I’m working harder than ever on my thesis at the moment, but I just thought I’d quickly write up my latest DIY discovery for you all.
I’ve been playing around with yet another vitamin c serum. MAP, or Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, is a water soluble form of vitamin c which doesn’t have the potential irritation of L-Ascorbic Acid. I’ve been really happy with the effect it has had on my skin. Great stuff!
This recipe is adapted from the Skin Essential Actives website for the dry Australian climate. If you live in a humid climate, you may find the Skin Essential Actives version more comfortable for you.
You will need:
Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate 3.5 grams
Distilled H20 14.3 grams
Borage Oil (or whatever oils you prefer) 14.4 grams
Vitamin E 0.35 grams
Emulsifying wax 2 grams
Glycerin 0.35 grams
Optiphen 0.15 grams
(pH should be 7.7)
1. First dissolve the MAP in the water, and put it aside, stirring every now and again (it takes a while to dissolve).
2. Add Glycerin.
3. Add Borage Oil and Vitamin E in a separate pot.
4. As I don’t have a double boiler, I stood the Borage oil + Vit E in some water from the kettle, then heated the wax on a spoon over a candle.
5. Once the wax is liquid, pour in the wax into the Borage solution and stir. Keep stirring and add the MAP solution GRADUALLY and DON’T STOP STIRRING.
6. Stir vigorously! It should start to form a lotion consistency.
7. As it cools, keep stiring, and it will continue to thicken. Add Optiphen.
8. Test the pH – it should be 7.7.
9. Place the MAP serum into an airless pump container or cobalt jar. All my containers were due for washing, so I put mine in a glass jar to be stored in a dark cupboard in the bathroom.
I’ve been using this serum for a few weeks now and have been really enjoying it. It’s taken me some time to get the recipe just right, but I’m very happy with the result!
ha! who would have thought that heroin problem would come in handy when you had to melt some stuff into a spoon!
Real answer: this looks awesome. as stupid as it sounds, I’m in awe of your teeny tiny little measuring cup.
@Suzanne Haha! Chris calls it my ‘meth lab’
Something practical to take my mind off words for a bit!
Indeed. This post does have something of the crack den about it! Oh well, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!!
@Sam Yes, the double-boiler would be more elegant
Good luck on your thesis!
Haha meth lab. d:
@Dain Thankyou so much!
@Michelle
I gotta say, you’re so clever with your DIY skincare concoctions! You and Jenny make a great team.
I enjoyed reading your DIY posts. The easiest one has got to be the hair volume serum. Haha, just add and shake! I like that.
@Witoxcity Thankyou! The hair serum is certainly easy, and very effective too! Jen has great knowledge – she’s very talented
Squee just got your serum in the mail thankyou thankyou!! I’ve just rubbed some onto the back of my hand and the skin now feels SO SILKY. Can’t wait to try it on my face tonight!
@Jen That’s great! I’m glad it reached you safely. Yay!
No need for a double boiler. Just put some water into a small saucepan and sit your glass measuring cup inside the saucepan. You can heat your oils and waxes together in the same measuring cup. Of course you wouldn’t want to heat the borage oil too much, but less fragile oils would be fine. Making teeny tiny batches can be fun. Love your blog.
@Nancy Thankyou
This sounds really lovely.
I find it better to make 100g of any product when I’m experimenting. Then, it’s easier to work in % (Everything should add up to 100%) and you’re sure to have the correct amount of emulsifiers and preservatives etc.
@Megan Yes, but I’m always too worried that I’ll waste ingredients if I make a few batches of 100g products that didn’t work out!
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whats the ammount of finished product?I mean how manu oz bottle shoul I use for your recipe?
thank you!
@alania 30ml = 1oz
Lovely recipe Dempeaux!!! Hope you are well!
This seems lovely! Thank you for taking the time to post a tutorial and for sharing your experience making and using serum. I see that you’ve added some preservative. How long does it keep when placed in a dark glass container in a dark and cool cabinet? Also, can I halve the amount of MAP to 1.7 grams when making this the first few times so that my skin can get accustomed to using Vitamin C?
Merci!
@Violet I usually keep my serums in the fridge to keep them nice and fresh. I’ve never really test out their longevity, but I’m guessing it would be fine for a few months at least. You can definitely half the amount of vit c, though you’ll probably find MAP far more gentle than L-AA
@SEA Thankyou!!
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