Toners! Toners! Toners! We have heard this this a lot of time. We have also heard to include toners in to your daily skincare regimen but do we know what toners are? How they work? When to use a toner and which toner is good for our skin? Or what benefits do we get if we apply toner on our face?  So all of your queries will now going to an end because we are now discussing all about toners today. And not just that I will let you know the 4 best homemade facial toners for all skin types.

·       What are the toners and how do they work?

Toners are basically skin tonics. Just like our body needs a tonic to improve its health and give you immunity same as the facial toners work. They work like a tonic on your face. And actually they were called skin tonics when they just arrived. Toners are made to soothe the nerves and take the fatigue out of your facial muscles.

The value of toners are increasing day by day due to its powerful results. They are newly formulated to treat our all over skin care concerns and that is why is available in various verities like toning, hydrating, cleansing, exfoliating or brightening.

·       Why should we use toners?

The basic work of toner is to give your skin a quick hit of treating your problems along with the intense hydration as well as take out your dead skin surface from your skin leaving it more hydrating, glow and fresh.

·       Benefits of using Toners:

The most important benefits of toning are

o   It shrinks the appearance of pores

o   It takes away the dirt, impurities that are left on your skin and pull out your dead skin that is laying on the surface of your skin.

o   It also restore your pH balance.

Our skin’s pH consist of three portions. Acidic, neutral and alkaline. If our skin becomes too acidic it would lead us to an inflamed and you would get breakouts, and if our skin reaches to alkaline levels it becomes too dry and dehydrated. After cleansing or washing our face our skin loses its elasticity. So, a toner balances the pH levels of skin.

We have barrier on top of our skin because deep inside of our skin has lipids, moisture and natural oils , our skin barriers prevent all the germs, dirt and other impurities to get into our skin which causes breakouts and pigmentation. So, we should look for products that can locks the moisture inside and protects our skin and rebalance pH levels of the skin. The toner works to restore and revitalize our skin from deep inside it balances our pH levels of skin and wend out the bacteria that would be harmful for our skin.

·       Proper way to apply toner:

 Applying toner preps your skin to absorb other products better in to our skin.

The correct procedure to apply a toner is by using cotton pads or your clean hands.

Pour your toner in to your cotton pads and swipe on to your skin outwards. If you are using your hands then just pour it on your hands and pat it on your skin until slightly absorbed.

·       4 homemade toners for skin and their benefits:

We all want to get rid of acne, dull skin, large pores, hyperpigmentation, dehydrated skin. We can get clear, spot less, super fresh, hydrated and glowy skin by adding toner into our skin care routine.

Here we came with top 4 best homemade toners that will actually help to treat your skin from inside and best of all is they all made with natural ingredients.  

1.      Rice water toner for skin whitening:

Using rice water in your skin care is gaining success day by day. It’s a Japanese technique to use rice water to have flawless clear spotless skin. The nourishing antioxidant Ferulic acid is naturally found in rice water. Rice water is loaded with amino acids, vitamins and minerals and natural organic compound which helps to soothes skin and work to heal the eczema also. All of the compounds are essential for skin which clears out the imperfection and treat scars. It also whitens the skin complexion, minimizes pores, brighten up the skin, work as a cleanser, tighten your skin, prevent from acne breakouts and also be used to treat age spots.

How to make rice water toner at home:

You will need:

Rice                             1 cup (washed and cleaned properly)

Water                          2 cups

Fermented Rice water:

To make fermented rice water soak 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water and keep it in the air tight container and leave it on the shelf for up to 24-48 hours. Once it starts to smell sour and bitter your fermented rice water is ready to use. You can add few drops of peppermint essential oil if you have acne skin. Or can add a few drops of fractionated coconut oil. If you want to make an anti-aging toner then you may add few drops of rosehip seed oil or jojoba oil.

You can use fermented rice water for up to 4-5 days in the fridge.

To make non-fermented rice water toner just boil the uncooked soaked rice until you have left with 1 cup of water. Strain the rice water and let it cool down. Keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

2.    Potato water for pigmentation:

Potatoes are known to be the best inexpensive treatment of age spots and pigmentations. The catecholase a natural enzyme contains in potatoes have natural bleaching properties which helps to lighten the skin tone and pigmentation.

You will need:

Potato                 1 (peeled and cut)

Water                  2 cups

Boil potato in 2 cups of water, simmer on low heat until only ¾ cup of water remains. Strain and let it cool down. Keep it in a spray bottle in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks. Spray twice daily after washing your face in the morning and before going to bed.

3.    Frankincense milk toner:

Frankincense water is the best toner to treat acne scars, pigmentation, clears out skin spots and blemishes, redness and inflammation due to acne and prevent further breakouts. It also enhances your skin complexion.

You will need:

Frankincense              2 tbsp.

Water                          ½ glass

Soak frankincense in water and let it rest for 6-8 hours. You can also keep it in the fridge while resting and stir 1-2 times. Strain the ready to use white frankincense milk and keep it in the spray bottle. Apply with cotton pads or directly spray it on your face. Apply moisturizer after 5 mins.  

4.    Rose Water:

Rose water is said to be the best natural toner. It can be use on all types of skin. It refreshes and revitalize your skin making it glowy and pink. It also tightens your skin, brighten up your skin tone.

You will need:

Rose water                 1 cup

Glycerin                       2 tbsp.

Lemon juice                        ½ cup

Mix all the ingredients together and keep it the spray bottle. The glycerin used in this toner will also help to enhance your skin elasticity whereas the lemon juice lighten or your skin complexion and treats two tone skin.

Increase the glycerin if you have dry skin especially if using this toner in winters. Apply twice daily or once at night to get softer skin in the morning.

These toners are super easy to make at home and work wonders to your skin. So, from now onwards don’t forget to use toners in your skin care regimen. Do give them a try and let me know which one is your favorite?