About Toners

The purpose of a skin toner is to clean your skin and balance the pH (or the level of acidity) in readiness for the product you are going to apply next.

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Toners help you get your skin "squeaky clean" by removing residual cleanser and makeup. Of equal importance is a toners ability to stabilize your skins pH.

Before applying toner product to your skin, it should be cleansed and the pH set to your natural level. Good cleansers can achieve this but often the pH of your local water or the feel of your skin after cleansing requires a toner be used. Good toners feel like light on your skin like a splash of water. They should also feel clean and nice smelling.

Toners go by many names: clarifying lotions, toning lotions, tonics, balancers, astringents, skin purifiers and cleansing waters. Originally toners were made primarily of alcohol but this caused excess drying which deprives the skin of valuable oils (although for excessively oily skins this can be a good thing). Modern toners are made with gentler ingredients, like witch hazel or water and nourishing botanicals.

There are a number of different toner types but essentially their prime objective is to correctly adjust the pH on your skin. Some toners are becoming an important part of your skin care routine with the ability to moisturize, refine, exfoliate, control shine, add anti-ageing ingredients, regulate hormonal activity, purify, or simply re balance and smell nice. Above all, a toner must feel good on your skin - with no stinging - except those designed to sting as part of their function.

Combination and oily skins types have the most to gain from toners. Astringent toners are able to clean up excess oil and dead cells without leaving skin feeling parched or tight. Toners that contain salicylic acid can even make pores appear smaller which smoothes the skin and stops moisture loss.

As your skin gets older it becomes drier and the value of daily toner use lessens. However, it can be very refreshing to clogged complexions during the summer months or in tropical climates.

The traditional method or applying toner is to dampen a piece of cotton wool and wipe it over the skin. This technique is somewhat wasteful of the product as much of it remains in the cotton.