Hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum make a perfect duo. They team up to address signs of aging like fine lines, facial wrinkles, sagging skin, and dull complexion. Separately, each works excellently well to improve the health and appearance of your skin.
When paired together, hyaluronic acid and vitamin c serum harmonize to give you flawless skin. They can harmonize at a steady pH and not throw your skin off balance.
Vitamin C tends to dry out your skin when used alone but when paired with hyaluronic acid, it is more tolerable.
There is a correct way to use hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum as two separate products or a combined product. Read on to see how and the benefits of using this powerful duo.
1. As Two Separate Products
One of the ways to use hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum is to layer two separate products that contain these ingredients. It could be two different serums or serum and moisturizer (lotion, cream, or gel).
To layer two serums, you should start with the thinnest serum which is vitamin C serum. And if it’s a serum and a hyaluronic acid-based cream, vitamin C serum will come first.
Cleanse your face
Every skincare routine that will be productive begins with a clean face. Your everyday bathe is not sufficient to completely remove oil, dirt, and makeup residues. Sometimes, the soap may also leave residues that can alter the penetration and action of the actives.
Post-bathe, dampen a cotton ball with a cleanser, and wipe across your face to remove these residues. Wipe your neck as well to remove oil and dirt. It is not a rinse-off product; therefore, you should leave it to absorb into your skin.
Apply vitamin C serum
Pump out the serum and release it onto your palm. Gently tap the serum all over your face- hairline, nose, under eye, chin, cheeks, and jaw. Make sure you cover every part of your face.
Allow the serum to absorb into your skin for up to a minute. However, your skin should not dry up completely. Otherwise, your skin may have a bad time with hyaluronic acid.
The molecules of the serum penetrate the deep layers of your skin to communicate skin rejuvenation.
Up next…hyaluronic acid serum or cream
Seal in moisture and fortify your skin with a hyaluronic acid serum or cream. Apply hyaluronic acid product while your skin is still damp. In this state, absorption, and penetration are at their peak.
If you’re using a serum, follow the same way you applied vitamin C serum. If it’s a cream, take a pea-sized amount of cream and gently rub it all over your face and neck.
Moisturize
Lock in moisture with moisturizing cream. You can use a moisturizer with SPF to protect your skin from sun damage. If your moisturizer does not contain SPF, make sure you use sunscreen at the end of your routine (after face oil).
2. As a Combined Product
Some vitamin C serums contain short fragments of hyaluronic acid. If you find such a product, you do not have to layer two different products. More so, it simplifies your routine and makes it shorter.
However, when you use a combined product, you may not get effective and satisfying results as you would get when using two different products.
- Start with cleansing your face with a mild facial cleanser and cotton ball. Wipe the cleanser across your face and neck to remove oil, makeup, and dirt
- Afterward, take your combined serum and put some in your palm
- Gently tap the serum on your face and neck until you have even coverage
- Thereafter, follow up with a moisturizer to seal in moisture and keep the ingredients in the serum trapped in
- Apply face oil as well to boost hydration, nourish and glow up your skin
- Finish off your daytime routine with sunscreen to prevent your skin from becoming photosensitive due to exposure to UV rays
How to Make Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C Serum at Home
You can make a DIY combined serum of hyaluronic acid and vitamin C to enjoy the benefits of the two active ingredients. The first advantage of a DIY serum that comes to mind is that is cost-effective. You can make more serum at the same cost as buying an OTC serum.
Also, a DIY serum allows you to tailor your serum to suit your skin as you like. Follow this recipe to make a DIY hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum.
Materials:
- 12 tablespoons distilled water
- 1 and a half tablespoons of cosmetic-grade vitamin C powder
- 1 and a half tablespoons of cosmetic-grade hyaluronic acid powder
- 13 drops of essential oil of your choice (for fragrance)
- Glass bottle with a dropper applicator
- Small glass bowl and stirrer
How to:
- Pour the vitamin C powder into the glass bowl and add the water
- Stir gently until the powder dissolves
- Then, pour the hyaluronic acid powder and stir gently so it dissolves
- The powder may not completely dissolve, so, you can cover the glass bowl with clean foil paper and keep it in a refrigerator for an hour
- Bring it out and stir it until it dissolves
- Thereafter, add the oil and stir properly
- Transfer the contents of the bowl into the glass bottle and store it away from sunlight
Benefits of Using Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C Serum Together
1. Perfect moisturizing duo
Although hyaluronic acid is the skin’s hydrator, vitamin C serum can complement this hydrating benefit of using hyaluronic acid. Vitamin C serum preserves the integrity of your natural barrier and prevents transepidermal water loss.
As a result, your skin can retain moisture better with the humectant property of hyaluronic acid. Overall, they keep your skin moisturized and improve the health and appearance of your skin.
2. Better and brighter skin complexion
Pairing hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum is a great combination to achieve your complexion goals. Vitamin C brightens your skin and hyaluronic acid hydrates your skin. Together, they give your skin an uncompromised glow.
Moreover, they help to fade dark spots, acne scars, and hyperpigmentation. As a result, you enjoy better skin radiance and even skin tone.
3. Increased collagen synthesis
Vitamin C is a powerful skin rejuvenating component. It promotes collagen synthesis. Collagen is a protein that is necessary for skin elasticity, resilience, and overall health.
Furthermore, with aging comes depleting collagen levels. Applying vitamin C serum can help collagen production and improve the appearance of your skin.
With hyaluronic acid to moisturize your skin, they work wonders in stimulating collagen synthesis and maintaining moisturized, elastic, glowing skin.
4. Matchless anti-aging combination
If you’re looking for an anti-aging combination that relieves you of the infamous side effect of retinol, then, you should mix and match hyaluronic acid with vitamin C serum. They help to improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles at a cellular level.
In addition, vitamin C is a very potent antioxidant that protects your skin from free radical damage. Complementing it with hyaluronic acid, you have a properly functioning natural barrier that prevents moisture loss that can lead to parched skin.
Working together, they keep your skin moisturized, hydrated, and plump with a youthful glow.
5. Brightened undereye area
Hyaluronic acid and vitamin C perfectly suit the tenderness of the skin around your eyes. Hyaluronic acid hydrates your skin and stimulates blood circulation to help brighten dark circles around your eyes. Vitamin C is a natural skin brightener.
Together, they are good for your eyes. They revitalize your skin, making the skin firm again with a brighter and more vibrant complexion.
How Often Should You Use Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C Serum?
Use vitamin C serum with hyaluronic acid once a day until your skin can tolerate it. Apply vitamin C serum with hyaluronic acid in the morning to enjoy its antioxidant properties as you step into the sun. Then, you can use only hyaluronic acid in the evening.
Gradually, when your skin fares well with vitamin C, you can use it twice a day in your daily routine.
Additional Tips on How to Use Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C Serum
- Alternate hyaluronic acid and vitamin C. Use vitamin C in the morning and hyaluronic acid in the evening
- Look for vitamin C serums that incorporate short fragments of hyaluronic acid
- Mix hyaluronic acid with your everyday moisturizer
- Also, do not apply vitamin C serum to broken or wounded skin
- As a vitamin C beginner, start with small concentrations until your skin can tolerate the vitamin
- It is better to not exfoliate your skin or apply any product that contains salicylic acid, lactic acid, glycolic acid, retinol, or benzoyl peroxide before and after using vitamin C
Are There Any Potential Side Effects of Using Both?
You should not experience any side effects from using hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum on your skin. However, some people may experience skin irritation and dryness when they apply vitamin C serum to their skin.
Although hyaluronic acid makes it tolerable and is rarely associated with any side effects, you may still experience some side effects from using both. This happens when your skin cannot tolerate both ingredients. In such a case, you can discontinue use and see a doctor.
FAQs
Can you use hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum at night?
You may use hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum at night. However, the best time to use vitamin C is in the morning. This is when you get the most of its antioxidant benefits that protect your skin from ultraviolet radiation.
Should you apply hyaluronic acid before or after vitamin C serum?
Apply hyaluronic acid after vitamin C serum to replenish and lock in moisture. Moreover, it helps to soothe the drying and irritating effect of vitamin C on the skin. Hyaluronic acid enhances the penetration of vitamin C to carry out its skin-brightening functions.
Using hyaluronic acid over vitamin C serum improves the function of your skin’s barrier to prevent moisture loss.
What can you not mix with vitamin C serum?
Do not mix vitamin C serum with AHAs/BHAs, retinol, niacinamide, and benzoyl peroxide. Vitamin C, when used alone, dries out your skin and these ingredients do likewise. When you layer them, you expose your skin to excessive drying and irritation.
Can you use hyaluronic acid every day?
Yes, you can. It’s normal to use hyaluronic acid every day. Unlike other acids, it is very mild and rather hydrating than exfoliating. As a humectant, hyaluronic acid attracts and retains moisture in your skin, strengthening your natural barrier to prevent moisture loss.
In addition, it shows no side effects when used appropriately, applied to damp skin, and followed up with a suitable moisturizer.
Conclusion
Hyaluronic acid and vitamin C serum are separate ingredients that work wonders on your skin. A combination of both ingredients helps to turn your complexion around. Consequently, a once dull-looking skin brightens up with a youthful glow.
However, you can only reap these benefits when you use them correctly and under the right conditions.
Hyaluronic acid is a powerful skin hydrator while vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects your skin from premature aging, helps to brighten skin discolorations and even your skin tone.
In tandem, you can look at better skin days. Because vitamin C may make your skin quite photosensitive, you should not forget to layer on SPF before you step out every morning.
Thanks for reading.
Check Serum101 for related articles on how to use your skincare products correctly to achieve your skincare goals.
