Simple Fives

Amazing DIY Vitamin C Skin Serum

July 9, 2010 at 9:30 pm 4 comments

This easy and effective skin care recipe comes from the incredible do-it-yourself manual for home and skin care, Do It Gorgeously by Sophie Uliano.

Vitamin C loses its potency remarkably quickly, so chances are you’re wasting your money on store-bought serums. The best approach is to buy the ingredients yourself and mix it up in small batches to use within a few weeks. Here’s Sophie’s simple recipe:

1. Dissolve 1/4 tsp L-ascorbic acid (AKA vitamin C – available in powder form at most drugstores and health food stores) in 1 tsp distilled water.
2. Once dissolved, mix in 1 tsp vegetable glycerin (also available at health food stores).
3. Pour into a dark glass bottle and store up to one month in the refrigerator. This serum can be used under your moisturizer every morning and evening.

Note: I store mine in a washed-out lavender essential oil bottle. I never refrigerate it because I use it so liberally, it’s usually gone in a week or so, and then I whip up another batch.

If you prefer to use completely natural ingredients (L-ascorbic acid is made in a lab), you can use Camu Camu powder in place of the L-ascorbic acid. Camu Camu is a superfruit that’s insanely high in vitamin C and is also available at health food stores. It’s what I use – I bought it at Whole Foods.

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