Toning received a bad reputation in years gone by because many toners used to contain harsh ingredients that dried the skin. This would lead to flare-ups, skin irritations, and even premature aging. However, toning is still considered a vital step in your skincare routine because a good toner’s job is to calm, balance your skin’s pH, and offer it hydration.
After cleansing, toner helps to prepare the skin to accept the next important step of moisturizing. A good toner requires ingredients that offer equilibrium and won’t irritate your skin.
Best Ingredients for a Toner
Choose a toner with ingredients that match your skin type, but if you have sensitive skin prone to irritations, look for a fragrance-free soothing toner to help balance your skin perfectly. The best toners allow for better product absorption, ensuring that your moisturizer works at its best.
Calendula
Calendula flower extract has antimicrobial properties, which make it an ideal addition to skin toners. The marigold flower extract has a wide range of healing properties, and the plant is one of the easiest medicinal herbs to grow.
The flower petals are versatile because they can extract oils or be infused in liquid to retrieve their healing properties. Calendula extract helps remove any excess dirt and impurities left after cleansing. Skin prone to oiliness loves calendula because it offers a balance, and sensitive skin instantly feels calmer.
Chamomile
Chamomile has a very subtle fragrance and has been known since ancient times for its healing properties, mainly used to treat wounds. Chamomile tea extract has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that also act as skin calmers.
When added to skincare products, chamomile reduces blemishes, redness, and inflammation. Chamomile helps relieve acne, rosacea, and other persistent conditions. It also speeds up cell regeneration, thanks to the presence of polyphenols and phytochemicals.
Boswellia
Boswellia, otherwise known as frankincense, is an ingredient that comes from the resin of the shrubby tree found across the Middle East and India. Its oils are used as an ingredient in Oriental fragrances, but its sap also yields an extract that reduces inflammation, wrinkles, and fine lines. Boswellia also reduces redness and leaves the skin looking softer and smoother.
Arnica
Arnica extract has natural anti-inflammatory and astringent properties, making it the perfect addition to a toner. The extract comes from the European mountain daisy and is especially useful to treat bruising.
Arnica also helps to boost circulation, but it also has many benefits as a skin toner. It helps calm skin redness and irritations, even those caused by acne.
Calendula and Chamomile Soothing Tonic
Calendula and Chamomile Soothing Tonic is a soothing toner infused with Calendula, Chamomile, Boswellia, and Arnica. It is a fragrance-free toner, and its use is recommended to calm the skin and restore its equilibrium after cleansing. It’s best used twice a day after cleansing to help prepare the skin for the next step of your beauty routine. It can even be used by those with sensitive or irritation prone skins.