Toners - do they have a place in your beauty routine?
Dear BSD, should I have a toner in my skincare routine?
Strictly speaking, no. The vast majority of people don’t need a toner in their skincare routine.
Toners have been a part of our beauty routines since time in memoriam. For forever, the skincare mantra has been ‘cleanse, tone and moisturise’ but it’s time to question this diktat.
Back in the day we were told that toners were used to remove the remnants of make up, dirt and grime. Or to balance the pH of your skin after using cleansers that were quite stripping. They were typically made out of rose water and/or witch-hazel, contained alcohol and in many cases either didn’t add much to your routine or worse still, stripped the skin dry.
Thankfully, skincare technology and ingredients have moved on in leaps and bounds and the need for toners has been replaced by more effective skincare and hardworking products - gentle cleansers and treatment serums. So a toner is really just an additional step that isn’t truly necessary anymore.
But with everything in skincare there are exceptions. There are some people that may actually benefit from toners in their daily skincare routine - those that mainly sit in the combination and oily skin category.
They tend to benefit from using AHA and/or BHA toners that include ingredients such as glycolic, lactic and salicylic acid that can exfoliate the skin to prevent thickening and also absorb excess oil from within the pores to prevent congestion and breakouts. These sort of toners can also help to minimise the appearance of visible pores and help fade dark marks from hyperpigmentation which can be more pronounced on Black skin.
If this speaks to you, don’t ditch your toner just yet. Or if you need some toner ideas, then check out our suggestions below.
Toners are best used once a day, every few days, especially if you’re new to them. If you’re excessively oily or perhaps during the summer months you can use toner daily. Don’t forget to stay on top of your sunscreen when using toners.
Top Toners
