Vitamin C: Skin Benefits & How to Use It

We’ve all had our skincare struggles. In your pursuit of products that evoke that “aha!” feeling after use, you’ve probably noticed that many contain vitamin C.

It’s an ingredient that cosmetic product manufacturers often advertise on bottles to get you to buy on impulse.

So, you may instinctively know it’s good for you. And it is! But what, exactly, are the benefits of applying this vitamin to your skin? 

Well, applying skincare products that are rich in vitamin C helps improve your skin in a variety of ways. For example, it has numerous properties that help in the detoxification process.

Some of the top properties that make vitamin C good for your skin include:

• Anti-aging
• Anti-viral
• Antibacterial
• Immunity boosting

What are the skin benefits of vitamin C?

Okay, let’s dig deeper and examine the above benefits in more detail. As mentioned,  one benefit of vitamin C is that it helps reduce signs of aging. That’s because it stimulates collagen reproduction, preventing wrinkles and fine lines by thickening the dermis.

On top of that, it has other benefits:

• It’s an antioxidant, so it protects the skin from the damaging effects of UV rays.
• It inhibits melanin production in the skin, lightening hyper-pigmented skin for a radiant complexion.
• It repairs damage caused by sun exposure by encouraging rapid cell regeneration.

That’s a lot of amazing benefits, right? So, how should you use this wonder vitamin? That’s what we’ll look at next.

How to use vitamin C

Vitamin C is a topical skin treatment (although you can also eat foods that contain it, like oranges and lemons). So, it’s non-invasive and has minimal side effects (if any). If you’ve never used it before on your skin, though, it’s always a good idea to do a patch test first.

How to do a skin patch test:

• Choose an easy-to-conceal body part, such as your forearm
• Rub a small amount on that area – as you would lotion – and wait 24 hours
• If you don’t experience any side effects, apply it to your face while adhering to the directions on the label

Generally, you can apply it about once a day. For best results, you should follow this procedure at night:

• Cleanse your skin as you normally would
• Apply vitamin C serum
• Moisturize

How to pick the right vitamin C product for your skin

Because it’s such a popular and effective ingredient, there are many vitamin C serums on the market today.

Unfortunately, not all of them will work for your skin. So, here are some practical tricks for finding the best products to integrate this vitamin into your skincare routine.

Ensure your serum:

• Is formulated for all skin types
• Contains minimal ingredients
• Comes from a well-reviewed company
• Is organic

Remember: You can safely use vitamin C with other clean beauty products to get healthier skin.

Pro tip: As mentioned above, it’s best to use it at night and apply sunscreen in the morning; that’s because this vitamin can make your skin more sensitive to the sun.

If you’d like to get more helpful clean beauty-related advice, check it out here. And don’t forget to add our organic Castile soap to your skincare lineup!