If you want a great skin, then a proper skin care routine is a must. It is a key to a beautiful skin. It requires regular “CTM (cleansing, toning, and moisturizing) regime,” which is a primary aspect of skin care routine and this goes for everyone irrespective of the skin type. However, toning is the step that many people miss out on or just skip it often. And what made me say that? Recently I have done a post, reviewing one of the toners and I have received a number of queries pertaining to toners such as what is it, what it does and is it really necessary to use it, so I just thought to talk about toners today with you all.
Facial toner or skin toner is a water-based solution that is packed with much more than hydrogen and oxygen that tones the skin. Toning is an essential step in your skincare routine, that provides multiple benefits for all skin types. It plays a vital role in ensuring you have a healthy and clean facial appearance. But, sometimes toners are really very confusing, especially for those who don’t know about this, because of their different names. Toner is also known as a tonic or I would say skin tonic, skin-freshener, skin bracer, pre-lotion, and astringent.
Originally, toners came out in the 1900s. The idea behind the skin tonics (toner) was to ‘soothe the nerves’ or to ‘take the fatigue out of tired muscles.’ The most common ingredients used in toners included witch hazel (a plant) extract, alcohol, camphor, boric acid, tincture of benzoin, and tincture of sage which all have antiseptic properties and are the examples of astringents. In addition to that, they also used glycerin, some fragrant scent, and flower water for coloring to make it look pretty.
The purpose of using astringents like alcohol, witch hazel extract, and tincture of benzoin etc is to cool/refresh the skin. It also appears to have a skin tightening effect, reduce blackheads and blemishes; and not only does it stimulates blood circulation, but also it close pores. Thus, toners with astringents properties play an important role.
However, back then, calling a substance an astringent generally meant that it had a stronger formulation i.e. it contained more alcohol (which dries out skin) and/or zinc or aluminum. So some beauty companies started to make products for different types of skin. For normal to combination skins, the toners are called as a “skin tonic” which contains fewer astringents products and those with a high concentration of alcohol labeled as “astringent” for oily skins.
Nowadays, toners are more efficient and advanced; so depending on the formulation, they do a whole range of things. They not only balance the ph levels (when you wash/clean your face the pH level of your skin becomes imbalanced) of the skin, but also they prepare your skin for the next step of your skincare routine as well as they remove dead skin cells, excess oils, or even any leftover residues from cleanser (such as chorines and minerals found in tap water) and makeup. They also shrink the pores of the skin, prevent blackheads, tighten the skin, and provide anti-aging nourishment. Along with that, it provides anti-oxidant benefits, it allows your skin to breathe while keeping it refreshed, soothed, and hydrated. And yeah, while some toners penetrate as deep as possible working on the layers of your skin to do what serums are made to do; others can be used as a facial mist that you can use throughout the day to refresh or rehydrate your skin.
You can either use a toner that is homemade such as rose water, green tea, or lavender, or a brand-name skin toner sold in your retailer's aisle, but you should incorporate them into your skincare routine. Just remember to avoid using toners that contain alcohol because alcohol as a main component in any skincare product is a problem and it can excessively dry out your skin. Nevertheless, all the alcohol isn't bad for your skin, but it just depends on the percentage and which type of alcohol it is because there are other types of alcohols too which are known as fatty alcohols and they are completely non-irritating and can be exceptionally beneficial for your skin.
What's your skincare routine? What products do you use? Let me know in the comment section below.
Stay Blessed, Be Happy..!! :-)
