Published: February 25, 2021
What do toners do?
You've likely read an article (or twenty) about how toners balance or restore pH after you cleanse. Toners help restore pH because they're more acidic/less alkaline than your cleanser and also because they're generally more acidic/less alkaline than your tap water.
Your skin is wonderfully adept at re-balancing itself, so given enough time, your skin would naturally re-equilibrate to physiologic pH. A toner just helps it get there faster (essentially instantaneously bringing skin closer to physiologic pH immediately after cleansing rather than hours later if left to its own mechanisms).
Something that's less commonly talked about is that toners are made with distilled water rather than tap water. Even the hydrosols or floral waters in your toner are distilled.
What's so great about distilled water?
Well, it is water without any minerals or dissolved solids, which means it is an extremely capable absorbent.
When you cleanse your face, typically the last thing on your face is tap water. And, if you live in the US, chances are you have hard water.
By following your cleansing step with a toner, you rinse away any remaining soap residue left behind from hard water because the distilled water in your toner can easily pull away those residues.
What does this feel like?
There’s typically a profound difference in how your skin feels when you skip a toner (you may be familiar with it, a tight feeling after cleansing) compared with when you use a toner (soft, smooth skin).
Even if you are lucky enough to have pure soft water, which will go a long way to restoring your natural pH and also wash away cleanser residues, you'll probably want to include a toner in your routine.
Why?
A toner offers an incredibly easy way to thoroughly dampen your skin so that it’s more receptive to your moisturizer. By applying moisturizer to damp skin, you will:
- use less moisturizer
- & boost your moisturizer’s ability (along with all the active ingredients it contains) to soak in more quickly
Finally, the toning step provides a great opportunity to meet your skin’s needs, & a good toner:
- moisturizes
- soothes
- and protects your skin all in one step
Rain Organica’s Light Mist toner includes ingredients that do all three of these things, and you can pick up a bottle today.
If you'd like to find out more about what your skin needs, download 3 Steps to Healthy Skin by signing up for Rain Organica's newsletter.
Until next time,
About the Author
Brandy's a formulation scientist and self-proclaimed health geek who loves hiking, gardening, bird-watching, and body boarding.
Her struggle with acne during her teens and 20s led to a holistic and healthy approach to skincare, embracing skin as an organ to be loved and cared for rather than a canvas to wage war on.
Since 2008, she's been developing all-in-one products for a simple routine at home, & Rain Organica started when her backpacking friends asked for a portable skincare routine to keep their skin healthy & happy on and off the trails.
You can try Rain Organica for yourself with The Essentials Kit, a complete skincare routine in just 3 steps.
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