Does your beauty routine need a refresh? Dry winter skin, changing seasons with different humidity levels, and stress can all contribute to uneven skin tone. Toners can help with retaining moisture and making your skin soft and even-toned. But commercial toners, even the expensive ones, are often full of chemicals. If you can’t pronounce them and don’t know what they do, there’s a pretty good chance you don’t need them on your skin, which readily absorbs harmful ingredients as well as beneficial ones.
I have been gradually going through all of our household consumables–cleaning products as well as hair, skin, and beauty items–and replacing the chemical-laden varieties with natural, homemade alternatives. Some recipes for homemade products are intimidating, but this one is quite simple! Just mix everything together, give it a good stir, bottle, label, and you’re all set!
Why Should You Use an All Natural Facial Toner?
Skin toners contain astringents, which reduce excess oil, as well as tone and clarify the skin. They can help shrink pores in the surface of the skin, which makes your skin look softer and more even. Commercial varieties often contain a high concentration of alcohol, which can dry your skin out too much, and leaves an unwelcome sting and scent.
The solution? Make your own! When you make your own skin toner, you control the ingredients, so nothing irritating or harmful goes on your skin.
This recipe uses a gentle, organic witch hazel extract, combined with rose water and essential oils, to make a natural preparation which is gentle enough for sensitive skin. If you want an all natural facial toner that clarifies and tones your face without harsh chemicals that strip you of necessary moisture, try this simple recipe! You will love how fresh and radiant it makes your face feel!
Should You Use Witch Hazel in Facial Toners?
No, and yes. It depends on your skin and which one you buy.
Not all witch hazel preparations are made the same way. Many varieties contain a high proportion of alcohol to witch hazel extract, which, as we said before, can dry out your skin unduly and might cause irritation. Other preparations marked “alcohol-free” are technically hydrosols instead of extracts. These are fine to use if your skin is extra dry and sensitive, but the concentration of witch hazel is rather low. I prefer to use a double-distilled witch hazel extract from Mountain Rose Herbs, which contains 85% witch hazel and 15% alcohol.
Witch hazel has been used for its astringent properties for centuries. The bark is boiled, and the resulting liquid is steam distilled to obtain a concentrated, therapeutic witch hazel extract. Witch hazel is classified as a mild astringent. It can reduce inflammation in skin cells, even out skin tone and texture, and help your skin absorb other nutrients.
Witch Hazel Toners vs. Astringents
Witch hazel is used on its own or with alcohol and other ingredients in astringents, for the purpose of removing excess oil, unclogging pores, soothing irritated skin, and decreasing the appearance of acne eruptions. If you have oily, acne-prone skin, witch hazel makes a great single-ingredient astringent, which is completely natural and not as harsh as astringents which also contain high concentrations of isopropyl alcohol and salicylic acid.
This wonderful botanical extract can also be used in facial toners, such as this recipe. Toners are gentler than astringents. Their purpose is to even out skin tone and texture, not necessarily to treat acne or oily skin. Toners are suitable for all skin types, especially dry and sensitive types.
When diluted with other ingredients, witch hazel makes a great addition to facial toners. In this recipe, I use organic witch hazel extract as a base for my toner.
Other ingredients in this natural skin toner recipe are rose water and essential oils.
Why Should You Use Rose Water in a Facial Toner?
Rose water has classically been used in skincare products, especially for the face. It cools and refreshes skin, and confers a light floral aroma. Rose petals are prized for their soothing, rejuvenating, and healing properties.
While rose essential oil is the best source of these therapeutic properties, it is quite expensive. Rose water is a more economical way to obtain some of the benefits and fragrance of rose petals for use in your own skincare preparations.
What are floral waters?
Floral waters, including rose water, are preparations made from water and flower petals. Some preparations also include alcohol. They contain properties of the flower, such as scent, color, and therapeutic benefits unique to the flower used.
This might sound like essential oils, but floral waters are not nearly as concentrated as those. Rose water and other floral waters are suitable for using directly on your skin, unlike essential oils, which must be heavily diluted first.
Even though the scent and therapeutic properties of rose water is much less concentrated than rose essential oil, it is still effective in skincare and beauty regimens. Rose water and other floral waters have reputedly been used since ancient civilizations.
How to Make Floral Waters
There are four different ways to make floral waters:
- Steam distillation: Fresh flower petals are distilled with water. The steam releases therapeutic properties of the flower petals. Once the steam is cooled and condensed again into water, the water now contains those beneficial and fragrant properties. This method of distillation is most often used to produce essential oils, and the floral water (or hydrosol) is a by-product. Hydrosols contain trace amounts of essential oils.
- Extraction: To make a floral extract, place fresh or dried flower petals in a glass jar with a tightly-fitting lid. Pour over the petals enough distilled water, vodka, vinegar, or witch hazel extract to cover by an inch or so. Cover tightly and shake. Keep the jar in a dark place away from direct sunlight. Shake every day for 2-4 weeks. Strain the liquid and keep in a glass jar away from direct sunlight.
- Infusion/Tisane: Floral infusions are made by simmering flower petals in distilled water. Just like an herbal tea!
- Dilution: By diluting essential oils in water with the aid of an emulsifier, you can also make a kind of floral water. These are not technically true floral waters, but they are generally interchangeable.
If you are interested in making your own rose water, the Country Hill Cottage has a simple infusion recipe.
Myrtle Essential Oil Benefits for Skin
Common Myrtle, or Myrtus communis, has many therapeutic properties, including astringent, antiseptic, deodorant, expectorant, anxiolytic, and respiratory aid.
Myrtle has been used since the time of the Ancient Greeks, who associated the plant with Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. The Greeks also used myrtle leaves as medicine. Myrtle essential oil has been shown to be an effective antibiotic, antifungal, and antiviral agent.
Myrtle Essential Oil is a gentle yet hardworking essential oil for skincare. It can help to even out skin tone, reduce inflammation, and cleanse the skin of dead cells and microorganisms that cause acne. Myrtle oil has been studied in Korea for its beneficial effects in treating acne.
Myrtle essential oil has a fresh, green, woody aroma. I included it in this facial toner recipe chiefly for its astringent property, but also for its lovely fresh scent!
Recipe Notes
This recipe also calls for a small amount of lemon essential oil. I used it mostly for the scent. Citrus oils are known to cause sun sensitivity if used on the skin, so avoid exposure to direct sunlight soon after applying this toner. If you are concerned or your skin is very sensitive, just omit the lemon oil from the recipe!
Making the toner is very simple. All you need is a bowl or jar to mix everything, a funnel for pouring, and a glass spray bottle. I used the bottle that my rose water came in (I ordered it here), but you can use any small glass or plastic bottle with a spritz/spray top.
Keep in mind that the recipe makes 8 ounces of toner, so if your bottle is smaller than that, you will need another jar to store the extra toner in!
Mix up these four simple ingredients, and concoct your own all natural facial toner today! If you do make it, please leave a review! I really appreciate it!
Lemon & Myrtle Facial Toner
Equipment
- 1 10-oz. jar or small bowl
- 1 small glass spray bottle
- 1 funnel
Materials
- 5 ounces witch hazel extract
- 3 ounces rose water
- 30 drops myrtle essential oil
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
Instructions
- Combine the witch hazel extract and rose water in a small bowl or 10-ounce jar.
- Add the essential oils. Stir or shake to combine.
- Position funnel in spray bottle and pour toner into bottle. Cap with lid. If you have extra toner, store it in a glass jar with a tightly-fitting lid.
[…] which means it reduces the appearance and size of pores in your skin. (Here’s a recipe for a natural rose water toner, […]