. After reading the formulation on a few beauty forums, especially from Alyssa aka Complex Beauty at Glowing Diva, I developed more confidence and ordered my first kit from Whoopeekiddies. And it turned out so easy! Now I’m kicking myself for not trying it out earlier.
Benefits of L-Ascorbic Acid for our skin
Vitamin C has worked well for me in my skincare regime and as I’ve covered in my earlier entry on the different types of vitamin C for skincare, L-Ascorbic Acid is known to be the only natural form of Vitamin C in skin care products. It is a potent antioxidant proven to stimulate the synthesis of collagen, strengthens the capillaries and cell walls, as well as protect both beta-carotene and Vitamin E from oxidation. But while it easily absorbed by the skin and can stay for up to 72 hours, L-ascorbic acid can be irritating to those with sensitive skin. In addition, it is highly unstable and oxidize rapidly.
Process of making DIY L-Ascorbic Vitamin C Serum
The DIY L-Ascorbic Vitamin C Kit I obtained contains just two items. The 2g L-Ascorbic Acid in powder form and 10ml vegetable glycerin. According to the website, this recipe makes a serum with approximately a 10% concentration of vitamin C and you should split them into 2 portions, 1 for each week, to maintain freshness since L-Ascorbic Acid is unstable, prone to oxidation. However, I didn’t follow these instructions.
My own formulation
Instead, I used about a 1/4 teaspoon of the L-Ascorbic Acid Powder, let it dissolve completely in 5ml of mineral water and then added about 8 small drops of the vegetable glycerin. I dislike adding too much of the glycerin because it makes my combination skin too oily. And at this formulation, the watery serum stings my skin slightly for under a minute and it isn’t sticky. The amount of vitamin C is probably too diluted but I want my skin to get used to it before I gradually increase the amount.
Proper storage of vitamin C is important
This portion is good for three days in the fridge. By applying twice a day with a cotton wool or sometimes just my fingers, I can use all the 5ml within that time frame. Remember, vitamin C oxidizes quickly so my recommendation is to use it quickly. Five days is about the maximum. In addition, I also use an amber glass bottle to store the serum as vitamin C degrades quickly with light. Hence, do not store using clear glass.
DIY vitamin C kit is affordable
The DIY kit from Whoopeekiddies is good for about two weeks and cost S$3.50. Very affordable! I can effectively replace my John Masters Vitamin C Serum with this now. Plus I plan to order both the L-Ascorbic Acid powder and the vegetable glycerin separately now that I’ve gotten a hang of making this properly. In addition, I’ll probably increase the amount of L-Ascorbic Acid once my skin is used to the stinging in order to benefit from the higher concentration of vitamin C. According to information from the website, at a 10% concentration and low ph, ascorbic acid has been shown to stimulate collagen, decrease wrinkle depth and have lightening effects on pigmentation.
But one very important thing is, always apply your sunscreen when using vitamin C because it is a sun sensitive ingredient. Don’t ever go tanning with it!
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Posted in Homemade/DIY | 24 Comments »
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October 15th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Hi Sesame, thanks for the fantastic post! I am changing my beauty routine slowly to all natural products and now i can add L-Ascorbic Acid Powder to my wants list.
There is also a garden of wisdom spree going on at http://msshopalot.livejournal.com/8925.html and the range is quite fantastic. Hope that helps!
Hey Faeryberry: I’ve found your message! Good thing you let me know so I can look up the spam folder. The Askimet is too potent!
October 16th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Hi, Do you mind to share with us where could we get the Vit C kit?
momo san: Where are you located? If in S’pore, get it via Whoopeekiddies. I’ve got the link at the top of my article. If not, check out some of the DIY ingredient suppliers recommended at Glowing Diva Forum. The link is also within the post.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I am located in Singapore.Thanks for the information.Do you know if i can get any store in singapore. wishes to get it immediately..
momo san: No, I don’t think so. These are DIY ingredients and I don’t know any stores sell these stuff. Anyway, Whoopeekiddies ship very quickly. In two days’ time if they have stock.
October 19th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Btw, how did you keep the homemade DIY vitamin C serum?
momo san: In the fridge. 3 days. Don’t keep longer than 5.
October 20th, 2008 at 8:51 am
[...] Woman shows you how to make a simple homemade vitamin C serum to stimulate collagen and improve your skin [...]
January 1st, 2009 at 12:10 pm
[...] absolute favorite DIY beauty finds The best item is my homemade vitamin C serum which has even out my skin tone a great deal, reduced my pore size and saved my pocket! The [...]
February 9th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Can I purchase the L-ascorbic acid myself? Do I buy the kind you can ingest as a supplement? Do you recommend any particular brands?
Thanks so much for your help!
Melissa: I read from some forums that gals buy the L-ascorbic from pharmacies or drugstores (actually they are vit C tablets) and then dissolve them. I use the cosmetic grades purchased from DIY suppliers. Where are you based?
February 15th, 2009 at 12:09 am
I am in Houston Texas. I liked the kit you mentioned but I thought I would like to buy it in a larger amount then 2 grams. Saw some powders that can be consumed and wondered if they could also be used in your formula. I would be grateful for any source you think is a good one. Thanks!
Melissa: I’m not exactly sure but I read from some forums that some gals use those vit C tablets that contain Ascorbic for this. I haven’t tried cos I’m sticking to use the cosmetic grade.
February 25th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Melissa:
You can get the ascorbic acid powder from most Whole food store or online, I got mine from iherb. They also have vegetable glycerin. I just placed order yesterday, couldn’t wait to DIY my first Vit C serum.
Theresa: Oh iherb is great! Their stuff are quite cheap but I haven’t got a chance to order from them cos they don’t seem to accept PayPal.
March 8th, 2009 at 7:18 am
Im based in London.. do you know where can i get the ascorbic acid powder?
Your blog is great.. really great. Im now more motivated to take care of my face properly
Cindy: Glad you like the info here and I’m happy that you’re motivated to care for your face in a better way!
For the suppliers, contact, try checking out this thread at Essential Day Spa Forum.
March 24th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
HELP WHERE CAN I BUY L-ASCORBIC ACID?? THE HEALTH STORES ONLY HAVE ASCORBIC ACID AND IT’S NOT THE SAME THING.
Barb: Get it from the DIY ingredient suppliers. Try checking this resource. http://www.glowingdiva.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=137&sid=fea27c564dfed4177e2271a5e73b30f8
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:10 am
Great post. I’ve heard that people crush vitamin C supplements to add to their moisturizer. do you think that would work for my hyperpigmentation? also, if i do get my hands on the l-ascorbic acid (does it have to be the l-ascorbic as opposed to the ascorbic acid?) can i just add the powder to my sunscreen/moisturizer rather than using the veg. gylycerin to make a serum? i ask because i’ve used the turbo vitamin c booster powder from philosophy at sephora but it was $50 for like 0.24 grams or something and i want something cheaper. also, that powder was meant to be used as a daytime treatment to protect you from free radicals encountered during the day (sun, pollution) would the serum that you made have the same purpose as well. sorry about the many questions!:)
Malika: Yes, I heard about the same about I haven’t tried vit C supplements to know if they really work well. L-ascorbic is what you want to get your hands on except that this ingredient is highly unstable when exposed to water and air. The glycerin acts as a preservative. Adding it direct to your sunscreen and moisturizer is not something I can comment cos I have not tried it this way, plus I’ve no idea how it reacts with creams. What I read on forums is that some gals mixed it with distilled/mineral water and use it directly after shower, before applying their sunscreen or moisturizer. Perhaps that’s a more viable option if you want it fresh and don’t want to mix it with glycerin.
The serum I made can be used in the day, under your sunscreen. However, I subsequently changed my routine and only used it in the night as my sunscreen already has antioxidant properties. Plus I’m also using grapeseed oil.
I remember there were a bit of discussions on makeupalley.com about this. I can’t remember the thread. I suggest you do a search on homemade or diy vit c and makeupalley and see if you can find that thread to give you more options on using vit c.
April 16th, 2009 at 5:37 am
Hi just a quick question, i’ve tried the DIY serum and followed exactly the step you have written, but for some reason my L ascorbid acid cannot dissolved properly in the water no matter how long i stir it in. do you have any suggestion about this?thanks anyway
Astrid: That’s very strange cos L-ascorbid acid is supposed to dissolve very quickly and easily. I don’t even stir my portion but just swirl the bottle. One question, did you check your water? Sufficient? If not, I wonder if there’s anything wrong with the L-Ascorbic acid crystals. It’s powdery form yes?
April 16th, 2009 at 9:48 pm
Hi,Thanks for repying. Mine is in a
powdery-crystal form, like a salt one. I will try with more amount of water to see whether it has a difference. Do you think by adding more water will make the serum work less?
Astrid: You should be using 5ml to about a quarter teaspoon of the L-Ascorbic acid. Adding more water will render the serum useless.
April 27th, 2009 at 4:38 am
in france we have prblem to buy ascorbic acid in the pharmacies. They are reluctant to sell it. From 10 pharmacies I asked, finaly only one who gave up to sell to me. The rest pretend they don’t have anymore, and they offered us to order, but even that they don’t guarantee and finaly canceled. The one that finaly sold to me 10gram had to have a long chat with their colleauges. I think it’s because they don’t like we buy this because it cost cheap, and they prefer to mix it with something and sell them more expensive as vit C.
Curly: So difficult? Anyway, the source I purchase here ordered from US and that’s how we can get our hands on them so easily and cheaply.
May 30th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Hi, just wanted to know if you can use the juice from a fresh squeezed lemon in place of the l-absorbic acid ?
sesame Reply:
May 31st, 2009 at 8:51 am
No, it’s not the same. But lemon can help with whitening. But it’s extremely photosensitive and you need to wash it off and also apply sunscreen afterwards for protection.
August 3rd, 2009 at 7:56 am
Informative post, but what is the ph of the vitamin c? it is only able to to penetrate the skin at a ph of 3.2 how do you know that is the correct ph when it is in powder form? Also, when you mix the powder with anything, that automatically raises the ph.
sesame Reply:
August 3rd, 2009 at 10:45 am
I am not exactly sure about the ph but was under the impression from the store I bought the powder that using the mix according to their recommended recipe will allow the vit C to penetrate the skin.
September 1st, 2009 at 7:56 am
I went searching for L-Ascorbic Acid in powder form at the local pharmacies and my regular health food store but all I was able to find was a powdered ascorbic acid,is this the same product?I am in Australia,maybe it is marketed simply as ‘ascorbic acid’,does anyone know?
October 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 am
IS this kit using the L-Ascorbic acid in FINE powder form? From my research on the other forums, if it isn’t in fine granules, it will not dissolve correcly into the skin. There is a lot of concern over this. Let me know – jctx09@yahoo
Any feedback from anyone would be appreciated as well.
sesame Reply:
October 2nd, 2009 at 9:01 am
Yes, it is. The powder dissolves easily in water too.
November 7th, 2009 at 8:09 am
hi sesame,
been using the diy vit c and i do see some results
, but why do we need to use sunblock after using it? does it cause any adverse reaction?
sesame Reply:
November 7th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant and is good by itself but it doesn’t provide you any sun protection. In addition, I read that vitamin C can be photosensitive though I’ve been told it’s not. But either way, it’s always good to wear a sunscreen or moisturizer with SPF in the daytime.