What are toners used for?
Toners are oftentimes forgotten about and not implemented in one’s skin care routine. They are not essential steps. However, they can greatly impact and benefit one’s skin! Toners are great for minimizing pore size and cleansing the skin of debris left behind from skin care products, oils, makeup products and more. Toners also balance out the PH of the skin, combating acne and prepping the skin for further skin care application. Cleansing the skin prior can decrease the skin’s PH. Our skin is naturally more acidic, and cleansers can alkalize the skin, thus weakening and exposing it to bacteria and pathogens and resulting in further sebum oil production.
What to look for in a toner?
There are a variety of ingredients that one should steer away from when picking out a toner. Ingredients that can be very drying and irritating to the skin include “bad” alcohols such as Ethyl alcohol or denatured alcohol, methanol, isopropyl alcohol, and benzyl alcohol. Toners that include witch hazel, oftentimes used for inflammatory and antibacterial properties, can be very drying,, causing more harm than good. Fragrance, another ingredient commonly seen in toners and skin care products, can produce itching, dryness, redness and irritation. Depending on the fragrance or perfume used in the toner, one can experience disruption of hormones, triggering of asthma, and contact dermatitis. Fragrances often contain alcohol, such as benzyl alcohol. Seeking clean, organic and soothing ingredients nourishing for the skin. The Healthline award-winning Toner Hydratant from Soyier Skin is an amazing toner made with clean ingredients, such as aloe and green tea, that are hydrating and don’t strip the skin from its natural oils!
How to incorporate toners into your skincare routine?
Toners are a great step to incorporate after washing and cleansing the skin and before the application of further skin care products such as serums and moisturizers. They can be incorporated into the morning and nighttime routine.
