As you guys know, taking care of my skin is so important to me, especially now that I’m in my thirties. If only I could go back to my early twenties and convince myself to create a good skincare routine and wear SPF daily.
Serums are one aspect of my skincare routine that are essential. They allow targeted treatment to improve your skin’s tone and texture. One of my favorite serums I think everyone should be using is a Vitamin C serum. I apply vitamin C in the morning so that it can protect my skin against environmental stressors and further sun damage. I also use it to lighten up dark spots and give my skin a healthy glow.
Vitamin C has a ton of skin benefits, which I’m about to go into, and should be one of the skin care products you use daily.
The Benefits Of Vitamin C Serum
Brighten & Evens the Skin
Probably the most commonly known benefit of Vitamin C is that it does a great job of brightening and evening your skin tone. It’s great for reducing the appearance of sun damage and preventing future sun damage. It reduces redness, and brightens dark spots, hyperpigmentation, and overall giving your skin a healthy, youthful glow.
Protects the Skin
Vitamin C isn’t just helping to correct skin problems we already have, it also protects us from future damage as well. It protects against oxidative stress, pollution and environmental stressors. This helps to neutralize free radicals and keep your skin more protected.
Anti-Aging Benefits
It’s my opinion that everyone should be using a Vitamin C on a daily basis to protect your skin and also for it’s anti-aging benefits. Vitamin C may help to increase skin elasticity and tightening, which means it may promote collagen production. It also reduces the appearance of dark spots which gives skin a glowy, youthful look.
Makes your SPF More Effective
For the most part, we all think that SPF is the only way to protect our skin from the sun, but studies have shown that using a Vitamin C in tandem with an SPF can actually make your SPF more effective by combatting oxidative stress from UV rays.
How To Use Vitamin C Serum
When & How to Apply
Vitamin C should be applied in the morning as your first serum after you cleanse and use your toner. I like to let it fully absorb before putting on any other serums and moisturizers.
There’s no trick to applying it, just pump about a pea size onto clean fingers and massage into your skin.
Morning application is key because daytime is when we’re exposed to the most environmental stressors—we need that extra protection!
How to Get the Best Results
Like anything, consistency is key! Make sure that you’ve established a good skincare routine and use your Vitamin C serum consistently. It may take a few months before you really start seeing results. Even when you don’t see results, you should rest assured knowing your skin is being protected everyday.
For the very very best results, apply SPF as your final skincare routine. I have plenty of sun damage and only wish that I had started wearing a daily SPF in my teens.
What to Avoid
As far as I know, there’s nothing that you need to stay away from when using Vitamin C. Always check ingredient lists to make sure you’re not allergic to anything in that particular formulation. I used a topical vitamin C during my pregnancy and in tandem with all of my other products.
If you have sensitive skin, ease into it by using smaller amounts or start with every other day use to acclimate your skin to your new product.
Best Vitamin C Serums
All of these Vitamin C serums are applied topically and can easily be added to your current skincare regimen.
All Bright C Serum from Beautycounter
My top-pick for Vitamin C because it’s created with two types of ultra-stable Vitamin C. Many vitamin C products contain L-ascorbic acid which can decay over time or with heat, rendering the serum ineffective. With this serum, you simply don’t have to worry about it.
It also contains turmeric and camu camu that help brighten skin and protect is from environmental stressors. The color is gorgeous too.
CE Ferulic Serum from Skinceuticals
This Vitamin C Serum is one of the top rated serums out there. It has 15% L-ascoribic acid, a form of vitamin C. This formulation also has ingredients to help fight the signs of aging as well. The one downside I picked up on from the reviews were the smell. Apparently the smell is strong and kind of gross. But, if you’re willing to put up with a little stink, then this one sounds amazing.
Triple Vitamin C Serum from Tula
I’ve enjoyed Tula products in the past and this one gets great reviews. It has 10% of their Vitamin C complex as well as skin prebiotics and probiotics, essential for healthy skin.
C-Firma Day Serum from Drunk Elephant
Another highly rated one with 15% L-ascorbic acid. One thing to note with vitamin C products that use L-ascorbic acid—this ingredient degrades over time, so it’s best to buy these products fresh and use immediately to get the best results. Color may change, but it should still be effective—check the expiration date too!
Glow Maker from MaeLove
This wins the prize for affordable vitamin C serum! In addition to vitamin C, this one has vitamin e, ferulic acid and hyaluronic acid. It has incredible reviews and if you’re on a smaller budget, I think this one is worth a shot!
Do you use a vitamin C serum in your routine yet?
BTW, 3 daily skincare non-negotiables, and 6 amazing gua sha benefits.
