Is your toner damaging your skin?
Hi!
This is the second part in our series of blog posts Natural Products and How They Can Work For You. We’re going to be discussing natural toners and the key differences between toners found on the high street and toners made from natural ingredients.
Can you guess the main ingredient of most toners?
Alcohol.
Volatile alcohols are often one of the main ingredients of conventional toners, used to give products a quick-drying finish, immediately degrease skin, and feel weightless on skin. It’s easy to see their appeal, especially for those with oily skin.
However, these short term benefits end up with serious negative long term consequences.
When you see alcohol listed among the first few ingredients on a product’s label, that product will will undoubtedly aggravate and damage your skin. There’s simply no way around it, alcohol is bad for all skin types. This damage include dryness, erosion of the surface of skin, and a strain on how skin replenishes, renews, and rejuvenates itself. I’ve mentioned the importance of the skin’s own oils and sebum in a previous post - alcohol is a harsh ingredient that completely strips your skin of its natural oils, leading to more breakouts, larger pores and skin that over-produces oil. Alcohol simply weakens everything about skin.
So what are natural toners made from?
Plant water, aloe vera, essential oils, other botanicals - nothing else! They are 100% biodegradable, cruelty-free and 100% natural!
Samples of natural toners available from £2 here
FOUR reasons you need a natural toner in your life:
1. TO REMOVE EVERY LAST TRACE OF CLEANSER
One key function of a natural toner is to make sure you have removed any residue from your natural cleanser. If you use Suneeta’s Mandarin and Calendula Cleansing Balm or Jojoba Cleansing Oil, for example, you will notice that these cleansers don’t emulsify, meaning they don’t rinse away. You remove these cleansers by using the hot cloth cleansing method, wiping them away with a damp flannel or muslin cloth. You would use a toner afterwards, to remove any dirty cleanser you may have missed! Sweeping toner across your face, either with cotton pads or fingers, will pick up any final remaining cleanser. Leaving you fresh face and clean, without stripping your skin at all!
2. TO PREP YOUR SKIN FOR YOUR MOISTURISER
If you use a toner before applying moisturiser, you will lock in moisture from your toner, increasing the effectiveness of your moisturiser. This will plump, hydrate and soften skin.
3. AS A FACE WASH
You don’t really need to wash your face in the morning, especially if you’ve used a cleanser the night before, but it can be a nice way to freshen up. Try using a toner in the place of your usual morning cleanser. The toner will pick up bacteria and impurities from your skin, leaving you fresh, clean and ready to start the day!
4. FOR THE INCREDIBLE BENEFITS UNIQUE TO EACH TONER
Aside from sharing the above three benefits, Suneeta’s three different toners are all targeted treatments in themselves, each with unique properties thanks to their different botanical ingredients. Read more below…
Orange Blossom and Aloe Vera Toner
Ingredients: Aloe Vera, Orange Blossom Water, Peppermint Oil
Recommended for: All skin types, particularly normal/combination skin and blemished skin.
Orange Blossom water is simply fantastic for the skin. Combined with soothing aloe vera, this toner is super hydrating, whilst really helping to calm inflammation on the skin. This toner is great for anyone with normal/ combination skin, due to its gentle astringent function and moisture-balancing property. particularly for those with blemished skin, due to the inlcusion of antibacterial peppermint essential oil. A brilliant toner for a refreshing pick-me-up cleanse in the morning!
Flower Skin Toner
Ingredients: Lavender Hydrosol, Chamomile Hydrosol, Rose Hydrosol
Recommended for: All skin types, particularly sensitive skin, dry/ mature skin and those with Rosacea or redness.
Suneeta’s Flower Toner is made from three gentle, organic skin-loving flower waters (and nothing else): beautifying rose, calming lavender and soothing chamomile hydrosols, which are lovingly made through steam distillation of plants and woods. This toner will hydrate, soothe and reduce redness.
Spearmint and Lemon Skin Toner
Ingredients: Lemon Hydrosol, Spearmint Hydrosol, Witch Hazel, Lemon Essential Oil
Recommended for: Oily skin, those with hormonal acne, large pores.
A clarifying, purifying fragrant toner which hydrates, while clearing excess oil from the skin. Lemon is known for its antibacterial, anti fungal properties, while spearmint is great for reducing blemishes (especially from hormonal acne). Regular application of witch hazel helps to minimise pores and evens skin tone.
Still unsure about which toner to choose?
Try this quiz to see which Suneeta natural toner Suneeta recommends for you!
Jen xxx