DIY Vitamin C Serums - for anti-ageing and evened-toned skin

56420 Views 479 Replies 58 Participants Last post by davidsbfly, Feb 17, 2013

fawnie

Discussion Starter · Jan 27, 2009

Starting this thread from the "Baby Quasar" thread so as not to take away from that site.

Vitamin C serum is a great product to use along with Retin-A. I use Vit C in the a.m. and Retin-A at nite. The Vit C serum must be used first on a dry face 20 minutes after cleansing. You must wait another 20-30 min before applying your other products to let the Vit C do its work.

I have revised my recipe as follows:

In a brown or blue colored dropper bottle mix

1/4 tsp L-ascorbic acid crystals (available from www.gardenofwisdom.com)
30 ml/1 oz pure distilled water (available at any supermarket)
1/4 tsp rosehip seed oil (garden of wisdom and many other sites have this)

Check to be sure the pH is <3.5 in order for it to be effective. pH test strips are also available at gardenofwisdom.

Shake thoroughly before each use and refrigerate.
Check pH frequently and discard serum if it rises.
This serum is very inexpensive to make so make small batches and keep it fresh!

www.gardenofwisdom.com has all of these ingredients and is a reliable source, but there are other sources as well that carry DIY ingredients.

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mireckca

· #2 · Jan 27, 2009

A new thread - great idea!

I notice that the final concentration of Vitamin C in the reformulation is roughly 4% - which is alot lower than the commerically available products, which seem to range between 10-15%. (One-quarter tsp is about 1.25; divided by the total volume of the finished product, which is about 32.5).

Do you happen to know what the pH of this product is? I don't have pH strips (yet) and need to order some.

Thanks Fawnie.

fawnie

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 28, 2009

Thanks mireckca!

Well, bummer then! back to the laboratory...what amount of crystals would give me a 15% solution?

I measured it @ pH of 2 - way acidic.

The Rosehip Seed Oil does make it go on more smoothly and gives the solution more body without the stickiness of glycerin. Rosehip Seed Oil reportedly has some retinoid properties and is high in omegas. By itself it's a nice oil.

Glad to have a chemist aboard!!

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mireckca

· #4 · Jan 28, 2009

Well, try using 1 tsp of Vit C, with your 1/4 tsp of Rosehip oil, and 1 oz of distilled water. That should give about a 14% soln: 5.0/(5.0+1.25+30.0).

But check the pH first. Do you know what the pH should be for optimal absorption and not damage the skin? And how to adjust it if necessary?

Just curious - how did the pH run of your other formulation (the 1:2 mixture)?

fawnie

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 28, 2009

Hi Mireckca
Many thanks for your help with this.

So I should use *1 tsp* instead of 1/4 tsp of l-ascorbic acid crystals...is that right?

The 1:2 formula of crystals to water had a pH of 2 as well. I read that the pH has to be 3.5 or below to be effective. I do not know how to adjust the pH...do you?

fawnie

mireckca

· #6 · Jan 28, 2009

Yes - if you use 1 teaspoon of the ascorbic acid crystals you will get a final concentration of about 14%.

(ascorbic acid 5.0) / (ascorbic acid 5.0 + rose oil 1.25 + distilled water 30.0) = 5.0/36.25 = 13.8%

We are not weighing the solid crystals. If we had a scale we would weigh out 5 grams. Instead we are using a teaspoon which is 5 ml. This is done in compounding to simplify things - since in solid measure there are roughly 30 grams in 1 ounce, and in liquid measure there are 30 ml in 1 ounce.

I checked the Garden of Wisdom website, and see that they sell pH adjusters. I assume that the citric acid is used to lower the pH in some formulations, and the sodium bicarbonate is used to raise it in others, as needed. Since sodium bicarbonate is basically baking soda, if you have some, and feel adventurous, you could add a little, little, little bit - and see what that does to the pH.

I'm afraid to see what the pH is of my formulation - it's probably way too acidic as well, which is why it burns and my face is red. Ha, ha, ha. I guess I should go out and get some baking soda, but I don't have the pH strips to check it anyway.

Good luck and have fun!

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mireckca

· #7 · Jan 28, 2009

mireckca said:
I'm afraid to see what the pH is of my formulation - it's probably way too acidic as well, which is why it burns and my face is red. Ha, ha, ha. I guess I should go out and get some baking soda, but I don't have the pH strips to check it anyway.

Just kidding! I am irritated somewhat because my skin is adjusting to Retin-A, though the acidic solution probably doesn't help.

fawnie

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jan 28, 2009

Thank you so much with this, mireckca! It's great to have you here to help!

....back to the lab!

I use RAM and the C did sting a bit at first and cause redness. (33% solution...duh!) I'm still working on this....happy for your help. I tried to leave you rep for it, but The System wouldn't let me rep you again...
Thanks, anyway!

Re: pH strips. I had to order online cuz I couldn't find any in health food stores or pharmacies or pet stores that went down to 3. GoW had them tho.

best!
fawnie

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mireckca

· #9 · Jan 28, 2009

You're very welcome. Let us know how you make out. It's snowing today and I'm bored and housebound - and would much rather play chemist in the lab.

fawnie

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jan 28, 2009

Come on down to IL and we'll play! It's sunny and 15F here today!

Mari

· #11 · Jan 28, 2009

fawnie -- I'll send you a truckload of snow! Aloette cosmetics has a vit.C patented delivery system of ascorbic acid crystals that is recommended to mix with your moisturizer or serum. Would mixing ascorbic acid with your moisturizer give you the same result?

Mari

· #12 · Jan 28, 2009

mireckca -

Do you know of a good skin clinic in TO?

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fawnie

Discussion Starter · #13 · Jan 28, 2009

Mari said:
fawnie -- I'll send you a truckload of snow! Aloette cosmetics has a vit.C patented delivery system of ascorbic acid crystals that is recommended to mix with your moisturizer or serum. Would mixing ascorbic acid with your moisturizer give you the same result?

Hi Mari

I don't know about adding C crystals to my moisturizer...I'll check! The thing is, you have to keep the pH of the C serum below 3.5 for it to penetrate & be active. Maybe mireckca, our resident chemist, can weigh in here with some good advice....

What is Aloette? Where is it sold? Interesting!

Thanks, but I have had just about enough snow already! You keep it and enjoy!!!

fawnie

Mari

· #14 · Jan 28, 2009

since I moved to this dinky wee town, I've been buying my cosmetics through the Shopping Channel. Aloette has reps the same as Avon -- if you can find one. I actually like their products, especially the new eye formula.

fawnie

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jan 28, 2009

haha...in my dinky town we have no shopping either...I have to go to Chicago for any serious damage. We don't have cable/dish/satellite, so I can't shop the channels either! Enforced limits.

fawnie

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jan 28, 2009

Mari said:
mireckca -

Do you know of a good skin clinic in TO?

bumping this post down for mireckca to read....

mireckca

· #17 · Jan 28, 2009

Mari - I looked at the Aloette website and saw the Vitamin C crystals you mentioned. The interesting thing is that they formulated the crystals to be timed-release. That could be a good thing.

But two things concerned me when they say to blend a bit of the crystals in the palm of your hand with a serum or moisturizer. There seems to be no control over the amount of Vitamin C (concentration) and the compatibility with the vehicle (pH, solubility). They do have a Q+A option, though, so I would query them about these two things before sending them any money.

i.e., how much is "a little bit" and what serum or moisturizer do they recommend using and how much of it?

mireckca

· #18 · Jan 28, 2009

Mari said:
mireckca -

Do you know of a good skin clinic in TO?

No - my part of town (Yorkville) is celebrity-ville and so everything is very overpriced. My dentist is here and I keep telling myself I should switch to someone more reasonable, but he is very convenient. I haven't been here in Toronto long enough to explore other parts of the city, and none of my friends have a clue about skincare, so unfortunately I don't have anyone to ask for a referral.

Mari

· #19 · Jan 28, 2009

mireckca - when demo(ing) --(new word) -- the Vit C crystals -- they say you shake a bit into your palm of your hand and add to your moisturizer. I tried but I didn't know if I was using too much or too little. When I do this the moisturizer usually liquifies and sometimes I don't have enough product to do my face. I usually use Cellex C but I have several of those Aloette Vit C packs and thought I should use them up. (I really love Cellex C)

Mari

· #20 · Jan 28, 2009

mireckca said:
No - my part of town (Yorkville) is celebrity-ville and so everything is very overpriced. My dentist is here and I keep telling myself I should switch to someone more reasonable, but he is very convenient. I haven't been here in Toronto long enough to explore other parts of the city, and none of my friends have a clue about skincare, so unfortunately I don't have anyone to ask for a referral.

I looked on line and there are several doctors in the Medical Arts building near you -- (I used to work at Bedford and Bloor) -- but I know that is a very pricey place -- and I really don't want to go to anyone that isn't recommended. (Thanks)

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