An Esthetician’s Guide to Using Toner

As an esthetician, I’ll sometimes meet clients who are bypassing the toning step in their skincare routine at home. A few reasons I’ve found why people are skipping a toner at home are that they see it as an unnecessary step, they are not sure when or what kind to use, or they’ve had a bad experience with a toner product. When used correctly, using a daily toner is really beneficial to your skin’s health and also your skincare routine.

scrub me secret: I have dry skin so on the mornings that I don’t exercise and sweat I skip the cleansing step of my skincare routine and start with toner. A gentle, balancing toner is the best for refreshing your skin and prepping it for AM serums like vitamin C

What is toner? Why do we need one?

A toner is a liquid skincare product that is applied to skin generally after cleansing, exfoliating, or a mask. A toner helps reset skin and bring balance back to the skin’s barrier after using these other skincare products. A toner also helps any serums or moisturizers work with your skin better and have a greater effect. When we skip the toning step, our skin is off balance and won’t be able to absorb and utilize the ingredients introduced by aftercare products. Taking the extra step to rebalance your skin’s pH after cleansing and/or exfoliating will make a drastic difference in the way your skin functions.

I’ll use my own skincare routine as an example. In the morning I have multiple daytime serums that are important for anti-aging and maintaining radiance. Before I apply vitamin C and niacinamide serums I saturate my skin with hydrating toner so my skin can best absorb and utilize the serums.

scrub me secret: a true “toner” product is not the same as a liquid exfoliating solution. Some products are labeled and marketed as “toner” but really the solution contains exfoliating ingredients that are not best for daily use. If these exfoliating products are used daily they may end up sensitizing your face. Learn more about this topic in my blog post “toners and treatment solutions, the big difference.”

How to choose the best toner for your skin.

Before I became an esthetician I didn’t have a ton of skincare knowledge; I thought toner was strictly an astringent-based product for clearing excess oil. Oh was I wrong! There is a wide range of toners and skin-refreshing products (which I still consider to be a “toner”) on the market. Adding a new toner to your routine can take some trial and error. The upside is that toners are generally less expensive than cleansers, serums, and moisturizers so you can purchase a couple and try them out. Usually, within the first few uses, you should know if your skin isn’t responding well.

Astringent toners like products that contain witch hazel, salicylic acid, lemon balm, tea tree, or willow bark are best for oily or congested skin types. There are different ingredient formulations and blends that affect how astringent and oil-clearing the toner is. When using a daily toner at home I always like to suggest a slightly more mild feeling astringent toner. If a toner is too astringent for the skin it can end up having the opposite effect and end up sensitizing or drying out the skin. I don’t love products that are just straight-up witch hazel, it’s just a little bit irritating for the skin. Astringent toners I like right now are Pholk aloe lemon balm mist, Herbivore Jasmine toner, and Ursa Major Essential Tonic

A little hydration toner mist for balance✨

Skin refreshing tonics and mists or as I like to call them, hydrating toners, are great for a lot of skin types. I personally like products like these best for an at-home routine because it’s the best way to calm and reset skin after cleansing or exfoliation. Hydrating toners infuse water and nutrients back into unbalanced skin, helping to keep it healthy and prepare it for aftercare like serums and hydrators. Even acneic skin types that do have some excess oil can really benefit from this type of toner. Acne cleansers, serums, and spot treatments can be harsh on the skin; a refreshing nutrient-enriched toner can really help with redness and inflammation. My general guideline is to look at your at-home products and if you see a lot of oil clearing, deep cleansing, or exfoliating products it’s best to use a hydrating toner or skin essence like rose water. If you have dry or aging skin, hydrating toner is also best for you. I really like Ology Essentials CBD Toner, Josh Rosebrook Hydrating Accelerator, and Heritage Rosewater Toner.

scrub me secret: A little 1-2 ounce bottle of toner on a flight can make a big difference! Air on airplanes is not the purest and a lack of fresh oxygen can leave our skin feeling dull. It’s great to bring a travel-sized spray bottle of your favorite toner for your carry-on bag, I prefer the Josh Rosebrook Hydrating accelerator or rose water. You can spritz your face every couple of hours to refresh your skin, the spray will be lightweight enough to apply over makeup if you have any on.

Frequently asked questions I receive about toner:

Where does toner go in my skincare routine?

Toner is the step before your serums and/or moisturizer. If you’re cleansing and/or exfoliating toner goes after those steps. By providing your skin the balance it needs toner helps your serums and moisturizer to work better. My blog post “Skincare Layering- The Proper Order to Apply Your Products.” has more details if you’d like.

My skin got worse after using a toner, why?

It was the wrong product for your skin. Check the ingredients label of the toner; do you see ingredients like glycolic acid, lactic acid, or salicylic acid? You may have over-exfoliated your skin and caused it to get red, dry, bumpy, or sensitive. Do you see ingredients like witch hazel or willow bark? You may have sensitized your skin by stripping it of needed oils. Choosing the wrong toner for your skin type or mistaking an exfoliating fluid/treatment solution for a daily balancing toner are common reasons why your skin reacts poorly to a product.

scrub me secret: if you have an astringent toner in your product lineup that feels like it’s overly drying you can save it for your back or other parts of your body like butt or legs when you’re experiencing congestion or breakouts in those areas.

How is rose water a toner if it’s just rose water?

A toner’s job is to balance your skin’s barrier and properly prep it for the application of serums and facial lotion. That’s what rose water will do for your skin after cleansing and/or exfoliating. I would put rose water in the “hydrating toner” category.

scrub me secret: One of my favorite tips for toner is to keep it in the fridge! This has a couple of benefits. One, your product will last and keep its effectiveness longer. Two, when the cool mist or fluid is applied topically it helps relieve redness, take away heat from your face, and refresh your skin. I refrigerate my heritage rosewater and spritz it onto my face throughout the day or after a sweaty workout.

Do I use toner every day?

Yes! Once you have the correct toner for your skin type it works best if you use it daily. It just makes all your products work better and gives your skin some extra balance and nutrients, helping the complexion to be more clear. I use toner both AM and PM after cleansing; if I skip my morning cleanse I start my routine with toner.

Do you have more toner questions for me? Would you like to share your personal favorite toners to use? Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!