Make Your Skin Glow with a Homemade Facial Toner

The world of skincare can be confusing. There are dozens of different products to choose from, each of which will claim to be an essential part of taking care of your skin. While you don’t actually need to utilize many of these products, using a facial toner can be an excellent addition to your skincare routine.

That being said, not all facial toners are built the same way. The best way to make sure that your skin gets the nourishment that it needs from a toner is to create your own.

Making your own homemade natural facial toner may sound daunting at first. But don’t worry. We’ve covered everything that you need to know about the process, including our list of the 8 best homemade facial toner recipes, below.

If you’re looking to make your own skincare products, here are some we can recommend: 

• Wellness Maker Beauty Kit for everything you need to begin creating
• Grapefruit Seed Extract for its antibacterial properties
• Purifying Essential Oils Kit for all the essential oils you need to create

What is a natural facial toner?

Facial toner is a skincare product that comes in a water-based liquid form. It’s typically infused with ingredients that are designed to support healthier skin. For example, a natural facial toner may include eucalyptus or peppermint essential oils.

You can purchase or make facial toner that is designed with your specific skin needs in mind. For example, we’ve included a recipe for a moisturizing toner below that’s perfect for people who need a bit more hydration in their skincare routine.

What will toner do for my face?

Facial toner can be highly versatile and is capable of supporting your skin in several different ways. For example, the right toner can reduce the amount of sebum in your skin if you’re someone with oily skin.

Toner can also smooth the skin surface while reducing redness and inflammation. Even better, it will remove any traces of makeup that are leftover after you wash your face.

It’s also worth mentioning that toner prepares your face for the next phase of your skincare routine incredibly well. You should use it before applying serums, anti-aging creams, and the like so that they can be maximally absorbed by your skin.

What are the benefits of homemade facial toner?

The beauty of using a homemade facial toner lies in your ability to customize the ingredients that you use in it. Doing so will enable you to create a toner that is capable of helping you meet your exact skincare goals.

Additionally, the chemicals used in commercial facial toners can be harsh on a person’s skin. Choosing to make your own facial toner will allow you to enjoy the benefits of this product without having to deal with the potentially harmful effects of these chemicals.

(Check out our Wellness Maker Beauty Kit.)

Of course, the standard benefits of using facial toner also apply to homemade toner. These include:

• Helping your skin maintain its pH balance
• Tightening your skin pores
• Fighting against acne
• Keeping your skin hydrated

What is the best natural toner for face?

There is no single answer to this question because every person has different skincare needs. This means that the best natural toner for your face will be different than the one that’s best for someone else.

That being said, there are some natural face toner options that stand out above the rest. Here’s an overview of three of our favorites.

Camphor and Rose Water Toner

This facial toner utilizes camphor, which has been for centuries as a cure for skin problems. It has anti-inflammatory properties that will both soothe your skin and make it less susceptible to acne. At the same time, rose water will hydrate your skin to keep it looking its best.

Chamomile Toner

Chamomile is another exceptionally useful addition to a wide variety of skincare products. It’s a natural moisturizer that will also work to tighten your pores and improve your complexion.

Milk, Honey, and Egg Toner

This blend is perfect for people with aging skin. The three ingredients will supply essential nutrients to this type of skin, as well as antibacterial properties to smoothen it.

5 homemade facial toner recipes to try out

Lavender Moisturizing Toner with Grapefruit Seed Extract

This recipe includes everything that you could want in a toner. It will remove impurities from your skin, improve the appearance of your pores, and hydrate your skin to ensure you look your best.

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons of chamomile hydrosol
• 2 drops of lavender essential oil
• 5 drops of grapefruit seed extract
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon of water

How to Make:

1. Mix the chamomile hydrosol, lavender essential oil, and grapefruit seed extract into a non-reactive container.
2. Add half of the water to a 30ml spray pump bottle
3. Transfer the oil-extract mixture to the bottle
4. Add the rest of the water
5. Shake until ingredients have mixed together

Easy Aloe Vera Toner

If gathering a bunch of ingredients isn’t for you, then this facial toner might be your best option. It will help to brighten your skin, fight acne, and even moisturize your face. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rose water
• 1/2 cup aloe vera

How to Make:

1. Place both the rose water and aloe vera into a spray bottle
2. Mix and enjoy

Apple Cider Vinegar Toner

Apple cider vinegar is one of the best natural exfoliants for your skin. Using it in a toner will help to make your skin look brighter and more even. Here’s a recipe you can follow to do so.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 chamomile tea bag (or chamomile hydrosol)
• 1 cup of water

How to Make:

1. Place all of the ingredients into a spray bottle
2. Mix and enjoy

Green Tea Toner

Green tea is packed with antioxidants and is a natural way to reduce inflammation and redness on your face. Here’s our favorite recipe for a toner that utilizes it.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of green tea
• 3 to 4 drops of tea tree essential oil

How to Make:

1. Place both of the ingredients into a spray bottle
2. Mix and enjoy

Anti-Aging Facial Toner

This unique blend of green tea and pomegranate juice is perfect for people who are looking for anti-aging support in their facial toner. Here’s the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of green tea
• 1/8 cup of pomegranate juice
• 1/8 cup of filtered water

How to Make:

1. Dilute the pomegranate juice with equal parts water
2. Give the tea time to cool
3. Place all of the ingredients into a spray bottle
4. Mix and enjoy

What are some unexpected DIY ingredients for facial toners?

Maybe you’ve already tried making your own DIY facial toners and are looking to try something different. If so, consider using some of the following ingredients in your next creation.

Egg White

Surprisingly, egg white is very effective at removing the fine liens that accrue on your skin as it ages. Using it in your toner can give you a more youthful look while also providing some helpful moisturization.

Cucumber

Cucumber is an excellent source of hydration. Putting it into a facial toner will imbue the toner with a cooling effect that can reduce swelling and redness.

Mint

Mint is packed with numerous vitamins that promote healthier skin. For example, it contains menthol, which has both anti-bacterial and cooling properties.

What should you avoid in your homemade facial toner?

It’s best to use natural ingredients as often as possible when creating your homemade facial toner. Thankfully, most of the harsh ingredients that you should avoid while creating your own toner have natural replacements that are better for your skin.

Replace Alcohol with Witch Hazel

Alcohol can be very aggravating to people with acne-prone skin. It can also lead to inflammation, irritation, and dryness. Although alcohol is used commonly in skin care products, you shouldn’t put it into your own.

Witch Hazel is a better option. It provides soothing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The ingredient is all-natural and is effective at removing excess oil from your skin without drying it out as alcohol does.

Replace Salicylic Acid with Willow Bark

Salicylic acid is commonly used in facial toner recipes that claim to offer acne reduction. However, it has the potential to seriously disrupt your skin’s pH balance.

A better option is willow bark. It contains salicin but in a naturally-occurring form. That enables it to provide similar skin-exfoliating power without the harsh side effects.

Replace Synthetic Fragrances with Essential Oils

Facial toners often call for synthetic fragrances to make the resulting product more aromatically appealing. These shouldn’t be put into your homemade toner because they include a number of chemicals that can damage your skin or cause allergic reactions.

Use essential oils instead. They will imbue your facial toner with a pleasing scent without harming your skin. Essential oils support skin health instead of detracting from it.

3 oils and ingredients that will make a great homemade toner

Rosehip Seed Essential Oil

Rosehip oil can provide a near-instant boost to tired-looking skin. It’s rich in vitamin E, omega 3, and omega 6 fatty acids. Collectively, these nutrients enable rosehip oil to repair skin that’s been exposed to harmful UV rays and restore it from the outside in.

Organic Chamomile Hydrosol

Chamomile hydrosol will give your facial toner a relaxing quality that’s perfect for your nighttime skincare routine. It also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to soothe your skin and heal its redness and blemishes.

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender is a versatile addition that fits into any homemade toner recipe. It can reduce acne, improve wrinkles, and lighten the skin. Lavender essential oil will also add an appealing scent and calming quality to your toner.

Are you ready to try these ingredients in your next homemade facial toner? If so, Nourished Essentials is making it easier than ever to purchase them. You can do so through our wellness maker beauty kit, which includes all of these ingredients plus a number of additional ones that can work well in your facial toner.