There are numerous ways to lighten your skin tone and today, we are going to talk about the role of incorporating Vitamin C in your daily routine to lighten and whiten your skin.
Vitamin C is a powerhouse ingredient which actively treats skin pigmentation, age spots, acne marks, skin discoloration, skin darkening, uneven blotchiness, and overall uneven skin tone.
A brief introduction about Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an anti-oxidant naturally found in the nature. Unlike plants and animals. humans can not synthesize vitamin C on their own due to lack of required enzyme, hence humans need to get Vitamin C from other natural sources like citrus fruits, strawberries, green leafy vegetables, broccoli and papaya.
If you are wondering, exactly how does Vitamin C manage to lighten your skin tone, here is a simple explanation: –
Vitamnin C works to increase glutathione levels in lymphocytes & red blood cells, which in turn, decides the balance between both types of pigments, light & dark, known as pheomelanin and eumelanin.
Upping the daily dose of Vitamin C (with a minimum of 1000 mgs upto 3000 mgs) can work well to whiten and lighten your skin in time.
How to use Vitamin C in your daily regimen to lighten your skin?
There are different ways you can intake Vitamin C doses and work your way upto lighter skin. We will go in detail in each of the methods and you can choose the one you are most comfortable with.
Let’s begin.
Consume Vitamin C Orally
Apart from lightening skin tone, vitamin C supplements help to boost immunity, maintain healthy gums, reduce the adverse affects of sunburn & redness on the skin & lower down the blood sugar level in diabetic patients among other things.
However, if you want to take Vitamin C supplement particularly for lightening your skin tone, starting with 1000 mgs and going uptil 3000 mgs will help tremendously.
Glutathione & Vitamin C
In the pursuit of lightening and whitening your skin, glutathione & Vitamin C work well together.
Consume Vitamin C two to three times the dosage of your Glutathione every day. The higher dosage of Vitamin C will keep the Glutathione in its absorable state, which in turn, will release the full potential of Vitamin C’s skin whitening benefits.
For example, if you are taking 500 mg of Glutathione, then you need to take minimum of 1000 mg of Vitamin C to potentiate Glutathione.
Starting with 500 mg of Glutathione is advisable, however you can go upto 1000 mg and consequently, 2000 mg of Vitamin C for faster results.
Vitamin C prevents Glutathione from being oxidised and thus reducing its effects. Additionally, Vitamin C helps the body manufacture more Glutathione which further aids in whitening the skin.
How exactly does Vitamin C lighten your skin?
Vitamin C lessens the production of melanin pigments in the skin by inhibiting the enzyme called tyrosinase resulting in less melanin pigment production. Less melanin in the skin means lighter skin.
By working on pigments surrounding mainly near hair follicles, Vitamin C effectively lightens the skin.
Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant which fights off free radicals which work to damage the skin and darken it.
Glutathione helps the skin produce the light melanin called Pheomelanin rather than the darker one (called Eumelanin). Vitamin C increase the level of Glutathione in the skin thereby playing an indirect role in lightening the skin. It also increases Vitamin E in the skin which also aids in further lightening the skin.
By continually using Vitamin C, it exfoliates the skin mildly and slowly remove the darker, melanin rich skin leaving the new skin lighter and smoother.
Other Benefits of Vitamin C for the Skin
Benefits of Vitamin C for overall health
1. For Common Cold
While the jury is still out on the fact if Vitamin C can actually prevent common cold, but it has long been proved that it definitely shortens the duration of the ailment along with reducing its severity.
2. For healing of the wounds
Vitamin C plays a pertinent role in regenerating the skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc to help heal the wound and bring the skin back to its original self.
Vitamin C can help to expedite the healing process on all kinds of wounds, from minor ones to even burns.
3. For combating stress
In order to combat the negative effects of stress on the body, the brain needs Vitamin C to synthesize the stress hormones like adrenaline & non-adrenaline. So lower levels of the vitamin can slow down the process resulting in ill effects on the body.
4. To lower cholesterol
High level of cholesterol can result in number of diseases. Vitamin C helps to convert cholesterol into bile salts which gets eliminated from the body. By doing that, it keeps the cholesterol level in check.
5. To improve blood flow
Vitamin C (even in small doses) help in dilating the coronary arteries making the process of carrying blood to the heart easy.
6. To lessen the risks for stroke & heart disease
Being a great anti oxidant, Vitamin C kills free radicals which can harm the arteries’ walls, which if remained high, can increase the risks of stroke & heart diseases.
7. To control sugar level
Vitamin C works to regulate the sugar level in your body which can further reduce serious diabetes complications.
8. To aid in cancer treatment
A study suggests, Vitamin C taken in high doses can amplify the effect of cancer-killing properties ofdrugs used during the process of chemotherapy.
There are numerous other benefits of Vitamin C which effectively works to improve our overall health. Did you know studies show that Vitamin C can also help with breathlessness, asthma symptoms, arthritis, cataract, tuberculosis, etc.?
Benefits of Vitamin C for hair
Apart from offering array of benefits to our overall health, Vitamin C is excellent for growing and strengthening the hair. Vitamin C directly helps in building collagen which is crucial for strong and long hair. It helps to rejuvenate lusterless and weak hair which is prone to breakage.
Vitamin C works to absorb iron (a building block of hair), which keeps our hair healthy and strong. It is very important for protecting the hair from damage which can be caused by free radicals. Regular intake of Vitamin C stimulates hair growth and make the hair follicle stronger.
Benefits of Vitamin C for skin’s overall health & its whitening & lightening
Here is how Vitamin C works as an anti oxidant for the skin to combat free radical damage
Vitamin C is a very potent antioxidant which is already found in human skin and can also be taken topically, creates a complex group of enzymatic & non-enzymatic antioxidants to safeguard the skin from ROS (reactive oxygen species). By continually releasing electrons to neutralize the free radicals, the skin is protected from oxidative stress.
Here is how Vitamin C works to protect the skin from sun damage (UVA & UVB rays)
When the skin is exposed to sun, reactive oxygen species (ROS) form which is extremely harmful to the skin. Antioxidants actively work to neutralize the ROS to minimize the skin damage. Vitamin C, being a great anti oxidant, is what your skin needs to cancel out the damage caused by harsh sun exposure.
By continuously exposed to UVA, the rays may penetrate as much as 30-40 times deeper into the dermis as opposed to UVB which mostly corrodes the epidermis. These harsh rays destroy collagen & elastin which are are core needs of the skin to stay youthful.
Since sunscreens only block 55% of the free radicals created by sun exposure, Vitamin C comes to the skin’s rescue. It gives an UV-protective effect by neutralizing free radicals, a job which is not done by the sunscreens.
As per a laboratory experiment, a topical application 10% Vitamin C reduced the chances of formation of sunburn cells by 40-60% & induced erythema by 52%.
If you want to further amplify the potency of Vitamin C in fighting off the free radicals, introducing Vitamin E (minimum of 1%)& ferulic acid (minimum of 0.5%) will increase the strength by eight folds.
Apart from lightening and whitening the skin, Vitamin C plays a pivotal role in improving collagen synthesis in the making it more elastic which, in turn, gives a younger and firmer look.
Many women experience from skin redness and inflammation. Vitamin C effectively works to treat both the skin issues to reveal a more radiant and even toned skin. Mild skin rosacea can also be treated with regular application of topical Vitamin C.
Wound healing can be expedited with the usage of Vitamin C directly on the wound. By stimulating new collagen synthesis, it helps to heal the wounds and also protect them from getting infected.
Vitamin C is one stop shop for overall repair of your skin.
Vitamin C for skin: How To, Benefits, Products which work
The chemically active form of Vitamin C is called L-ascorbic acid. Although Vitamin C is found in equal parts as L-ascorbic acid & D-ascorbic acid. Since, only L-ascorbic acid is biologically active, hence it is useful in medical practice.
Vitamin C can be taken both orally & topically.
Consuming Vitamin C orally is more effective if you are taking the vitamin for different purposes of your overall health. As when it is administered orally, it is a lot less effective on your skin.
To see visible difference in the skin, topical application of Vitamin C is favored in dermatology.
L-ascorbic Acid is unstable in nature, so it is advised against exposing it to light.
Now that you have fully understood the mechanism as to how Vitamin C works to get you flawless skin. We are going to suggest you products which ALWAYS work so that you can too achieve perfect flawless skin.
How to Use Vitamin C for Skin Lightening?
*We only recommend products which have been tried, tested & loved by numerous consumers in order to make sure our readers get the maximum results.
The products with the active ingredient of Vitamin C reduce the appearance of brown spots, enhance collagen production, fades sun damage, inflammation, post-acne red marks, among other skin problems.
Topically:-
With 10% being the minimum concentration of Vitamin C in the product needed to see visible difference,the concentration can be upped till 20% to see BIG difference and fast too!
Vitamin C Serums: –
The best Vitamin C serums meant for skin lightening and whitening are easily available on Amazon to reach out the consumers around the globe.
Vitamin C Serum with 25% Vitamin C & Ferulic Acid
Vitamin C in itself is excellent for skin whitening but when mixed with ferulic acid, it potentiates Vitamin C by many folds to protect the skin against sun damage which further works in lightening the skin.
The high concentration of Vitamin C (25%) in the serum will deliver fast results and will maintain the rejuvenated tone and texture of the skin for longer period of time.
Vitamin C Serum with 25% Vitamin C & Vitamin E
The combination of high concentration of 25% Vitamin C & 1% Vitamin E is powerhouse of a match in your skin care item.
The Vitamin C will work in lightening your hyper pigmentation and overall skin tone while Vitamin E will aid in increasing the effect of Vitamin C to get you fairer tone in no time.
Dr Oz Vitamin C for Skin
According to Dr oz, Vitamin C not only helps with age spots but also boosts the collagen to bring elasticity back to the skin thereby preventing sagging skin.
Dr Oz offer a best selling serum (click the link to read more) with the clinical strength of 20% Vitamin C along with Hyaluronic acid for a radiant and even tone skin.
Vitamin C Powder (for DIY Vitamin C Serum)
Vitamin C serum can also be made at home.
For the DIY vitamin C serum, you need L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C powder) and some glycerine or aloe vera gel.
If you want quicker results, go for a potent 20% strength.
Mix half a tsp of Vitamin C Powder into 2 tsp of distilled water and add half to full tsp of Glycerin or aloevera to stabilize the concoction and store it in an amber glass bottle, preferably with a dropper to keep it from oxidation.
It is advised to use it up within 3-4 days and make a fresh batch afterwards. Store it in dark place to maintain the potency of the homemade vitamin c serum.
In case you are not able to find L-absorbic acid, try crushing Vitamin C tablets in mortar and pestle to make it powder.
DIY vitamin c serum can also be prepared with liquid vitamin c
Instead of l-ascorbic powder or crushed vitamin c tablets, mix vitamin c liquid in distilled water. Keep the quantity and the rest of the recipe same.
No matter which DIY vitamin c serum you go for, making a fresh batch every 3-4 days is strongly recommended.
And always use dark blue or amble glass bottle with a dropper.
Vitamin C Pills for Skin Lightening
You often wonder how many vitamin c pills do you need for skin whitening & lightening? If taking vitamin C pills alone would do the trick?
Vitamin C pills can be found in strength like 500 mg, 1000 mg, 2000 mg, 3000 mg, 5000 mg.
If you are just starting to consume Vitamin C pill, begin with 500 mg pill. You can up your dosage once you are done with the 500 mg bottle without any side effect.
The optimal dosage of vitamin C pill for the purpose of lightening your skin is 1000 mg and upwards.
Take Vitamin C pills on empty stomach for maximum absorption. Excess Vitamin C which is not absorbed by the body will be passed through urine and you are less likely to see any severe side effects.
However, in rare cases you may experience diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, abdominal bloating & cramps, headache or insomnia.
However, if you take only vitamin c pill, you might not get desirable result in lightening your skin.
Taking additional supplements like Collagen + C type 1 & 3 of 6000 mg will give you radiant and lighter skin quickly.
How to include Vitamin C in overall skin care to lighten and whiten the skin?
Apart from taking Vitamin C pills, you can also start using different skin care items like cleanser, toner, serum, face mask, moisturizer, etc with Vitamin C as the core ingredient.
Repeated use of products laden with Vitamin C will bring results quicker and will be more visible.
Let’s start with the cleanser.
Well, cleansers are meant to eliminate makeup, excess oil, dirt & debris and unclog pores, but if it has Vitamin C as an active ingredient, it could only be an added bonus.
Facial Cleanser with 10% Vitamin C can be an excellent way to kick start your skin care regimen. It not only deep cleans your skin but also infuse the skin with Vitamin C to defy ageing and lighten your overall skin tone. Use it just way you would use any other cleanser.
Even Dr. Oz offers their facial cleanser loaded with Vitamin C which is not only organic but also cruelty free. The facial cleanser does not contain alcohol, parabens or sulfates. Due to its organic nature, it is safe for all skin types.
Using facial cleansers with Vitamin C as an active ingredient protect the skin from sun damage which leads to skin darkening.
Next is toner.
Although, toners are supposed to used in thin layer to remove the leftover dirt and debris, having Vitamin C will definitely make your skin care extra helpful in lightening your skin tone.
There are multiple toners available in the market which cater to different skin needs.
Toners with Vitamin C as the main ingredient are: –
Body Merry offers their alcohol free toner pumped with 22% Vitamin C, which acts as the second step in your skin care centered around Vitamin C.
After you are done with applying the serum packed with Vitamin C, it is now the turn for a moisturizer with Vitamin C as the targeted ingredient.
Vitamin C is not enough to hydrate your skin so using a moisturizer with Hyaluronic acid (which is excellent for saturating the skin with moisture) is a good idea.
One Life Vest offers their luxury (although not expensive) treatment formula which is loaded with the goodness of 20% Vitamin C (first ingredient in the list) for lightening the skin & Hyaluronic acid to keep the skin moist and supple.
Follow the moisturizer after using cleanser, toner, serum to lock in Vitamin C and moisture for rejuvenated skin.
Natural Sources of Vitamin C For The Skin
A human body has 300 mg of Vitamin C which can go uptil 2 gm. Different parts of the body have different amounts of Vitamin C with white blood cells containing the highest amount and saliva and red blood cells containing the least.
Apart from introducing Vitamin C in the skin care regimen, including foods with high concentration of the vitamin is cherry on top.
The foods which are high in Vitamin C content are:-
Strawberries
This is the one of the most common and tastiest berries which have extremely high in Vitamin C.
Adding strawberries to your diet is extremely easy with the variety of shakes & salads which can be consumes everyday.
Citrus Fruits
Oranges, lemons, grapefruits, also known as the fruit galore of Vitamin C powerhouse. One medium orange contains 70 mg of Vitamin C where as, one small glass of orange juice will provide you with upto 93 mg of the magical vitamin. Oranges, being so popular for their Vitamin C goodness, doesn’t contain the highest amount among all fruits.
Papaya
If you are looking for a fruit which can fulfill 100% of your daily Vitamin C requirement, papaya is the way to go. You can either add it in your smoothie or make a delicious and Vitamin C packed papaya yogurt.
Guava
Guava is the super food which provides over 250 mg of Vitamin C, which is twice your daily requirement! Slice a guava and gulp it down. Easy peasy.
Gooseberry
An exotic fruit, readily available in India, comes with one of the most concentrated Vitamin C. Slice a gooseberry and eat it or go for its juice. You will not need to look for any other source for your daily dose of Vitamin C.
Broccoli
Don’t like cooked broccoli? Add it to your post workout daily smoothie. One serving offers over 90 mg of Vitamin C.
Dark leafy greens
Kale offers the highest amount of Vitamin C per serving, over 130 mg. If you dont like Kale, go for spinach, mustard greens or watercress. All are very good for you.
Lightening dark (or black) skin with Vitamin C
Vitamin C is indeed very potent for achieving lighter and whiter skin.
However, if you are born with extremely dark skin and wish to go several shades lighter, you might have to opt for an extensive skin care regimen and diet to attain your desired complexion.
Although using your entire skin care regimen based on Vitamin C would help but it is more for people who are looking to get a few shades lighter.
If you are really serious about achieving really light skin which seems a little out of reach now, Skin Whitening Forever is THE program for you.
The best thing about Skin Whitening Forever is that it recommends the easiest, tried and tested and totally safe home made recipes for you which can help you to get as lighter as you can. The program has the most unheard of recipes to help you get that coveted whiter skin.
The eBook is written in a way that it gets to the point without beating around the bush.
It tells you what to do, hot to do, what to eat. Not only that, it also tells you what not to do and what not to eat.
Other bleaching products available in the market are loaded with such harsh chemicals, that it can give you the most horrendous side effect without actually lightening your skin tone and even if you do get the results, they don’t last.
Skin Whitening Forever shares how to maintain your lighter and whiter skin so that you can cherish your new born skin for the rest of your life.You can download the e-book here.
Additional Information about Vitamin C
Can Vitamin C treat warts?
Yes. Take some Vitamin C pills and crush them to make a powder, use Vitamin C crystals if you have that handy. Mix a small amount with water to get a thick paste. Apply on the wart and covet it with a bandage. Reapply as needed.
Can Vitamin C be used around eyes?
Yes. If you are able to use Vitamin C serum safely on your face, then it can be used under your eyes as well. Take a drop of the serum on both your ring fingers and massage it gently around the eye orbit. Do not use the serum on the eye lids though. It is not safe.
Best Vitamin C products available in Sephora
If you are an avid Sephora shopper, you might as well try some skin care products loaded with Vitamin C
With Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (the stable form of Vitamin C) as second ingredient, this serum packs a punch. Layer it before your favorite moisturizer and bask on your brighten and lightened skin.
With Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (a very potent form of Vitamin C which is easier to get penetrated for drastic results), this skin treatment will give you the skin of your dreams. Being a pretty penny, this treatment is highly raved in the beauty world and is a favorite of many celebs.
The two step formula is gaining brownie points among skin care fanatics for the right reasons. These easy to use quick peel pads deliver results that last. These can be used even by the most sensitive skin types and can be easily included in your daily beauty regimen without any extra effort. With Vitamin C high in concentration, these pads improve the appearance of fine lines, treats breakouts and make the skin radiant and beautiful.
With Vitamin C in the form of Ascorbyl Glucoside ad hr star ingredient, the mask lightens the hyper-pigmentation on the skin and detoxifies the skin to reveal smooth, even toned & radiant skin.
The serum specifically designed to lighten the acne marks and sun spots to achieve a flawless skin in no time. Layer it before your moisturizer and get awed by your perfect skin.
Probably one of the most potent and result driven Vitamin C skin serum you can find in Sephora. With L-Ascorbic Acid 15%, Ferulic Acid, and Vitamin E 1%, it packs a powerful punch in lightening and whitening your skin while maintaining the new skin for longer period of time by adding extra shield of protection on your skin from the harmful sun damage. It is perfect for all skin types and for all age group, particularly mature skin which needs quick help. Just get it. You won’t regret it for sure.
Use Vitamin C & Vitamin E for maximum benefit
Orally
Adding Vitamin E to your daily regimen will increase the impact of Vitamin C by many folds. If you are
taking Vitamin C pills (no matter what strength), add 200 mg of Vitamin E too.It will be an added bonus to your journey for lighter and whiter skin.
taking Vitamin C pills (no matter what strength), add 200 mg of Vitamin E too.It will be an added bonus to your journey for lighter and whiter skin.
Topically
Above, we have recommended products which have both Vitamin C & Vitamin E as star ingredients.
If you are doing a DIY vitamin c serum, then either buy Vitamin E liquid/oil or pop a vitamin e capsule and use it sparingly on the skin.
Vitamin E is highly moisturizing so it will leave your skin extra hydrated and smooth.
Safest way to whiten and lighten your skin
In the pursuit of lightening and whitening the skin, people often resort to skin bleaching. While skin bleaching is rampant in African and few Asian countries, it mostly has severe side effects, some of which leave the skin far worse than its original condition.We have outlined several methods as to how you can safely lighten your skin tone with Vitamin C which will definitely give you results.
But if you are looking for a more permanent way to achieve lighter skin which not only gives you lighter skin on your face but for your overall body, you would need to comprehensive approach for whiter skin.You need an all-inclusive diet and skin care regimen which gets the benefit of a number of ingredients and their recipes to attain your desired skin tone.
In the skin whitening section of the beauty industry, Eden Diaz has been making whole lot of noise, all thanks to her eBook which is chock full of actionable recipes with ZERO side effects.
Eden’s e-book, Skin Whitening Forever, deals with home made recipes which are made with all natural ingredients which are not only dirt cheap but are incredibly easy to find, most of which are already available in your home.
Her recipes takes advantage of all the ingredients you are already using in your daily routine. She has just streamlined all of them for you to help you get the coveted white skin.
She talks about the concoctions you can not only use topically but also the diet which will give you lighter skin from the inside.
Her diet tips, specifically for lighter skin, gives PERMANENT results as your body is naturally changing its overall skin color from within.
Changing the skin color on your whole body is necessary to make you look natural and authentic. Having two entirely different skin colors on your face and body is not really many’s goal.
On top that, she shares how you can maintain your new skin color for the rest of your life without ever going back to its original shade.
She takes the worry out of ever getting any sort of side effect which, frankly, makes the whole process a lot safer.
