Face serums are a great way to nourish the gentle skin on our face and give it extra moisture and vitamins. They are powerful cosmetic products that are easy to introduce into your routine.
If we want to tackle when and how to apply a face serum, we must first discuss what it is, where it belongs in your routine, and how to best use this wonderful product. We’ll also discuss the best face serums, how to use them, and how to apply vitamin C serum.
Let’s start with the definition of a face serum without further ado and go from there.
What Is A Face Serum?
A face serum is a product that contains strongly concentrated active ingredients like vitamin C, retinol, and hyaluronic acid that target specific skin needs. It’s formulated for different skin types, and when and how to apply a serum greatly depends on how your skin will react to it.
Face serums absorb into the skin quickly because they are lightweight and help improve the skin’s hydration, firmness, and smoothness.
What Is the Best Way To Use a Face Serum?
The best way to use a face serum is as a base layer under heavier products. This way, it’s the skin’s first barrier against free radicals and pollution, giving it radiance from within.
Although face serums and hydrating creams often share ingredients, they are different and should not be used interchangeably.
Using a serum for the best results ensures your skin is moisturized and receives the active ingredients that are needed most.
However, as we detail below, you must also ensure you follow the right steps to apply face serums.
Start By Cleansing
The first step you must take when deciding how to apply face serum is to wash your face thoroughly. If there’s any grime or buildup on the surface of your skin, it will impede absorption of the serum and may cause irritation or breakouts.
Wash your face gently with a DIY cleanser suitable for your skin type. Don’t use harsh chemicals, especially if you have sensitive skin, and don’t wash your face with hot water, which can dry and irritate your skin.
Pat Dry Your Face
Once your skin is clean, pat it dry with a clean and soft cloth or face towel. Always use a fresh towel to avoid contaminating your skin with old debris.
Don’t rub your face or pat it with a lot of pressure — irritated skin may break out in reaction to the serum or cause the latter to absorb poorly, making the whole exercise fail.
Apply A Face Toner
Some people don’t use a toner before they apply a serum to their washed and dried skin. While you can get away without one, using a DIY toner to prepare your skin for serum application is better.
Toners help the skin rebalance itself after washing. Moreover, they can clean traces of grime and makeup your cleanser may have missed. In addition, they cool the skin and open pores, which is ideal for serum application.
How To Apply Face Serum
If you’re wondering how to apply a DIY face serum such as a vitamin C serum, it’s easy when you follow a few steps.
First, you should figure out how much to use and whether to apply the serum to your face or just a few spots. Some treatment serums may be too harsh for certain areas — for example, oily skin serums may damage the sensitive skin around your eyes.
Next, put a small amount of serum into your palms and lightly press it into your skin. Make upward and outward motions and avoid pulling the skin down, which may cause it to sag and form wrinkles.
The Last Step Is To Moisturize
The last step in your skincare routine is moisturizing with a high-performance DIY face cream. It should always happen after you apply your face serum, or the ingredients in the serum won’t properly absorb into the skin, and the benefits will pass you by.
Moreover, moisturizers are thicker than serums, so they’ll stick to your face, coating the serum and locking it into the skin of your face. Use the same upward strokes from the previous step to apply the moisturizer, and don’t overdo it.
If your moisturizer contains sunblock, you’re good to go. Otherwise, applying this UV protection cream should be the last step of your skincare routine before applying makeup.
When To Apply Face Serum
Because face serums are packed full of beneficial vitamins and nutrients, you don’t need to overdo their application. When to apply face serum depends on the state of your skin and its needs. However, applying it more than once a day won’t give you added benefits.
For the best results, apply your face serum once a day, and remember that a small amount can go a long way. One or two medium-sized drops usually do the trick.
Create Your Serum Routine
Let’s take a look at an example routine you can use now that you know when and how to apply face serum:
| Action | When to do |
| Wash your face | Every morning and night |
| Exfoliate | One to three times each week |
| Apply toner | Every morning and night |
| Apply face serum | Every morning |
| Use moisturizer lotion | Every morning and night |
| Apply sunscreen, eye cream, and lip balm | Every morning or as needed |
| Apply makeup | Every morning or as needed |
When you’re happy with your routine, you can turn to more DIY beauty recipes to use in addition to face serums for younger-looking skin that defies time.
Find the Right Serum for You: The Best Face Serums
The best face serums address the particularities and issues of your skin type, so there is no best serum for everyone.
Let’s take a look at the best face serums you can pick for each skin type:
| Skin type | Serum |
| Oily/problem skin | Serums with alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs) and beta hydroxy acids (BHAs), like salicylic and glycolic acid, to gently exfoliate the skin and eliminate grime and dead cells |
| Sensitive skin | Serums with silver and natural antioxidant ingredients like quercetin, chamomile, and aloe to reduce the irritation and give hydration |
| Dark spots and uneven skin tone | Brightening serums containing gotu kola, vitamin C, and diglucosyl gallic acid (DGA) |
| Mature skin and fine lines | Serums that contain sweet almond seed extract to minimize the appearance of fine lines and crow’s feet |
| Mature skin and wrinkles | Nourishing serums containing hyaluronic acid, peptides, vitamin B3, seaweed extracts, red clover, and horse chestnut to replenish the skin and make it more elastic |
| Ultra dry skin | Hydrating serums with hyaluronic acid and seaweed extracts to reduce irritation and deeply restore the skin’s essential barrier |
| All skin types | Serums with vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, and minerals to benefit the skin and create a barrier of moisture for all skin types |
You can buy the best skin serum for your skin’s needs or make your own. If you do, bear in mind that it’s better to start with a lower concentration, especially if you’re using strong ingredients like vitamin C. To get you started, here’s a recipe for a natural DIY face serum that will make your skin glow.
Final Thoughts
Adding a serum to your daily skin care routine could be your answer to perfect skin. But the best serums are ultra-expensive. Save yourself some money and try my diy serum recipe, designed to be easily made at home using only natural ingredients.
Any comments or queries, do let me know below. I would love to know what you all think about serums and to hear about your own experiences with this product.
