Toner?

Hey, thanks for stopping by! Today we will learn all about toners, what are they and do we need them? There are two types of people out there, people who religiously use a toner twice a day and those who feel like it’s an unnecessary step. Nonetheless, we all want beautiful skin and to each his own but in my opinion a toner is a great way to prep your skin after you have cleansed, let me explain why…

What is a toner?

Back in the day, the purpose of a toner was to remove the remains of your oil based cleanser. Nowadays, toners have different purposes depending on their ingredients. A toner is usually applied as the second step in your skin care regimen after cleansing. Generally, toners have a fluid consistency and will be packaged in a bottle. You can also find them packaged in jars with soaked cotton pads. In general, toners have the ability to balance the pH of your skin, offer hydrating benefits, cleanse, balance oils and exfoliate the skin. Toners will also allow the rest of your skin care products to absorb into the skin since toners hydrate the skin gently. When using a toner you are laying down a foundation for the rest of the products you will be using.

Different types of toners:

This is where it can get a bit confusing for some but let’s break it down. Based on the ingredients lists you can come to a conclusion on what type of toner you are purchasing. Remember there are a couple of different types, some that hydrate, cleanse, and/or exfoliate the skin. (I will be writing about exfoliating/acid toners in a future post, these are my favorite types of toners). Here are key words and ingredients you should look for in a toner, according to your skin type,

Sensitive

  • Key Words: Calming, Soothing, Redness Relief, Replenishing, Non-Irritating, Gentle
  • Ingredients: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin (Vegetable), Witch Hazel, Rose Water, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Hyaluronic Acid

Combination

  • Key Words: Balancing, Hydrating, Gentle
  • Ingredients: African Black Soap, Tamarind Extract, Tea Tree Oil, Willow Bark Extract, Glycerine (Vegetable), Witch Hazel, Vitamin C, Salicylic Acid, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Hyaluronic Acid

Oily

  • Key Words: Purifying, Balancing, Gentle
  • Ingredients: Witch Hazel, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin (Vegetable), Willow Bark Extract, Salicylic Acid, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Citrus Limonum (Lemon) Peel Oil

Dry

  • Key Words: Hydrating, Nourishing, Soothing, Skin Softening, Moisturizing, Gentle
  • Ingredients: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Water, Witch Hazel, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Water (Aloe Water), Hibiscus Flower Extract, Bulgarian Rose Oil, Grapefruit Oil,  Hyaluronic Acid, Rosewater

Normal

  • Key Words: Balancing, Hydrating, Soothing, Gentle
  • Ingredients: Witch Hazel, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Glycerin (Vegetable), Hyaluronic Acid, Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract, Camellia Sinensis (White Tea), Aspalathus Linearis (Red Tea), Amellia Sinensis (Black Tea)

What you don’t want in a toner:

Although it is very simple to formulate a toner that is non-toxic, natural and plant-based, many companies still load their products with a ton of nonsense ingredients. In many toners you will find the claims or keys words “Astringent”, “Mattifying” and “Clarifying”. Please try to avoid toners that advertise these claims because most of the time, they will contain a lot of irritating alcohols.

I often mention that we should avoid the most commonly used toxic ingredients found in beauty and skin care products such as parabens, synthetic colors, fragrance, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) / sodium laureth sulfate (SLES), triclosan, formaldehyde, toluene, propylene glycol but one of the main concerns when it comes to toners is the use of alcohol in high percentages.

Alcohol used in beauty and skin care products can be a pro and/or a con, it depends. ( I will touch upon this subject very briefly since it deserves its own dedicated blog post.) What many people don’t understand is that there are numerous types of alcohols that have different properties.

When looking for your next toner please avoid the following alcohols,

  • SD Alcohol or Alcohol Denatured (abbreviated Alcohol Denat)
  • Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol), found in Rubbing Alcohol

These kind of alcohols dissolve surface oils but tend to dry out the skin. When skin is dried out by alcohol, the skin’s acid mantle/protective barrier is disrupted. This can cause many issues such as irritation, sensitivity……the list goes on. You will find that many toners that use the words clarifying and astringent are geared towards oily skin types. Drying out oily and acne prone skin with alcohol is not the answer for clearer skin. This is a common myth that has spread like wild-fire throughout the years. The truth is that high amounts of these alcohols will only cause oily skin to produce more oils due to the stripping effect alcohol has on the skin. You will know if your toner contains high amounts of these alcohols if it’s listed at the top of your ingredients list. When in doubt, choose an alcohol free toner and always read the ingredients list.

Whatever you do, keep it gentle. Be kind to your skin.

Thanks for reading!!! Please share your thoughts, comments and questions in the comment section below. Let’s build a community of educated individuals together!

 

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