Easy, All-Natural DIY Toners You Can Make Right Now
Toner is a final layer of beauty product to use after cleaning your skin. It will help you get a fresh look, reduce puffiness, and tighten your pores. Try these nine homemade face toners!
Bruce and Jeanne Lubin
Cucumber–Witch Hazel Toner
To make your own all-natural toner, combine a quarter of a cucumber (no need to peel) with 1½ tablespoons witch hazel and 1 tablespoon water (distilled, if you have it) in a blender. Add a little lemon juice and blend until smooth (this should take only a minute). Push through a mesh tea strainer and throw out the solids. Store the toner in the fridge, and when you’re ready to use it, dab on your face with a cotton pad or ball. It can be used daily and should last a few weeks. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to the store-bought kind. Enjoy!
Pineapple Toner for Oily Skin
If you have oily skin, try this simple homemade toner. In a small bottle, mix together 1 cup filtered water with 2 tablespoons pineapple juice and 1 crushed-up vitamin C tablet. Close, and shake until the tablet is dissolved. Apply to freshly cleansed skin for tighter pores and fewer breakouts. You can refrigerate the mixture for a few weeks, and it feels even better against skin when it’s cold!
Summer Skin Toner
Full of pore-cleaning amino acids, watermelon juice is great for oily skin. Make a fruity DIY toner with this miracle ingredient by mixing together 3 tablespoons watermelon juice (either use a juicer or press the flesh through a strainer) with 3 tablespoons water and 3 tablespoons witch hazel. Using a cotton ball, apply the mixture to clean skin. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator and use within several days.
Peppermint Tea Toner
Here’s a great DIY toner for oily skin, and it couldn’t be simpler than just brewing up a really strong cup of peppermint tea! Bring 1½ cups water to the boil in a small saucepan, and place 3 peppermint tea bags s in it to steep for 20 minutes. Remove the bags, and transfer the tea to a bottle. You can store it in the refrigerator to make it last longer. Apply the cold toner to clean, acne-prone skin.
Green Tea Facial Spray
Freshen up your face with an easy green tea mist! Place two green tea bags in a spray bottle filled with water and allow to steep for several hours. Store the bottle in the refrigerator, and mist on your face whenever you need a little refreshment. Not only will the mist feel great, but the green tea will nourish the skin with essential antioxidants.
Kiwi-Lime DIY Toner
Here’s a great recipe for an all-natural homemade toner to apply to your face after washing: Combine a peeled kiwi with 1½ teaspoons lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Apply a small amount to skin and let dry, then rinse. (Keep the remaining mixture in the fridge in a sealable container for one to two weeks.) You’ll love the smell almost as much as how great it makes your skin feel!
Purifying Parsley Spray
If you’re anything like us, you are never able to use a whole bunch of parsley before it goes bad. Here’s a great way to get rid of some leftovers, while making a cooling facial spray that will purify pores. (Parsley is known for its antiseptic qualities.) Finely chop about ½ cup parsley, and place in a small bowl. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the parsley, and allow the mixture to steep for 10–15 minutes before straining. You can easily double or halve this recipe using the same 1:2 ratio. Store the mixture in a spray bottle in the refrigerator, and mist over clean skin. (Parsley is also great for dark age spots!)
Fennel-Thyme Toner
It’s long been known that fennel seeds can reduce puffiness and skin irritation, and that thyme has antiseptic and astringent properties. Here’s how to use both to make a gentle facial toner. You’ll need 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1½ teaspoons dried), 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, ½ cup boiling water, and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice. First, strip the leaves from the sprigs of fresh thyme, and crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle. Place both herbs in a bowl with the boiling water and lemon juice. Cover, and allow the mixture to steep for 20 minutes. Strain the toner into a jar, and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Apply the cool mixture with cotton balls to clean skin to soothe redness and tighten pores. You won’t believe how great your skin feels!
Lemon Juice as Toner
Don’t feel like making a DIY facial toner? Just dab lemon juice on your face with a cotton ball to tighten your pores and prevent blemishes. Use it in the morning and the scent will also help wake you up!
See also: 8 Creative Lifehacks for Lemons
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Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
About the Author
Bruce Lubin and Jeanne Bossolina-Lubin are the proud parents of three boys and more than a dozen books. After saving thousands per year using everyday tips and simple lifehacks, they started their own business in the hopes of sharing their knowledge with others. They have been known to go into their friends’ refrigerators to turn their eggs upside down so that they last longer.