Protection from light and air: Vitamin C is highly sensitive to light and air, which can make it unstable and reduce its effectiveness. We recommend choosing products packaged in opaque, airtight bottles. It is also important to store your products away from heat and light to preserve their effectiveness.
Beta Hydroxy Acids
Similar to the points made about AHAs, beta hydroxy acids (or BHAs) “will destabilize vitamin C, making the active ingredients nearly useless,” share Salakai and de Sadeleer. So that salicylic acid of yours should not be mixed with your vitamin C serum.
In some people, oral vitamin C supplements can cause kidney stones, especially when taken in high doses. Long-term use of oral vitamin C supplements over 2,000 milligrams a day increases the risk of significant side effects. Tell your doctor that you're taking vitamin C supplements before having any medical tests.
Most people don't experience any negative side effects from using vitamin C serum, but in rare case, you may have: Dryness. Itching. Redness.
“It can accumulate for up to three or four days, so its daily use would not be necessary, as long as the Vitamin C has certain characteristics.” As Santamarina notes, this cannot be done with all formulations: it has to be a product with 10 to 15% ascorbic acid at a pH of 3.5 or lower.
4) Why does my skin look darker after using Vitamin C? If you are applying Vitamin C without sunscreen, it is likely that the Vitamin C degrades into Erythrulose, which is an ingredient you will find in many self-tanners. So please make sure you apply sunscreen always after applying Vitamin C.
Vitamin C serums are notoriously sensitive to light, air, and heat. Exposure to these elements can cause the serum to degrade, leading to reduced effectiveness. Unfortunately, this is a mistake that many people overlook.
In a Vitamin C skincare routine, it's important to apply the moisturizer after the application of the serum. This is because the serum helps the moisturizer gets absorbed better, and the moisturizer helps seal the serum's nutrients within the skin so they can work all day.
Vitamin C supplementation is contraindicated in blood disorders like thalassemia, G6PD deficiency, sickle cell disease, and hemochromatosis. Avoid taking supplements immediately before or following angioplasty.
If you experience any irritation or allergic reaction, you should stop using the serum immediately, and if you have ongoing concerns about vitamin C products or your skin health, be sure to speak to a medical professional immediately.
After cleansing and toning, apply a few drops of vitamin C serum directly to your face, massaging it evenly over your skin. Wait 5 to 10 minutes for it to absorb before applying moisturiser to seal in the serum. Then, it this is your morning routine, apply a high SPF broad spectrum sunscreen for further protection.
Sensitive Skin: Individuals with sensitive skin should start with lower concentrations of Vitamin C (around 5-10%) to minimize the risk of irritation. Look for Vitamin C serums that contain stabilised forms of Vitamin C, such as sodium ascorbyl phosphate or ascorbyl palmitate, which may be kinder to the skin.
Although allergic reactions to Vitamin C in skincare are rare, they can happen. Symptoms normally include redness or a mild burning sensation, and they tend to appear immediately. Irritation may also cause breakouts. With Vitamin C serums, the most common cause is a formula which is too acidic and not stable.
Vitamin C serum up to 20% concentration can be applied twice daily both morning (AM) and night (PM) right after cleansing and hydration or toning. Take 2-3 drops of Vitamin C serum on your fingertips and gently apply them in your face and neck in circular motions.
Vitamin C serum (leave to absorb for 1-2 minutes)
Every expert we spoke to agreed that vitamin C should ideally be left from a little while before going in with the next step, but the recommended times varied dramatically. The average time suggested was somewhere between 1-2 minutes.
Vitamin C is effectively an acid (it's sometimes known as ascorbic acid), so layering it with AHAs and BHAs like glycolic, salicylic, and lactic acids is a big no-no.
We recommend going with lower concentration if you're just starting out or you have sensitive skin. Remember, potential vitamin C serum side effects include itching, redness, irritation, tingling, and burning. If you experience any of these when using vitamin C, or any skincare product, it's best to shelve it.
In other cases, mixing can destabilize or cancel out the benefits of the antioxidant. Here are some ingredients to never mix with vitamin C: Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHAs): Lactic Acid, Malic Acid, Glycolic Acid, Citric Acid, Tartaric Acid.
Pay attention to skin reactions
The easiest way to tell that your vitamin C serum isn't doing the trick is that you don't see any noticeable change in your skin. When it's working correctly, you should notice a reduction in dark spots or prominent scars.
What happens if you use vitamin c without sunscreen. Wearing vitamin C without sunscreen can leave your skin vulnerable to sun damage, leading to premature aging, dark spots, and an increased risk of skin cancer.
Vitamin C-based skin care products may lighten patches that are darker than the rest of your skin, called hyperpigmentation. In one study, vitamin C applied to the skin for 16 weeks significantly cut down on these spots.