Hi terriks - I used to use Cellex-c but have tried making my own vitamin c serum and it seems to work as well. The common recipe is 1/4 tsp. vit. c (I buy a 1-lb jar of vit. c crystals at Trader Joe's and keep it in the fridge), 1 tsp. glycerin and 1 tsp. water. I don't like the way the glycerin feels on my skin so I leave it out. I do put a little olive oil on my face after applying the serum because vitamin E helps make the vitamin c more effective. Some people add a little vitamin e oil to the serum but it is too thick for me so I add olive oil. I believe you can adjust the amount of vit. c depending on how well your skin tolerates it. There is a lot of info online. You should put it in a dark bottle (I use old Cellex-c bottles) and keep it in a dark cabinet or in the fridge. When it turns a golden color, it has oxidized and you should no longer use it. That's why it's good to just mix up a small amount at a time so it is always fresh. It is best to apply in the morning, as it offers some protection from free radicals during the day. I then use retin-a at bedtime. Good luck!

gail, how to you know you are getting 15% - 20% of L ascorbic acid, and have a pH of around 3.5?

Hi Roseabbey- I think this recipe is for 10 percent strength but I can't remember. You can find online how to adjust the amount of vitamin c so that it makes a ten or twenty percent serum. A lot of people buy ph strips so that they can be certain of the correct pH level. I believe you can buy them from chemist sites online. I don't do this though.

Wow, I must be living in a hole as I didn't know about this. Does the L Asorbic powder that's not being used need to go in the refrigerator or is it fine on shelf?

I don't know the answer to your question, but I know vitamin C works on the skin. I have been using Cellex C serum for almost twenty years. For a good part of those years I used to put the 4 drops in my left palm so I could apply it with my right hand to my face and neck. Once my daughter was looking at the palms of my hands and commented that on the left palm I hardly had any lines and the lines I had weren't very deep compared to my right palm. It had to be because of the vitamin C serum. After that I started putting 2 drops on the top of each hand instead of in my palm when applying,

I keep the powder in my fridge. It's a whole pound which will last a very long time, so I figure it's best in the fridge. I wonder if the pH strips they sell for fish tanks would work -- they sell them at walmart. Might check that out today.

Hm....I found a good source of *relatively* inexpensive ascorbic acid/glutathione/ferulic acid serum and actually got DH a bottle too : ) -- does anyone make that and if so where do you get the ingredients?

There are people who add ferulic acid to their serums - don't know about gluthathione - never heard of that. I think they order it from an online chemist. If you google homemade vit. c serum there is tons of info and many different variations.

Ah, ok, thanks Gail. I'm wondering at what point the effort becomes enough to outweigh the savings--I bet if it just involves the Vitamin C, it's definitely worth it, but when you start adding the other things it may not be, if you have a relatively inexpensive pre-made alternative. We're all about DIY in our family (we make our own colloidal silver/EIS) so I love that folks are making their own C serum too : )

Thanks Gail.

Terriks - If you don't mind me asking, what brand did buy?

I bought this Vitamin C powder from Amazon.

Thanks! That's the one I was originally thinking of buying.

terriks, how is the homemade vit c serum working for you?

I would like to try to make my own too, lately the vitamin C serum I have been ordering is coming already a golden color, and I am sick of sending it back.