Are Toners Essential to Your Skincare Routine?
A guide to help you figure out if you need this step in your regimen
Toners are like that fun aunt or uncle in every extended family.
With them around, life is amazing.
They’re the ones you love to hang out with at every get-together. They get you gifts from around the world, and you get to use their Netflix subscription without constant reminders of homework to put a damper on your mood.
However, when the party is over, you get in your parents’ car and they drive you home.
Your uncle is passed out drunk on the sofa and probably needs an entire lemon wedge squeezed into his mouth to get him back on track.
The point of this elaborate analogy was to tell you that toners are an optional addition to your routine, not the foundational pillar that does most of the heavy lifting.
Toners are water or milk-based solutions aimed at maintaining the pH balance of your skin.
If you choose to use a toner, do so because you stand to gain from the benefits it provides. Not because you want it to replace the job of a moisturizer or serum.
Toners are generally of 3 kinds:
- exfoliating
- hydrating
- brightening
Oily-skin people, look no further! Exfoliating toners include some sort of active ingredient, either an AHA, BHA, or PHA, to work magic on the skin. For example, glycolic, mandelic, and salicylic acid toners target skin texture, control sebum production, and reduce hyperpigmentation.
Hydrating toners consist of ceramides, peptides, hyaluronic acid, or propolis to nourish the skin. If you have dry skin, they can be your ultimate best friend.
Brightening toners are best for dull and tired skin. Ingredients rich in antioxidants such as ferulic acid and vitamin C, niacinamide (vitamin B12), or fermented rice water bring back long-lost radiance and glow.
Be mindful of the right balance of active and barrier-supporting ingredients in the 3–4 products you’re applying daily. Then decide whether you want to incorporate another product into the mix.
If your existing skincare routine is solid, supports a healthy skin barrier, and targets skin concerns, you can easily choose to skip adding a toner to your routine.
Having used a vast variety of toners in my skincare journey, I’ve realized that it’s safer to add hydrating or brightening products when you’re just starting out.
While these can be used either daily or 4–5 times a week, go easy on the exfoliating ones and start with once a week. Depending on the strength of your barrier, you can even go up to 2–3 times.
I use them strictly at night and never forget to top it up with sunscreen.
Remember, when it comes to tackling bigger issues such as persistent acne or compromised skin barrier, toners can’t be of much use to you. Not unless you’re pairing them up with the right serum or cream to help boost their effectiveness.
Just make sure you don’t end up making redundant choices and wasting your hard-earned money.
In a rush to achieve quick results, we often think using more products will get us to our goal faster. (I know I have been guilty of this!) When in reality, it could have easily bore you the same fruit had you stayed patient and consistent with your existing routine.
And drank enough water. I know for a fact y’all aren’t hydrating yourselves enough :p
Jokes apart, use your discernment and discretion to decide if this step brings value to your existing routine, and only then invest in it. Do your research and perform a patch test before going all in.
Thanks for reading!
Share your experience with using toners in the comments down below! Did they help improve your skin, or were they a complete waste of money? I’d love to hear all about it.
Follow me and stay tuned for my next post!
In the meantime, you might be interested in reading this piece I wrote:
