DIY Vitamin C Serum for the Face
Skincare is so important, so no wonder there’s such a plethora of products out there to choose from — including in our natural foods grocery stores. As a result, it’s pretty confusing, too, with all of the choices on the market. But if you haven’t tried vitamin C, such as a DIY Vitamin C Serum for the Face, you may be missing out some big skin benefits.
While we know that eating vitamin C–rich foods like citrus
fruits, berries and dark leafy greens (such as kale) can definitely heal inside
the body, making vitamin C as part of your daily skin regimen can heal from
outside-in as well! Vitamin C provides repair and growth of the skin tissue. It
also contains amazing and powerful antioxidants that can protect the skin from
damaging free radicals.
How Vitamin C Works for Youthful Skin
Vitamin C is one of nature’s amazing and naturally occurring
antioxidants in nature. While plants can synthesize the vitamin C into useful
form, our bodies cannot because we are missing the enzyme L-glucono-gamma
lactone oxidase that is required for the synthesis of vitamin C.
That is why we have to obtain our vitamin C from citrus
fruits, strawberries, raspberries, papaya and vegetables, like leafy greens and
broccoli. Sailors knew this having carried vitamin C-rich foods during their
travels to help them avoid scurvy and other diseases. Eating forms of vitamin C
is definitely crucial in good health, but absorption of it is limited.
Therefore, applying a DIY vitamin C serum topically can be
of great benefit to the skin and can become a part of your natural skin care
routine. (1)
Related: Alpha Arbutin Benefits for Skin + How to Use It
Benefits
1. Prevents Changes Due to Photoaging
Because vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, it’s a great
option to treat and prevent effects of photoaging. A study of 19 patients between the ages of 36 and 72 years
who had Fitzpatrick skin types I, II and III, and mild to moderately
photodamaged facial skin were assessed.
The study showed significant improvements by about 68–74
percent improvement in their skin after three months of use of ascorbic acid
application. The review showed significant improvement in fine wrinkles,
texture and skin tone of photodamaged skin. (2)
2. Reduces Hyperpigmentation
Though hyperpigmentation is relatively harmless, it can
cause those unsightly dark spots on the skin, especially the face and hands.
Basically, patches of skin appear darker in color. This happens when there is
an excess of melanin that creates deposits in the skin.
You may have heard of age or “liver” spots. These are the
visible signs of hyperpigmentation and typically caused by damaging sun
exposure. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps brighten the skin through what
is called tyrosinase inhibitors. These little inhibitors help prevent the
development of excessive amounts of melanin. (3)
