What does toner do?

curlycovrgirl

I started using a new skin care line (biotherm) and I was getting about one breakout a week and then I stopped using the toner and for the past couple of months my skin has been completely clear and looks healthier. The breakouts stopped immediately when I stopped using the toner.

Is it posible I was having a bad reaction to toner? The funny part is the toner was supposed to fight acne, wtf?

What does toner do anyway? Do I even need it at all?

tgreyz

Does the toner have alcohol in it? It shouldn't have alcohol in it as it can irritate skin and boost oil production. I use witch hazel as a toner to get traces of makeup my cleanser left, or to clean dirt off my face instead of washing it before bed.

I don't think a cleanser is necessary and can be skipped.

curlycovrgirl

I'm not sure about the alcohol, I'll check the bottle. What is witch hazel?

(sorry, i'm clueless :oops: )

tgreyz

I'm not exactly sure what witch hazel is but it can be used as a toner. It's not harsh and its cheap too. I've found toners that don't contain alcohol to be innefective and the ones with alcohol are irritating to the skin so witch hazel works for me. It's usually sold near the bandaids in the grocery store or can be bought at Sallys.

Scarlet

Other than feeling refreshing and soothing (if there are no harsh ingredients), toners really don't do much of anything. Alcohol and witch hazel (if among the first ingredients on the label) should be no-nos in your skin care routine.

tgreyz

Whats wrong with witch hazel?

I've found toner with alcohol to be too irritating, and without alcohol doesn't really do anything. I use witch hazel as a toner and think it's great.

lauren1904

I actually broke out to my toner also. Toner's are a sensitive thing. If there's too much alcohol, it can be drying. But then I've had ones that had no alcohol and they were oily and caused me to break out.

I got a facial a few weeks ago and the woman told me what the real purpose of toner is. I always thought that it was just to get all the leftover dirt that your cleanser didn't get. It's actually to get the PH level of your face back to a neutral. Cleansers are a base, not an acid. Toners are acids on the PH scale so it cancels out the basic PH of your cleanser bringing your PH level to a neutral. It's important to do that before you moisurize otherwise your lotion won't be as effective.

You learn something new every day!!

SaKkeh

lauren1904 wrote:

It's actually to get the PH level of your face back to a neutral. Cleansers are a base, not an acid. Toners are acids on the PH scale so it cancels out the basic PH of your cleanser bringing your PH level to a neutral. It's important to do that before you moisurize otherwise your lotion won't be as effective.

Yep.