vitamin c serum DIY (1 gel + 1 oil blend)

another reader requested a dupe for the Mad Hippie vitamin c serum, so here’s a couple DIY versions. i will say i think mad hippie has a nice formula, but we like to DIY around here.

i opted to create 2 formulations for this…. 1. a gel-like serum, since the under eye area is quite sensitive and needs to also stay hydrated. this is by far my favorite and… and 2. an oil blend, which is much easier to DIY.

the original Mad Hippie formulation: Water Deionized, Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate), Alkyl Benzoate, Vegetable Glycerin, Water, Glycerin, Sodium Levulinate, Sodium Anisate, Clary Sage (Salvia Sclarea), Grapefruit (Citrus Grandis), Hyaluronic acid, Amorphophallus Konjac Root Powder, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf, Vitamin E (Tocotrienol), Ferulic acid, Chamomile Flower Extract (Recutita Matricaria), Sodium Phytate, Xanthum Gum, Hydroxyethylcellulose.

just reading this, we can see it’s a lightweight serum, mostly aqeuous-based, and gelled together with konjac root powder and xanthan gum. their vitamin c is not in whole plant form, which is fine, but i prefer to work with the whole plant and/or fruit, rather than an isolated extract.

also important to note is they added vitamin e to help the vitamin c, which is important and often missing from DIY versions.

PLEASE NOTE you cannot simply put vitamin c powder into water and call it a day. although vitamin c is water soluble. those powders are just crystallized vitamin c and will not penetrate your skin. the more you know.

here we go.

photo credit: style craze

VITAMIN C OIL BLEND

makes 1 ounce. not suitable for blemish-prone skin.

you can make this one in under 10 minutes and it doesn’t require a preservative.

• 10 mL mamey sapote oil
• 10 mL guava seed oil
• 10 mL rosehip seed oil
• 10 drops sea buckthorn berry oil

and the star of the show…

VITAMIN C GEL SERUM

makes 2 ounces. suitable for all skin types.

patience is key with this formula – it takes all day to process, but requires very little manual work.

this needs a preservative.

• 50 mL rose hydrosol (even this is high in vitamin c!)
• 1/4 teaspoon kakadu plum powder
• 1/4 teaspoon camu camu powder
• 1/4 teaspoon acerola powder
• 1/3 teaspoon black currant extract powder (not the fruit powder. it’s a preservative)
• 1/16 teaspoon xanthan gum (yes, a tiny amount)

in a small glass jar, pour your rose hydrosol and sprinkle in your 3 powders. seal tightly, shake well, and let sit at room temperature to extract for at least 12 hours.

strain well if needed. add your preservative and shake well. sprinkle your xanthan gum over top very finely and evenly. without stirring, let it sit for 4 hours at room temperature so it can hydrate and swell. when you return, you’ll have a gel. stir well.

if you want to thicken it up more, add the tiniest amount of xanthan gum at a time and give it a few hours to hydrate and swell. if you want to thin it out, add a bit of rose water and mix well.

store in a dark glass bottle, away from direct sunlight. toss after 6 months.

what do you think?

XO, ALEXRAYE