Night serums are plentiful, but have you ever wondered what exactly do they do and why are they used in lieu of your daily moisturizer? After trying a couple and realizing my face was suddenly waking up smooth and beautiful, I decided to try a DIY night serum. According to sources at the Huffington Post, face serums are basically moisturizers on steroids, designed to penetrate deep into our pores and relieve those pesky signs of aging that occur seemingly overnight. However, I have to agree with these sources on the fact that a pricey night serum may not mean it's the best serum for your face. Since skin conditions vary, finding the right nightly serum for an affordable cost can be a daunting task that could potentially put your face at risk for acne. That was all the info I needed to know before I started putting matters into my own hands with several DIY facial serums.
Here's what I'm personally looking for in a face serum: I want to soothe fine lines, I want to take out any inflammation in pimples or under my eyes, and I want to wake up with skin that isn't dry to the bone. Like many others (I assume I'm not alone here) the heat in my apartment is so drying that I wake up in the middle of the night almost gasping for air and I'm sure I'm not the only one who does. To make the perfect night serum, get yourself a base oil that works well with your skin type and choose your essential oils based on their calming and age-defying properties.
Here the five steps you can make your own nightly serum without breaking the bank... or your face:
1. Choose A Carrier Oil
For my daily moisturizer, even though my skin runs oily, I use coconut oil to keep me protected. Since my nightly serum will only be used in the comfort of my bedroom (which has far fewer free radicals and pollutants than the streets of Brooklyn), I use baobab oil. You can also work with jojoba, avocado, grapeseed, and sweet almond oil to get a light-weight oil for your nightly serum. Feel free to experiment with small batches to see which type your skin likes best and, if you're feeling adventurous, mix and match your carrier oils.
2. Remember What You're Fighting For
Figuring out what exactly you want your nightly serum to do is the next step. While you may have a long list of complaints about your skin, your nightly serum won't be able to address them all immediately. Start off with an overall problem like dryness or acne. For my nightly serum, I was aiming for a brightening effect.
3. Add Essential Oils Based On Your Skin Type
One of my major DIY faux pas of the past was adding way too many ingredients, which can cause irritation. I'd get obsessed with the scents and want everything all at once, but it ended up just making my skin freak out. So, I recommend only adding two essential oils. Starting with fewer ingredients will allow you to experiment with what works best with your face. Find out which essentials are calming and packed with antioxidants and other nutrients before you make your decision. My first essential of choice is frankincense, which has astringent properties as well as the ability to heal scars. My second oil of choice is sandalwood, which is healing and soothing on the skin, plus blends deliciously with frankincense.
4. Mixing Your Serum
Your face serum will already be diluted with a carrier oil of your choice, but according to sources at Aura Cacia, you should still be mindful of the amount of those potent essential oils you are adding to your serum. For the two ounces of carrier oil I used in my own nightly serum, I added less than 20 combined drops of essential oils. Before you smear your serum all over your face, make sure to do a test patch on the inside of your arm so you don't wake up unrecognizable.
5. Applying Your DIY Night Serum
Use your nightly face serum after you've cleansed and freed your face from makeup to avoid clogged pores. I use my cleanser and toner as usual and ditch my daily moisturizer for my night serum.
Once you've got your face serum to a science, you'll be saying good night and actually mean it!
Image: Kristin Collins Jackson (6)
