If you’re looking for a simple but (really) effective all-natural DIY face toner, you’re in the right place! This is a companion post to the last two I wrote, specifically on DIY face cleansers and DIY face moisturizers.
Like the previous posts, it focuses on basic DIY recipes using no more than 2 or 3 natural ingredients, with variations to suit each of the skin types.
Below, I’ll give you the simplest, most basic DIY face toner recipe, that can be used on every skin type. I’ll follow that with 3 other more specific, simple DIY face toner recipes for each of the skin types.
But first…
Do you really need a facial toner?
So, the quick answer is mostly no.
In a basic skincare routine, a toner usually comes after the cleanser and before the moisturizer. Toners are meant to help in cleaning leftover traces of the cleanser you used, rebalance the pH if needed, refresh the skin, and/or add toning ingredients to the skin, to be “locked in” with a moisturizer.
The truth is if you have normal, balanced skin, and you’re not using a foam-based cleanser, you could just skip the toner – it’s not really a big deal.
Good reasons to use a toner might be:
- Your skin is breaking out or is acne-prone.
- You have oily skin with large pores.
- You use soap or foam-based cleansers.
- Your skin is feeling dehydrated or looking dull.
- You don’t use any serums in your skincare routine and you want to boost your complexion a bit with SOMETHING.
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Simple DIY toners for the face
Finding the right DIY face toner can be tricky with all the billion recipes out there. Like with all types of recipes, you can get very creative (and people do), but you really don’t need to fuss in order to make a quality and highly effective DIY face toner for daily use.
Below you have a basic recipe for every skin type, including one basic formula suitable for all types.
Apply on the skin after cleaning it and, while it’s still wet from the toner, apply your moisturizer. That’s it.
Each recipe makes about 4 oz / 120 ml and should be stored in a (preferably) dark glass jar.
1 – DIY face toner for all skin types (basic)
- Distilled water (3 oz – 90 ml)
- Vinegar (1 oz – 30 ml)
Benefits
Vinegar has a long, long history of use as a disinfectant and preservative.
The acetic acid that is its main component can kill bacteria and prevent it from multiplying. It helps to clean and disinfect wounds, speeding the healing process. The acidity of the vinegar will also help balance the skin’s pH after cleansing it.
This basic water and vinegar DIY face toner serves perfectly as an all-round toner for every skin type.
It’s especially beneficial if you clean your skin with soaps or other foaming cleansers, which tend to strip the skin’s protective barrier and dysregulate the pH level.
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2 – DIY face toner for oily / acne-prone skin
- Rosemary and lavender vinegar infusion (1 oz – 30 ml)
- Aloe vera gel (2 TB)
- Distilled water (2 oz – 60 ml)
Benefits
Both rosemary and lavender have antibacterial, antimicrobial, disinfecting, and skin tightening properties (they help to tighten pores).
Rosemary is a great circulation booster, helping skin tone; and lavender is very soothing, helping with redness.
Aloe vera gel is a powerful skin healer, helping with skin regeneration (great for preventing or treating acne scarring). It increases collagen production and it’s high in antioxidants. It penetrates deeper into the skin, helping other ingredients do the same.
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3 – DIY face toner for dry / dehydrated / irritated skin
- Rose water (3 oz – 90 ml)
- Glycerin (1 TB)
- (optional) 1 TB vinegar
Benefits
Rose water is naturally rich in antioxidants and vitamins, helping to brighten and tone the skin. It has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, so it will soothe and disinfect the skin if irritated, as in dermatitis or rosacea.
It’s naturally moisturizing, which makes it perfect for dry skin. In fact, by itself it’s already a great DIY toner for the face.
The best rose waters to buy are the ones produced organically (free from chemicals) and obtained by distillation entirely. There are many so-called rose waters on the market that are basically water with synthetic rose fragrances instead, which do not have the beneficial properties described above. They basically just smell nice – so it’s important to get the real thing!
Glycerin is a powerful humectant, meaning it draws moisture to the top layers of the skin, helping to plump it. It also helps heal and protect the skin barrier, slowing down water loss by evaporation.
Notes:
You can add the vinegar if you want to extend the shelf life of the toner, since glycerin can attract bacteria. If you keep your batches small and you keep the toner in the fridge, it will be fine. But the vinegar will help preserve the mixture.
A simple smell test will tell you if it’s gone off, but I’ve never really had a problem with glycerin formulas, as long as they’re small batches and I’m using them every day.
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4 – DIY toner for mature skin / dull-looking skin
- Orange, lemon peel and hibiscus infused vinegar (1 oz – 30 ml)
- Aloe Vera gel (2 TB)
- Rose water (2 oz – 60 ml)
Benefits
Both orange and lemon peel are very rich in vitamin C, which will help with collagen synthesis and production. They are also high in polyphenols (antioxidants), which will also help revitalize your complexion in general.
Hibiscus, apart from also being very high in vitamin C, is very rich in antioxidants. It’s also anti-inflammatory and antibacterial, so along with the vinegar, it will help to clean and disinfect the skin.
A couple of general notes
Essential oils
Many people like to add essential oils to their DIY face toners to boost the benefits to the skin.
However, toners in general, and these ones in particular, are water-based.
- Essential oils are not water soluble, so they actually do not disperse well in water at all – they tend to cluster together on the surface.
- That means that you’ll get a very uneven distribution, which might actually cause problems if you happen to squeeze or spritz out too much in one dose. It could create irritation patches on your skin.
- Essential oils are so concentrated and powerful it’s best to apply too little, rather than too much. I also think that I’ll be getting a far better return on my money by using them in oil based formulas, where the essential oils can be well mixed and evenly applied.
- If you do decide to add essential oils, try to keep it at 5 or 6 drops at the most for these size bottles and shake the bottle very well before each use.
Distilled water
Use distilled water whenever possible, because mineral or filtered water will still contain some mineral deposits that might sit on the top of your skin and make it feel drying.
Distilled water is completely free of any trace minerals and won’t have that effect.
If I’m honest my go-to DIY face toner is the basic water and vinegar mix, which I have mentioned several times in other posts.
It’s the first one I tried and it has worked for me all these years. But it’s also because I like my recipes to be as fuss-free as possible, so they can be made in an instant, if needed. I’m not always in the mood for DIY and this way I make sure I’ll always have some on hand to use.
Having said that, all the recipes in this post are still pretty simple and fun to try. Let me know what you think in the comments section, if you give any of them a go! And feel free to share any great DIY face toner recipe you might have!
