Face toner is not just a skincare product for cleansing your face. It contains acids, glycerin, and antioxidants, that help to keep the skin looking radiant.
Your skin is prone to irritations and reactions, due to constant exposure to sunlight, dust, and many more. Moreover, the face skin because it is delicate and, always uncovered.
Many can attest to the fact, that there are struggles in trying to find the right skincare product for your face. One that will keep it glowing and, do it quickly.
Not to worry, with the right face toner and following its application process, you can achieve clearer skin in no time. Read further, to find out how you can use face toner for quick results.
How to Use Face Toner
First, you need to understand the kind of product a face toner is, to use it effectively. Basically, face toner is a skincare product you use in between your face cleansing routine. It functions as an aid to help open up the pores on your skin, allowing the skin to retain moisture from face serums.
Following the standard application process accordingly, will help your skin respond quickly to the cleansing properties of face toner. Here’s a breakdown of the application process;
1. Wash Your Face
This is the foremost thing to do in every skincare routine. Washing your face thoroughly with soap and clean water helps to remove obvious dirt particles and prepare your skin for toner. Toner penetrates your skin pores better when it is clean.
Applying toner without washing your face, slows down the effects of face toner. It becomes tougher for it to unclog your skin pores, due to the high volume of dirt that settles on your face.
2. Dry With a Clean Towel
Drying your face with a clean towel is necessary after a wash. You need to immediately dry your face with a clean towel, because leaving your face all wet or drying out on its own makes room for specks of dirt to stick right back.
More so, using a clean towel for your face removes leftover dirt from washing. Drying completes your face wash routine.
3. Cleanse With a Face Cleanser
Face cleansing is important in any skincare routine. Using a face cleanser aids the easy opening of your skin pores, allowing face toner to penetrate with no hassle.
Also, it helps to remove excess oil, make-up, and dirt leftovers that drying and washing couldn’t get off.
4. Apply Face Toner
When cleansing is complete, face toner comes next. You apply the toner to your face immediately to enable quick hydration.
A quick application of face toner helps your face to not dry out rapidly, causing you to use more amount of face toner than needed. You can apply your face toner thus;
- Get a clean piece of cotton wool or use your hands, if clean
- Pour a few drops on the cotton wool or into your palm
- Massage thoroughly into your face
5. Allow to Dry
Unlike scrubs and most exfoliating skincare products, you do not wash off face toner after applying it.
For a face toner to work for your skin, you need to leave it to dry after application. This helps to provide your skin with essential acids, relieving it from clogs and making it acidic enough to prevent skin breakouts.
6. Complete With a Serum or Moisturizer
When your face toner dries and settles into your skin, follow it up with a serum or moisturizer. Using either serum or moisturizer gives your skin the complete nutrient, leaving your skin moist, smooth, and glowing.
How to Use Face Toner With Cleanser
To speed up the hydrating properties of face toner you need a cleanser. Here’s a step-by-step process on how to use it.
- Wash and dry your face
- Put a few droplets of your cleanser on a clean cotton bud
- Apply and scrub it into your face and neck
- Finish up with your toner
Remember to use a cleanser suitable for your skin type to avoid skin messing up your skin’s ph level. Many cleansers are acidic, and as such may be bad for your skin type if you have dry or sensitive skin.
How to Use Face Toner With Serum and Moisturizer
Using a face toner goes hand in hand with a serum or moisturizer. Serums and moisturizers are essential products to use in your skincare routine. They are the crown to it all, giving your skin natural radiance.
You use a serum or moisturizer after applying face toner. Here’s a step-by-step process:
- Allow your face toner to dry properly
- Use a tube to draw out your serum or moisturizer. This helps to measure properly to avoid using too much
- Put droplets of your serum on various areas on your face
- Massage Into your skin thoroughly with your hands
Make sure to use a serum that rhymes with your skin type, to avoid skin breakouts.
Why Use Face Toner Not Astringent
Mistaking face toners for astringents is common. Although similar, face toners and astringents are not the same product. Face toners come in a water-based form containing skin essentials such as aloe vera, eucalyptus, and peppermint.
While astringents mainly contain alcohol, which can be beneficial to use for skin with excess oil. However, using face toner rather than astringent is best because toner is soft on the skin. Its ingredients help to regulate your skin’s pH level.
Subsequently, the pH state of your skin tends to change when there are specks of dirt settled on your skin. However, face toners contain acids that are good for keeping the pH of the skin on a healthy scale.
Primarily, the pH of your skin is a numeric scale that shows how acidic or alkaline based your skin is. On a scale of 14, the normal pH level of your skin is about 5.5. Anything below that level is acidic while, above it is alkaline.
Most times, when you hear below you are likely to think it means bad. Well, not in the case of the pH of your skin. Healthy skin is more on the acidic side, so using face toners is ideal.
Skin Types and the Face Toner Best for Them
In all senses, face toner is good for all skin types. The trick for seeing quick results is using one suitable for your skin type.
To find a suitable toner, you need to know your skin type, find toners that have ingredients that complement your skin, conduct a test, and if there is no reaction you can use it frequently. There are mainly three skin types; dry skin, oily skin, and normal skin.
- Dry skin is usually dull and scaly in appearance. It sometimes feels tight and, shows more visible lines. If you have dry skin your skin is too likely to be itchy and irritated easily.
- Oily skin appears less dull and shinier, due to the excess oil it produces. The skin feels more greasy than normal, you can literally feel it when you touch your face. If you have oily skin you are liable to easily have acne breakouts and whiteheads.
- Normal skin is a balanced skin type. It is neither oily nor dry.
Face toners come in different formulas so, you need to find one that works best for you. Primarily, your skin type determines the face toner to use. Here are some pointers to help you;
- Dry skin needs to stay hydrated. So, you need a toner with ingredients that hydrates, allowing your skin to get more from moisturizers and serums.
- Oily skin blooms more with less harsh toners which means, you need a toner with less alcohol and oil, to avoid acne flare.
- Normal skin needs to stay maintained. A water-based toner will do the job, even if your skin is sensitive.
How to Conduct a Skin Test for Face Toner
- Choose a concealed patch of your skin
- Apply your toner
- Wait for a while to detect any irritations
To be certain of its effectiveness, repeat the process for days or a week. Discontinue use if you develop any skin irritations.
When to Use Face Toner
You can use face toners any time of the day for your face especially, whenever you want to moisturize. However, it is best to use it at night after your day’s activities are over.
This helps to take off all the dirt of dust and sweat from going up and about all day, giving you refreshed and bright skin to wake up to.
How Often to Use Face Toner
You should use face toner as frequently as you wash your face. Frequent use of it helps the skin protective layer on your face to stay hydrated, unclogged, and healthy.
However, using it more than twice a day at all times, maybe be damaging to your skin. Mostly, when the toner is alcohol-based and you fail to apply a moisturizer afterward.
This strips your face of its natural acid and oil that makes up the protective layer of your skin, thereby making your face prone to skin dryness and irritations. Your skin needs these acids and moisture to glow.
FAQs
Are there side effects of using face toners?
Yes, there are. When used on the wrong skin type, face toner can give your skin the following; skin redness, dryness, acne breakouts, and skin irritations.
Is astringent toner bad for the skin?
No, it is not. Astringent products are good to use, especially for oily skin. It helps to dry out the excess oil on the face, making it less prone to clogs.
However, it is not ideal to use for dry and sensitive skin because it is likely to strip your face of its protective base.
Is face toner safe to use after shaving?
Yes, it is. Using face toner after a shave removes the shaving cream, hair, and oil leftovers, protecting you from razor burns, and irritations.
However, using an astringent product as your face toner after shaving can cause burning sensations and skin irritations, due to the alcoholic content. It is best to use a water-based toner after shaving.
Conclusion
The bottom line is, skincare is patterned, which is why the application process is called skincare routine. You need to follow up on a product with another, to complete your skincare.
Using face toner for your skin is an effective and easy way to keep your skin completely free from damaging agents in specks of dirt. How to use it for quick results may seem tough, but with this guide, it is no longer going to be a tough nut to crack.
The secret to glowing and looking not a day old lies in the health of your skin, starting with your facial skin. Start your skincare journey today!
Thanks for reading.
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