Why should you use a toner?
Many people have told me that they don’t use toner as part of their skin care routine because they don’t really know what it’s for.
So I’d like to demystify toner or tonic lotion and tell you about its advantages and why it’s important.
Basically, it’s a cosmetic lotion in liquid form which cleans, purifies and tones the skin.
It’s used to “rinse” the skin after removing makeup with a milk, cream, gel or mousse cleanser. It completes this step by eliminating every trace of makeup and dirt that remains in the skin.
For those of you who use a milk or cream cleanser, tonic lotion is essential. Just do the test. It’s quite simple. Remove your makeup as usual then wipe a cotton ball soaked in toner over your whole face, then observe the cotton ball. It will probably have changed colour. This is the residue of makeup or dirt which the cleanser alone could not remove. So just think about it, all that time when you weren’t using a toner, you were applying moisturizer on top of dirt which then remained imprisoned in your skin! Don’t ask why you get blackheads and pimples!
For those of you who cleanse your skin with water, it’s possible that your cleanser plus water are enough to eliminate makeup residue but if you use a toner, it will get rid of the hard water residue which stays on your skin when it dries.
In the morning, remove any impurities acquired during the night. Just take a cotton ball soaked in toner to cleanse. It’s quicker than using a cleanser and water and it starts the day well!
Tonic lotion is also ideal for people with dry or sensitive skin because water-based cleansers are not recommended for them; they should use cream or milk cleansers. Water often contains chlorine and other additives which can irritate or dehydrate the skin. Tonic lotion becomes essential to « rinse » away the creamy cleanser.
Also, the tonic lotion will close pores and prepare the skin better for applying moisturizer. So your moisturizer will be more effective.
Some tonic lotions have ingredients with multiple properties so that’s an added advantage.
But beware: avoid toners containing alcohol, especially if you have sensitive skin, broken capillaries or rosacea. It can dry out or irritate fragile skin.
One thing is certain; everybody that I’ve shown how to use toner now uses it regularly. Because they’ve seen the great effects it can have : clearer, brighter skin, fewer blackheads and a cleaner, fresher look.
Have I convinced you?