What does toner do for your face?

From what I know.. toner shrinks up your pores and soothes your skin. You'll also may be a little less oily over time.

I think the original purpose of toner was to tighten the skin through the application of alcohols. Alcohols are drying because they evaporate easily, taking water from the surface of the skin. When the skin is dry, it becomes tight (as we all know!).

As skin care has evolved, there are more toners that include many other ingredients without alcohol. I love my toner, but only use an alcohol free one. I hate the way they make my skin feel when they have alcohol. If you have even moderately dry skin or sensitive skin, I would encourage you to stay away from them. They actually make your skin oiler (in most cases) because they dry you out and your skin produces more oil to compensate for the loss.

Oil is there to protect your skin, so you dont want to get rid of all of it. The more you get rid of it, the more it will produce. I have suffered from bad acne my whole life and have been through every product and medication you can think of. I have finally controlled my skin extremely well in my adulthood by not being so mean to it. I remember I used to scrub my face in the shower with Clinque's 3 step system (the bar of soap and a face cloth). I just cringe thinking about it now. Then I would get out and wipe their alcohol laiden toner all over my face and try to compensate with the lack lustre Dramatically Different cream. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Now, I dont even use a face wash (unless I wear heavy makeup). I use Proactive's wash periodically (probably every 2nd day) and alternate with an at home microdermabraision kit. I use the proactive toner (which has a minute amount of alcohol). I moisturize very well and my skin has never been clearer.

I guess what I am trying to say is just be careful with your skin. I regret all the things I did because I thought I was supposed to do it. I thought I was supposed to scrub the livin daylights outta my skin because it would make my acne go away. I have premature wrinkles from all the creams, medications and drying things I used. I know alcohol based toners are not the only reason I have them, but it definitely contributed to my skin problem.

In all honesty, I really think the less you put on your skin, the more your skin will thank you for it.

HTH! - sorry about the tangent!

I agree with wattage above, toner with alcohol in it is probably not so good for your skin. I do use toner now, free of alcohol, and find it helps moisturiser sink in a bit better? They sort of calm the skin down a bit, and helps keep it less oily, at least in my case.

Toning rebalances the skin so it can absorb moisturisers. Cleansing interrupts the chemical balance of the skin, affecting the skin's abilit to absorb - that's why a toner is vital

I dunno... I used to use toner all the time, and it was fine, but ever since I started using a daily exfoliator, I find I don't really need toner. I think it would be an unnecessary extra step now.

See, it used to be that toner would keep my skin from getting bumpy or getting the occasional blemish, but my microfoliant has done a better job of it, so I've stopped using toner. I suppose I could try using the toner after exfoliation, but it doesn't seem necessary to me.

i heart kiehls tea tree oil toner. alcohol free!

I Love Lush's Tea Trea Water Toner Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

for me, it makes my pores seem smaller since my skin is cleaner. it can make my skin feel "tight" but usually it doesn't make me too dry. if i'm breaking out, i'll use it, since it helps clear me up a little (i use some w/ salicylic acid), but usually i avoid it and just use moisturizer after cleansing

I agree with wattage and Pixie.

I use a micro spary water toner by DHC. Seems silly but helps to refresh my skin.

If you use a more harsh toner it can strip your skin. Typically people use it to feel clean and refreshed or treat a problem. Keep in mind if you use a toner to treat a problem like acne the toner is probably going to be harsh and should not be used everyday.

i use neutrogena alcohol free toner

toner refreshes, makes skin soft and cleans it good. make-up, things from water and something are away. i like Lush's Tea Trea Water Toner and Rosewater Facial Freshener-Toner

Re: What does toner do for your face?

Yeah same here. I used to use Oil of olay toner all the time. I love the feeling. However, I was recently told by a skin care expect/friend that toner is not necessary. So I stopped using it, why spend the money?

Re: What does toner do for your face?

Toner, at least on me, allows my moisturizer and skin treatments to sink in better. I seriously cannot live without it. But I have been told it is unnecessary but I just couldn't imagine toner not be apart of my skincare routine.

Re: What does toner do for your face?

I've always wondered what toner was for. haha! all I know, is that I use it because it's in my proactive set. And I love it It's the only I've tried that doesn't sting my face

Re: What does toner do for your face?

I love the ProActiv toner! It's so good especially because it has Glycolic Acid in it. I use the ProActiv system, too! It's fantastic.

Other toners that I've tried and LOVED, LOVED:
(1) Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner
(2) Nivea Moisturizing Alcohol-Free Toner (this is my favourite!)

Those are the only two that I would use against the ProActiv toner. Everything else just doesn't compare to those three.

Re: What does toner do for your face?

i felt that toner, removed some of the soap residue left behind by my facial wash and it soothed my skin (think the sprays fix+ etc from mac) toning the skin.

i love queen helene's non alcohol toner.. right now i'm using some left over neutrogena alcohol free toner in the blue bottle until i buy more queen helene.... my mother calls it women's after shave... not that we are shaving, but the soothing properties of after shave.. okay.. nevermind

Re: What does toner do for your face?

is Kielh's rose water a toner?
Kinda confused.

Re: What does toner do for your face?

I use Aveda Botanical Kinetics Skin Firming/Toning Agent.
I was using Aveda Botanical Kinetics Toning Mist.

The one i use now is ok, the other one was better. I will have to switch back. The reason for the origional switch?? It was the only one of the two they had in the store. Haha.

I use toner backwards- i moisterize then tone, because it works best for my skin. I use it to control the oils- it helps. Its not really neccesary. They second toner is great for the summer. It really makes my face feel refreshed.

Re: What does toner do for your face?

toner helps balance out skin and get any last bit of dirt and grime down in your pores that your cleanser might have left behind.

different toners have different ingredients meant for different skin types. ie: if the toner is meant for combo skin, it will help balance out your oil but wont be overly drying to your non t zone, whereas a toner meant for blemished skin will be more drying and abrasive to treat your zits.

i work at TBS and we have toners for different skin types and they ALL feel different. the aloe is super mild for sensitive skin. seaweed is for combo, tea tree for blemished super oily and grapeseed for dry.

like with any other product in your skincare regimen you gotta pick products that meet your skin concerns or you could be doing more harm than good

Re: What does toner do for your face?

toner is supposed to restore the pH balance in your skin after washing, and closes your pores so your skin can absorb moisturizer. if you moisturize before allowing your pores to close, you end up with the moisturizer in your pores, which clogs them all over again - then it'll get worse in the long run.

use the toner specifically for your skin type. I have combo skin, so using somehting for sensitive skin will do no good. if I use one for oily skin, I'll pretty much die because only my t-zone is oily, and the rest of my skin is dry.

so toner is essential - and good for you, if you buy the right kind! :]

Re: What does toner do for your face?

I only use toner in the summer, and moisterizer in the winter. The toner compensates with the extra oil my face makes while it also grabs any extra oil or dirt before I creating a scar or cut on someone.

However - don't use toner if you're going to use collodion.

i have a olay toner and for me it cleans my pores and i noticed it also removes makup . it makes it smoother and less oiley

toner is really good after you cleanse your face apply toner the minimise open pores and get rid of existing makeup.

I've noticed that my skin feels a bit rough and dry after a couple of days without toner. I know some people says it's not something that you have to use, but my skin seems to need it to some degree.

The one I use helps calm and moisturise the skin. I have also used ones with salicylic acid when I suffered from break outs.

One thing to remember is to stay clear of toners with alcohol. Those tend to be too harsh and irritating for your skin.

I remember my mom telling me that when she was a girl (this would be cirka 1960), you would use a toner to restore the skins PH after washing with a barsoap. I don't think that's nessecary anymore, since you can get some really gentle cleansers - and besides, skin is able to restore PH on it's own.

And if you need a toner to remove the last makeup, it would be a good idea to look for a more effective cleanser.

 

 

I didn't use toner for a long time but I've recently started using one that has 2% salicylic acid just to help me clear out my acne-prone skin even better.

 

I think it's just meant to clean up the face from last bits of nastiness and make up that might've been left on it and shrink pores (with alcohol). That pretty much depends on what kind of toner you're getting :)

Rodan and Fields has an amazing toner under the Anti-Aging system. This toner has been my favorite due to minimizing the appearance of wrinkles and enabling my facial cream and serum to penetrate faster. You can check out these products at:
Jenngarcia.randf.com

I use toner to prevent and treat acne. If I don't use toner, my face is a bumpy mess. D; The alcohol kills bacteria on skin that can cause inflammation