[kitskid]

Well I've been bad, I haven't been using my Vit. C serum for a few days and I just got it out of the fridge only to find some of the very fine crystals have grown and grown and grown! Now I remember in High School watching some kind of crystals grow in a petri dish but I wasn't working on a science project just making some serum - I thought! Has anyone else had this experience?

 

[gymrat]

How long has it been in there? And did you give it a good shake?

 

[kitskid]

Yes I shook it but the crystals stick to each other and are in a clump!!! It has been sitting in the fridge for 4 days mmmm maybe 5 days.

 

[fawnie]

kitskid,

Please tell me which recipe you used..
It might be that the l-ascorbic acid wasn't fully dissolved before adding other ingredients. That happened to me at first.

Lotioncrafters.com has the best l-ascorbic acid as far as thoroughly going into solution. It really dissolves instantly without crystallization later.

You might let it warm to room temp and then try stirring it well to see if it dissolves again. If not, you may have to throw it away and start over.



Skin | care | talk

 

[kitskid]

Fawnie

I made the "simple" recipe using only distilled water and ascorbic acid crystals that I bought at the Whole Food market. I placed 1 tsp ascorbic acid into a 1 ounce shot glass and put in enough distilled H2O to fill the shot glass. I have stored the serum in the fridge in a dark green Le Mer Serum bottle that I had ( I thoroughly cleaned the bottle before using it.)

 

[Clabbergirl]

What is the benefit of storing this in the fridge? I've made the same simple recipe, but kept it on my bathroom counter in an opaque jar. Should I be putting it in the fridge to make it last longer?

 

[pumi]

maybe u shudnt be keeping it in the fridge. try storing in a cool and dark place. That's what I do.

 

[fawnie]

Hi kitskid
OK I see what's wrong..the l-ascorbic acid/distilled water solution is very unstable and is only useful for the day it's made.

Try Barefoot's Eezy Serum, but you'd need to get some GOW gel. I don't know if the ascorbic acid you have is pure or has fillers. It needs to be pure.
Hope this helps.

Recipe is here for Eezy C Serum:
http://www.skincaretalk.com/basic-sk...beginners.html



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[mireckca]

Hi kitskid OK I see what's wrong..the l-ascorbic acid/distilled water solution is very unstable and is only useful for the day it's made.

Fawnie - have you actually tested this yourself? I ask because I just tested my vitamin C 15%/distilled water solution which is now bout two weeks old and it tested at a pH of about 2. I make about 2 ounces and put it in a blue glass bottle and put it unrefrigerated in a dark cupboard in my bathroom.

I too had crystals in an earlier solution that I made and I concluded it was because the refrigeration was too much for a solution of just vitamin C + distilled water. Since it seems to be stable for a couple of weeks anyway, I have stopped refrigerating it. It hasn't been unbearably hot yet, but if it does I may need to reconsider my approach.

 

[fawnie]

You know, rather than risk applying a solution to my face that may or may not be defective I just play by the rules and either (1) make it fresh or (2) add stabilizers. It's cheap enough, why risk it.



Skin | care | talk

 

[kitskid]

Fawnie & Mireckca....I used the Vit. C Serum last night it was clear in colour so I thought it would be okay to use. I'm in a quandary as to what to do, how do I know if the serum is usable and whether I should make it this way.

Bye the way, the Whole Food Market where I bought the ascorbic acid said it was pure, I bought it from a bulk bin...it cost me $28.00 CAD for I cup full.

I went to Sephora yesterday and bought some of their microfiber face clothes, WOW do they ever do a terrific job of cleaning my face and taking off my night time goop! I used a regular cotton facecloth before and when I finished with the facecloth I would follow with Distilled Rose Water on a cotton pad and still there would be some of the residue from the creams - not after that microfiber cloth though...it's fantastic. I will still continue with my rose water, I love the fragrance and the way it makes my skin feel.

 

[fawnie]

I don't know if I'd want to buy l-ascorbic acid out of a bin! Who knows how fresh it is. I buy mine from Lotioncrafters.com in a vial that is sealed. Granted, it comes out of a big bin at the factory, but at least it isn't exposed to air and light all the while it's on its way to me and thereafter. Does that make sense at all?

I don't know for certain that your serum IS or ISN'T usable. I'm just saying that I like mine to be as fresh as possible. Its purpose is to be an anti-oxidant. If it's been lying around then it probably is not as potent at neutralizing free radicals on my skin. It's totally a personal choice I think. I am not a scientist!



Skin | care | talk

 

[mireckca]

Well, my thinking is that since solubility is dependent on temperature (among other things), when the temperature drops things become less soluble and come out of solution - and crystallize. In my thinking, this does not mean that they have oxidized necessarily. Similarly, shaking a solution creates some warmth and so increases the temperature, making it easier for things to go into solution.

I may be all wrong on this - if someone else knows better, please say so. But it seems to be a matter of solubility and not oxidation to me. I have had no problem yet with the pH of the vitamin C/distilled water solutions that I have been using as a spritzer. No discoloration. So this says to me that they have not oxidized and so are safe to use. This is just my opinion.

 

[fawnie]

I defer to your expertise in this, mireckca!
I'm just going to say that I personally wouldn't use (a)l-ascorbic acid from a bulk bin, (b) a mixture of ascorbic acid/distilled water more than a day old.
Call me cautious. It's so cheap, why take a chance since who knows for sure?
Just sayin.



Skin | care | talk

 

[kitskid]

Gosh, I never thought about buying from a bulk bin!!! The market that I bought it from is very busy and when I went in and asked about ascorbic acid I was directed to the little bulk bins, when the clerk weighted the bag she said it would cost $28.00 and I said I was surprised at the cost and then she said that they also had it in containers but it would cost more...so I just went with the bulk.

 

[LLucy]

I thought when Vit C oxidated it turned yellow. Isn't this the reasoning behind not mixing it with other actives that color a solution? If your solution is still clearish-white doesn't that mean the C hasn't yet oxidized?

 

[fawnie]

I thought when Vit C oxidated it turned yellow. Isn't this the reasoning behind not mixing it with other actives that color a solution? If your solution is still clearish-white doesn't that mean the C hasn't yet oxidized?

I can't answer that Llucy! I'm not a chemist. I don't want to take a chance tho so I just use the freshest solution I can. It's cheap and easy so why risk it.



Skin | care | talk

 

[kitskid]

Well I've been bad, I haven't been using my Vit. C serum for a few days and I just got it out of the fridge only to find some of the very fine crystals have grown and grown and grown! Now I remember in High School watching some kind of crystals grow in a petri dish but I wasn't working on a science project just making some serum - I thought! Has anyone else had this experience?

I have taken my DIY Vitamin C Serum out of the fridge and the product is still clear in the bottle and the crystals that grew have now broken apart but they are still big. Yesterday I went to the Whole Food Market and talked to them about the ascorbic acid that I bought in bulk and they said that the bulk ascorbic acid is their most popular seller, I asked who are the people that are buying the product and that is when the clerk showed me all of the cosmetic making and soap making items they sell. This is a great find for me I won't have to send away for items...yahooo!

 

[fawnie]

That's great news kitskid!

I think DIY is every bit as individual as cooking. We each have our preferences and methods. Hopefully we won't poison ourselves!



Skin | care | talk

 

[kitskid]

Fawnie...my husband came home early this afternoon, I was in the process of re-organizing my collection of goodies (I bought more at the Whole Food Market yesterday!) Anyways he said "don't blow up the house with all that stuff" so that's something else to deal with beside poisoning myself!