PEOPLE ask me all the time; ‘do I need a toner?’
Most confusion about toner stems from the fact that the term “toner” can be used to refer to several different types of beauty aids, including traditional toners, astringents and fresheners.
Traditional toners consist of moisturizers, oils and extracts that help soothe your skin.
Astringents, which are generally alcohol-based, tighten the skin and pores and remove oil. Fresheners work similarly to astringents by tightening the skin, but they are made of ingredients like caffeine and green tea instead of alcohol.
Because all of these different products can fall under the toner umbrella, it’s easy to see why toner is touted for tightening and moisturizing the skin – as well as maligned for drying it out.
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You may have heard a lot about toner working to balance the skin, particularly after using a cleanser that can throw off your pH balance. In all actuality, toner is not really necessary here, and your skin should balance itself out.
Depending on what product you’re actually using, it can do any of these things. In order to choose the right toner for your skin, look at the product ingredients carefully. Alcohol, for example, is a dead giveaway that you’re dealing with astringent.
Our skin has an acid mantle made up of sweat and oil that you naturally produce. After using a cleanser, you often strip away these oils, which can change your skin’s pH balance.
However, your skin will recreate these oils within a few hours, whether or not you use toner. If you have very oily skin, a toner might help keep shiny skin in check. A little oil is actually a good thing, though: The acids help prevent bacteria build-up.
No matter what, you’ll want to start by washing your face with a cleanser. This cleanser should work with your particular skin type, so pay attention to whether your skin is dry, oily or a combination of both.
Also, if your skin is particularly sensitive, you should be sure to use only products marked for sensitive skin. You should also stay away from bar soap (the kind you use on your body) because it can be too harsh for the soft skin of the face.
Use a towel that’s soft and clean to dry your face. It’s a good idea to have a particular towel devoted just to your face, as bacteria can thrive in towels.
Next, you’ll want to have some cotton balls, cotton rounds or facial tissues on hand to apply your astringent or liquid-based toner.
Start swiping toner across your t-zone, or your forehead and nose. These are the oiliest spots and will benefit most from the astringent
YON-KA have brought out a new toner to celebrate 60 years in business and as a huge YON-KA fan I love this limited edition as it has 5 essentials oils and contains no alcohol and is suitable for dry skin.
For price friendly options I like rose water and for oily skin I like witch hazel but I always dilute it down so it is not harsh on the skin.
SHEISIDO have a softener instead of a toner and was one of their first products.Next week will see a big launch for SHEISIDO called ultimune power infusing concentrate and this is going to be big as it comes from 20 years research.
They found cells called langerhans and they are our defense army and ultimune works on these cells to deal with aging and stress or whatever is aggravating your skin, so it is suitable for all skin types, I have been using for the last month as the results are amazing.
This is my product to watch out for.
