I had a conversation with a customer the other day who had never used a toner before and couldn’t see the point of it.  And that got me thinking, is there anyone else who thinks that using a toner is an unnecessary step in your skincare routine and a bit of a faff?

So what is toner?

Old school ‘toners’ tended to contain harsh, astringent ingredients and were mainly sold as being suitable for oily, blemished skin.

Alcohol based astringent toners strip your skin of oil but they also destroy any friendly bacteria on your skin. When this happens your skin sends more oil to the surface to protect it and stop it drying out, causing you to use more toner which dries your skin out again and so it goes on!

These products still exist sadly and, scarily, they tend to be aimed at teenagers.  But there are gentler alternatives available too.

Most toners today are designed to remove the last traces of make-up and to calm and soothe skin.

But how can you tell if your toner is just ‘fancy water’ or whether it will actually benefit your skin?

Types of toner

I did a deep dive into the ingredients of some toners on the market to see what you’re getting for your hard earned money.

When you read ingredients the amounts are quantitative, meaning that the largest amount comes first.  Sadly, you’ll usually find anything effective comes right at the bottom of the ingredients because it’s in there to give the product some gravitas.  Obviously, in the case of essential oils, it’s because they are only safe in small quantities.

I checked out the ingredients of a well known astringent toner that is on the market aimed at oily skin and claiming to reduce pores while ‘instantly removing surface oil, controlling shine and treating breakouts’.

The ingredients of this toner were: denatured alcohol (the base of most perfumes) which evaporates almost instantly, tap water, rubbing alcohol, propylene glycol (the main component of anti-freeze) and a tiny amount of aloe vera.

You only need to ready my blog about oily skin to know what effect this stripping of oil does for your skin!

Another ‘fresh, handmade’ toner that I checked out claims to contain lavender and rose water.  But it’s actually 96% tap water and only has 3% rose and lavender waters and 1% paraben preservatives.

Why are Maldon Soaps toners different?

My toners contain 100% organic flower hydrolats and nothing else.  No tap water ever, no parabens, no ‘extracts’, no fillers, nothing that doesn’t come directly from nature.

The flower hydrolats that I use in my toners and skincare are by products of essential oil distillation.  Many essential oils are extracted via steam distillation.  The steam is caught and condensed.  That’s what hydrolats are. Hydrolats still retain many of the benefits of the essential oils so they provide actual benefits for your skin in a natural way.  They will never strip your skin of its essential moisture and they smell incredible!

Who needs to buy tap water to spray their skin with? No one!

My toners are Rose & Orange Toner which is great for all skin types, particularly oily and normal and my brand new Lavender & Chamomile Toner.  Again, it’s perfect for all skin types but dry, sensitive and normal skin will particularly benefit from these soothing hydrolats.

Why use toner?

• Toner is a great bridge between cleansing and moisturising.  It can help to remove the last traces of make-up when used with cotton pads (re-usable ones of course) and/or it can be spritzed directly onto your face before applying moisturiser so that your moisturiser goes deeper into your skin.

• When used alone, a toner re-hydrates skin. Our hot, dry summers and central heating in winter play havoc with the hydration of our skin and toner helps to alleviate the parched, dry feeling that our skin can suffer from.

• A quick spritz of toner can make a huge difference to dehydrated skin.  That feeling of tightness disappears, redness is reduced and skin feels calmer and much happier.

• Toner can boost the effectiveness of other skincare products. When your skin is slightly damp from toner it enables serums, moisturisers and other face treatments to penetrate your skin more effectively, plumping up your skin from within.

• Even if your skin is oily it can still benefit from using my toners. Oily skin should be treated kindly and gently.  Harsh, astringent products should be avoided at all costs because they strip away beneficial moisture and friendly bacteria that skin needs in order to protect itself.  This leads to more oil being sent to the surface of the skin, and repeat to infinity!

• Toner makes your skin feel fresh whenever you use it.  It’s great to keep it in the fridge in summer for a refreshing burst of moisture.  It’s particularly useful during hot flushes!

How Do You Use Toner?

Just cleanse your skin (I’d recommend using my Coconut & Olive Hot Cloth Cleanser) and apply using either a re-usable cotton pad or give your skin a spritz.

Follow with your regular moisturiser or, to even out fine lines, why not use my Moisture Drench Face Treatment on damp skin to plump up skin and deeply nourish.

In conclusion

Toner is one of those products that doesn’t seem necessary until you start to use it.  The effects seem subtle at first but then you start to see the long term benefits and improvement to your skin.  You’ll soon wonder how you ever managed without it!

Using a toner won’t complicate your skincare routine it will enhance it.  It takes just a couple of seconds, a quick sweep or a spritz and you’ve instantly hydrated your skin.

Once you start toning consistently you’ll definitely feel the difference, I promise!