#7 ~ Toners

In Korea, where beauty is Queen, women use about 14 beauty products a day. Today, however, toner is not one of them. Toners have been used in daily skin routines for as long as time (well maybe not quite that long) and were originally invented to remove the residue of cleansers as well as to restore the skin's natural pH balance if you use a bar of soap as your cleanser (this post explains why you should not use bars as your cleanser) - nowadays cleansers are water-based, do not change the pH balance of your skin and do not leave a residue behind - but toners still claim to thoroughly cleanse and tighten/shrink pores. There is little need for them with the vast array of good cleansers, exfoliators and facial masks on the market and these are made well enough that your skin has no need for four cleansers (hence why there are barely any in shops anymore)!



Some people use toners because they believe the hype about them tightening and shrinking your pores and in a way, they do just that, but this is in fact due to the toner drying out your skin, which will make your pores look smaller and give you that tingly, taut, 'toned' feeling. A moisturiser can shrink your pores too by swelling the tissue around them, making them appear smaller; this is a much better alternative to toner, plus the chances are you already moisturise your face as a part of your daily skin routine, so there is nothing to lose (apart from money if you do buy toner!). You should also need to use less moisturiser if you skip the toner because you are not stripping down your skin, leaving your natural oils to do their job.

The oiliest or acne-prone skin could benefit from a toner if it is not already being controlled using another method, so if you really must use one, make sure it is alcohol-free, but all other skin types are better of skipping it.

I hope you found this useful! Until next time~

Love, Miss Emma-Lily xx

References: Is Toner Necessary? - About.com, Unnecessary Cosmetics - oprah.com