SO many people I've had in my chair tell me 'Oh I don't use toner, it doesn't do anything for my skin.' What!? I think somewhere along the line toner got left out in the all-important routine of skin care. Do you remember that phrase 'PH-Balanced' we used to hear in deodorant commercials a lot? It's also important for your skin.
Put simply, the reason every day shower 'soaps' or cleansers shouldn't be used on your face is because they are very alkaline. This is why your skin feels so tight and dry immediately after use- your skin has just been stripped of your natural oils and been thrown out of it's natural PH balance. The PH balance of healthy skin should be around 5.5- you can see from the chart above that conventional soap is in the 9-11 range (sometimes even higher). Even if you use a gentle cleanser formulated for the face, chances are that it's not as low in PH as you'd like it to be. Enter: toner.
Toner is used to BALANCE out all of this alkaline nonsense and bring your skin back to the 5.5 level it should be. It also nurtures the skin and prepares your skin for moisturizer. Some toners can even exfoliate or soak up excess oil.
Any way you look at it, toner is a very integral part of any skin care routine. Cleansing and moisturizing won't do much if your skin is constantly trying to balance itself out!
If you need any skin care recommendations, please email me: jessica@pureskinartistry.com.
Have a fantastic day!
~Jessica
