How To Choose The Right Toner For Your Skin
What are toners? Do I need a toner in my skincare? Can I skip using a toner? Which toner is the best for me? You asked, and we have the answers! Let’s start with the basics:
What Is A Toner And Why Do We Use It?
Toner is practically magic water. It is still just water but with more hydrogen and oxygen molecules packed together as hydrogen peroxide in its’ atomic arrangement. Hydrogen and oxygen help disinfect skin surfaces and restore pH balance (learn more on the importance of maintaining pH balance here!). While many people have recently sought to apply hydrogen peroxide as toners in recent days, we personally do not recommend it. A properly formulated toner is more chemically stable and gentle on the skin. We’d also recommend avoiding alcohol-based toners as they tend to strip natural oil from your skin and leave them dry and flaky. Toners, in general, help you address whatever skin concerns you may have and is important to be incorporated in your skin regime to achieve the best glowing skin you desire!
How Do I Use Toners?
Here are some general guidelines that we’ve put together on the best ways to use toners:
Use it twice a day (morning and night)
It is especially important that you choose the right toner for your skin type to ensure that using it as frequently as twice a day wouldn’t dry out your skin. Have you had a bad relationship with toners? Did they break you out more? It’s probably because you picked the wrong toner for your skin, so don’t give up and give toners a go once more!
Use it right after cleansing your face
Your skin comes in contact with shampoo, body wash, face wash, and hot water during a shower which throws off the skin’s pH level. This is why your skin feels oddly tight and dry after. Toner helps to restore pH level instantaneously.
On a damp skin
Right after shower, gently dab your face and apply toner while your skin is still damp. This allows for better absorption of the ingredients in the toner into your epidermis.
Cotton pad or hand?
You can use any form of application but make sure your hands are clean if you choose to apply toner with your fingers.
Which Toner Is Suitable For Me?
Like we mentioned before, the type of toners that suit you depends on your skin type. Therefore, let’s look into different types of skin and which ingredients you should look for in your choice of toner:
Ageing and sun-damaged
Do you see fine lines and wrinkles forming? Does your skin have patches of sunburn? Do you have dark spots all over your face? Then your skin type is ageing and sun-damaged. You would need to look for toners that heal and preserve your skin texture and reduce wrinkles.
Ingredients to look for:
- Humectant to restore skin lipid’s water barrier (eg: Sodium Polyglutamate)
- Ingredients to avoid transepidermal water loss (eg: Aloe vera, Microalgae) - Skin repairing ingredients (eg: Plantago major, Jojoba, Squalane)
- Anti-ageing agents (eg: Pullulan, Retinoid)
Dry and sensitive skin
If your skin is constantly red, blotchy and irritated, you most likely have dry and sensitive skin. It is important to be very careful when choosing toners for dry and sensitive skin-type to ensure natural oils on your skin are not further stripped off.
Ingredients to look for:
- Ingredients that repair and strengthen skin barrier (eg: Arginine, Alanine, Serine, and Valine)
- Calming agent to reduce irritation (eg: Cucumber, Chamomile)
- Hydration-maintaining ingredients (eg: Aloe vera)
- Sebum regulating ingredients (eg: Rosehip, Geranium)
Normal to combination skin
Is your face oily on certain areas and dry on others? Do you generally have a non-problematic skin but simply looking to maintain and improve skin condition such as skin dullness? Then you fall under the normal to combination skin type.
Ingredients to look for:
- Exfoliating acid to remove dead cells (eg: Salicylic acid, Lactic acid)
- Cell regenerating agents (eg: vitamin A, Fruit acids, Allantoin)
Oily skin
Oily skin people also tend to be those who struggle with acne or struggle with enlarged pores. It is vital that you incorporate sebum regulating ingredients into your skincare.
Ingredients to look for:
- Sebum-regulating (not oils!) (eg: Zinc, Salicylic acid)
- Pore reduction agent (eg: Retin A, Tea tree oil, Mushroom extract)
Mon Chéri Toner for all skin types.
Wrapping Up
There you have it! A comprehensive guideline on what are toners, why you need them and different types of ingredients to look for in toners based on your skin type. Making researched and detailed decisions are important to ensure you’re applying gentle and kind products on your skin that will help achieve your #skingoals. With this information we hope you make the right pick for your skin and one step closer to attaining your perfect skin condition!
