The whole purpose of toner in any skincare routine is to create another cleansing step and refine your pores, giving you a more even complexion and leaving you with healthy glowing skin. Often, toners are packed full of extra skin care benefits, such as soothing and hydrating ingredients.
Facial toner, for example, can help you glow up, keep your face clean and revitalized, minimize the appearance of pores, and more.
Known for removing dirt, excess oil, leftover facial cleanser, and any other impurities from your skin's surface after cleansing, toners are a skin care essential for a good reason. Some formulas strictly hydrate the skin, while others can also refresh, brighten, and leave skin feeling soft and smooth.
A toner's job is meant to gently refresh your skin without stripping it of its natural moisture. This means toner won't irritate sensitive skin or cause excessive dryness. Toner also prepares the skin to drink up your post-cleansing moisturizer and any other skin treatments that you may apply.
What is the Best Time to use a Toner? One must use a toner on a regular basis, preferably on a daily basis. Most ideally, a toner should be applied twice a day, once after the cleansing process in the morning and the second time, during the night-time skin care routine after thorough removal of makeup.
Some toners are humectants, which means they attract moisture. So, if your skin is extremely oily and if you feel your toner provides enough moisture, you can definitely skip the moisturizer.
Brightening toners are often infused with skin-brightening ingredients such as papaya extract, ginseng, retinol, or vitamin C. These skin toners help reduce the appearance of dark spots, sun spots, acne scars, and fine lines.
In fact, if you're suffering from dark spot or acne scars, toners help to reduce the dark spots. Toners have replaced the age-old astringents that were earlier used to remove make-up.
Toners do not have any adverse side effects, as long as you avoid alcohol-based ones which may irritate your skin. Overusing a toner (more than twice a day) can also cause skin irritation.
Toning is a key part of your skin care routine that's done after cleansing. While there are many types of toners, Neutrogena Rapid Clear 2-in-1 Fight & Fade toner is a fan-favorite for fighting acne. The toner contains salicylic acid, which is known to help reduce breakouts and fade discoloration caused by breakouts.
While in skincare, toning is done to keep skin looking its best, a more extreme approach is bleaching which is frowned upon! But both are usually confused for each other. Toning is essentially in place to even out skin tone.
“No, toners are not necessary for skin health, so you don't need to use one” states Dr Sonia Khorana, GP with Special Interest in Dermatology and Cosmetic Doctor. “Toners were previously used to remove whatever was left behind of your make-up and dirt after cleansing and balance skin pH.
You should use toner after washing your face, and before using serum or moisturizer. If you want to go green and skip the cotton pad, you can also put a few drops of toner into the palms of your hands and then press them into your face. Use a toner morning and night.
Side Effects of Skin Toners
This is especially true for formulations with active ingredients such as alpha-hydroxy acids, used to exfoliate the skin. Dry patches of skin and redness are common complaints due to overuse; those with acne-prone skin may experience breakouts.
It adds a layer of protection. Toners can help close pores and tighten cell gaps after cleansing, reducing the penetration of impurities and environmental contaminants into the skin. It can even protect and remove chlorine and minerals present in tap water. It acts like a moisturizer.
You can use a toner at any time of the day – morning, evening or night, but the most important thing to keep in mind is to always and only use a toner right after you have cleansed your face. It's also equally important to finish your skincare routine right after you have applied your toner.
Exfoliate your skin using a mixture of sugar, oatmeal, and coconut oil twice or thrice a week. This can give a visibly-brighter skin almost instantly as this scrub can remove dead skin cells and help your skin breathe better. Mix a tablespoon of coconut oil with a teaspoon of coffee powder and massage it on your skin.
A highly astringent toner will dry out your skin, leaving it feeling tight and irritated. You may even feel a sting when you apply it. Instead, aim for soothing and hydrating ingredients, such as rose water or aloe.
Regular use of rose water will keep the skin free of extra oil and help prevent problems like blackheads, whiteheads, acne and pimple. Using rose water as toner is better than using chemical based toners which might dry out the skin. Rose water has soothing properties and can be used as an all-natural skin toner.
After applying toner, do not dry your skin with a towel before applying moisturizer — just let your skin breathe and air-dry.