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| DIY Vitamin C Serum |
OK, some explanation before I get to the recipe. Basically,
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
DIY 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. Retin-A is also expensive compared to DIY Vitamin C
serum.
So, ok, there are a few different Vitamin C compounds - SAP,
MAP and LAA. I'll spare you the whole discussion on this, but LAA is generally
considered the most effective. Also, it's sold a lot of places so, it's the
most convenient. All you have to do is mix powder LAA with a base. The base
could just be distilled water, but a lot of people find that hard to spread and
so thin that it's messy. The solution to that issue is to mix the LAA with a
combination of distilled water and glycerin. Glycerin thickens it up a bit and
has the added benefit of moisturizing the skin. That's it! LAA dissolved in
distilled water, some glycerin added. That's the whole recipe. Now some people
get fancy and add other ingredients (licorice root is popular). But this basic
recipe will give you the collagen production, which is the most important
thing.
It is important to first completely dissolve the LAA powder
in water before adding the glycerin because LAA is not solluable in glycerin.
Also, there is a very specific LAA powder that is popular because it's very
finely ground and therefore, very easy to dissolve. Some people buy crystals
that are too large and have a really hard time dissolving. I've included a link
of the really fine LAA powder everyone loves below.
So, ok - the actually recipe. Vitamin C can be irritating
and therefore you do have to spend a bit of time getting the skin used to it.
You need at least 10% to produce collagen. The most effective is 20%. You
cannot go above 20% without negative effects. It is recommended to start with
5% and use that daily for 2 weeks (if there is any irritation at all, you can
go even lower). After 2 weeks with no problems, go to 10% (at this time you're
getting collagen production). After 2 weeks with no problems, go to 15%. After
2 weeks with no problems, go to 20%. Then, use daily forever. :)
You do have to pay attention during the building up phase -
any time there is any irritation (stinging, redness, whatever), take a couple
of days off and then make a milder solution until you have one with no
irritation. Whatever percentage that is, use it for 2 weeks daily before moving
up. If you move up 5% (say from 10% to 15%) and there is irritation, knock it
back to 12%. This is the hardest part of the process and why a lot of people give
up. It's also why I'm providing this very long explanation. You really need to
understand some basics to really make a DIY Vitamin C serum work.
So, ok, the percentages are just what they sound like:
5% = 5% LAA and 95% base
10% - 10% LAA and 90% base
Etc.
In terms of water-to-gylcerin ratio, it's really something
you have to experiment with. Some people like LAA in water with no glycerin. I
like a little glycerin just to thicken it a tad, but too much glycerin makes it
sticky feeling. So, I like about 8-to-1 water-to-glycerin ratio. This part you
don't have to be careful about - it's a matter of personal preference. The only
thing you have to be precise with is the LAA-to-base ratio. Being precise with
that ratio is important. Also, very important you don't exceed 20%. Also
important that you don't move up too quickly (don't go from 5% to 20%). Anyway,
here are some example recipes (using very little glycerin, as is my
preference):
5%
Dissolve 1/2 tsp LAA in 8 1/2 tsp distilled water
Once fully dissolved, add 1 tsp glycerin
10%
Dissolve 1 tsp LAA in 8 tsp distilled water
Once fully dissolved, add 1 tsp glycerin
15%
Dissolve 1.5 tsp LAA in 7 1/2 tsp distilled water
Once fully dissolved, add 1 tsp glycerin
20%
Dissolve 2 tsp LAA in 7 tsp distilled water
Once fully dissolved, add 1 tsp glycerin
You can experiment with more or less glycerin and see which
ratio you like best. I've seen a lot of people use almost equal parts glycerin
and water. Other people use no glycerin at all. As I said, I find water too
thin and too much glycerin sticky, but it's a personal preference thing.
OK, as I mentioned, Vitamin C is very unstable. It degrades
quickly in general and degrades really quickly when exposed to sunlight or air.
You need to get a dark-colored, air-tight glass bottle (I like spray bottles,
but some people prefer droppers). Put your LAA powder directly into a sanitized
bottle. Add water. Put the lid on and shake vigorously several times (until the
LAA is completely dissolved). Add glycerin and shake vigorously.
Store in a cabinet that gets no sunlight - you don't want to
even leave it on the sink top if there's a window in the room. Some people
refrigerate - some say room temperature is better.
When you use it, give it a good shake before using. If
you've gotten a spray bottle, spray your entire body, including face or just
your face if you prefer (I find one of the benefits of using DIY is that you
can do your whole body - if you were purchasing it pre-made, that would be too
expensive). Give it a few minutes to dry (some say as many as 20 minutes, but I
think you can just brush your teeth, floss, whatever and you're good to go).
Once it's dry, you can apply lotion (or anything else you use) as usual. That's
it.
Now, if you store in an air-tight, dark-colored, glass
bottle and store in a cabinet with no light, there's some disagreement on how
long it lasts before you have to make more. Some people say 2 days, some say 2
weeks. I think mixing a fresh batch once a week makes the most sense. It's
possible that it's degrading after 2 days, but... I don't know... a week seems
reasonable. And if you want to do it every 2 weeks - lots of people say that
works too. If you really want to get the maximum benefit, mixing every other
day might be best. But in terms of effort vs. reward, I do it once a week.
So ok, here are the links:
Glycerin and distilled water you can get at any drugstore.
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.
Finally, it takes about 3 months (maybe even 6 months) of
continued use to start seeing 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. So, missing a day here or a day
there won't hurt. But just doing it every once in a while won't do anything
either. Prolonged, consistent use - and only prolonged, consistent use - will
cause your body to produce collagen. Without the collagen production, there are
no real benefits. But increasing collagen production can really make a
difference to making your skin appear more youthful. And once you build up to
20% - it takes like 1 minute to mix and putting it on every day takes 2 minutes
max - it's cheap, it's easy, it's effective. IMHO everyone (and definitely
everyone over 30) should be using DIY 20% Vitamin C Serum daily.
Edit: Someone raised the excellent point about the importance
of pH level. 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. (I don't know of any way to lower the pH if it's above 3 - though
I'm sure there must be a way).
Edit 2: 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.
Edit 3: Some sources in comments.
by SaraSays
