I love nothing more than feeling like my face is clean, my acne is gone, my grades are good, and my sleep schedule is not a mess! Well, the last three out of four things in that list are harder to get, but maintaining a clean face is super easy with the right toner. (Let’s not talk about the pile of homework I have due next week!)
Toner will catch any residue or impurities that your double-cleansing may have missed. I like to think of toner as a sort of “third cleanser” (without actually being a cleanser). You can also think of a toner as the “primer” of skincare since it sets the tone for the rest of your routine! (Okay, bad pun, sorry).
Toners add moisture to and make sure that your face is a bit damp, allowing your skin to absorb your skincare products. Charlotte Cho, co-founder of Sokoglam and a licensed esthetician, says your skin is like a dried-up sponge. If you put a thick cream on a brittle dry sponge, it won’t accept it and it isn’t ‘prepped’ for moisture. But if you wet the sponge, the cream will sink in more easily.” Makes sense, right?
Some toners rebalance your skin’s pH levels. Your skin is naturally acidic, but its pH might get messed up after you wash your face – soap and some cleansers are basic, the opposite of acidity on the pH scale – so you want to “restore” your skin to its natural state. Your skin’s pH level is around 4.5 to 6.5, so using a toner in that pH range is good!
Toners are not supposed to be harsh and astringent, nor are they supposed to leave your skin feeling dry and tight. These toners have high alcohol contents, which is not what you want. It’s better to have a gentle toner that cleanses, rebalances, and properly preps your skin while hydrating it, too.