Everyone has unique skin and, therefore, a unique skincare routine. While certain products are necessary staples of skincare like cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreen, others are deemed optional. One of which is toner.
While gaining popularity, toners are not part of the average skincare routine. Therefore, many men may not understand what they are exactly, how they work, how they can help, and how to use them should you decide to try.
Today, MadeMan will be explaining the function of toners and how to apply it the right way.
What Is Toner
The original function of a toner is different from its modern-day purpose. Toner was first produced to remove leftover soap and hard water after washing your face, as well as removing excess amounts of oil.
These toners were alcohol-based and, while useful for preventing certain forms of irritation like acne, they were also notably drying.
Modern-day toners are more commonly used to refresh your skin. They can boost your skin’s health and appearance without stripping it of its natural moisture or causing excessive dryness by using soothing, brightening, and anti-aging ingredients.
In addition to helping you feel fresh, toner is also incorporated into skincare to prepare your face to absorb the rest of your skincare products. You can think of a toner as functioning similarly to a painter’s primer.
Your face is the canvas, and your toner is priming your skin for healthy ingredients. The same benefits of your toner will depend on its formula. There are all different kinds of toner, each designed with its own intentions.
For example, aloe vera-based toners target redness and swelling, while rosewater-based toners are particularly helpful for hydration.
Generally speaking, however, the benefits of toners include removing impurities, protecting your skin, and — as already mentioned — aiding other products to penetrate deeper into your skin.
Toners can assist with closing up gaps in the skin cells to help reduce the possibility of impurities reaching into your skin.
Who Should Use Toner?
Simply put, toner is for anyone who wants it. While it is not necessary to include toner into your routine to achieve healthy-looking skin, there are many benefits to using the product.
Select your toner with your skin type in mind. There are five skin types — oily, dry, combination, sensitive, and normal. Your skin type will influence your skin’s needs and restrictions.
Although considerably less drying than it used to be, certain toners still contain alcohol. If your skin type is dry, sensitive, or even combination, you may want to avoid using these toners on your skin as they may cause rough patches or irritation.
Additionally, if you have oily skin, you may want to invest in a toner with antibacterial and exfoliating properties. This will help remove dead skin cells and excess oils and prevent future breakouts.
Those with normal skin can essentially use any toner they like since they have few skin sensitivities and necessities.
When To Use Toner
How often you apply toner to your skin may depend on your skin type. Individuals accustomed to using toner may use it as often as twice a day. Still, it is suggested that you build up to this consistency first to make sure that your skin reacts well to it.
Where in your skincare routine does toner belong. Remember, one of the central functions of toner is to prime your skin for all of the other products and ingredients that you intend to apply. This means that your toner should be used immediately after washing your face with your cleanser.
Similar to its original purpose, your toner will also ensure that you have removed all remaining traces of your cleanser from your face.
Wash your face with lukewarm water so that it opens up your pores without dehydrating your skin. Then, while your skin is still prepped for absorption, move on to using your toner.
To apply the product, you have the option of using either a cotton pad or your hands. Apply the toner over your face and neck. If using your hands, remember to wash them first.
What Comes Next?
After applying your toner, you can move on with the rest of your skincare routine.
Start With Spot Treatments
If you use spot treatments, you should apply those next. In order to work effectively, it is important that you apply spot treatments, particularly prescription spot treatments, close to the skin. It is important that you closely follow the directions given to you by your physician or dermatologist.
Grab Your Moisturizer
After your spot treatments, apply your moisturizer. Everyone’s skin can benefit from additional hydration to prevent dryness. By strengthening your moisture barrier with a high-quality moisturizer, you can restore irritated skin and prevent further irritation.
Moisturizer can even be used to prevent breakouts by reducing the chances of flaky skin clogging your pores. When used twice a day, your moisturizer should benefit you greatly, so long as you are using a safe and effective moisturizer.
We recommend using MadeMan’s The Refresher.
The Refresher is a moisturizer that provides you with the restoring and repairing complex nutrients that your skin craves. Our moisturizer is water-based and uses all-natural ingredients like chicory root, castor seed oil, vitamin C, and Indian ginseng extract.
Apply Treatments
After your moisturizer, you can apply any retinol treatments you may use. Retinoids are used for a variety of skin issues that include acne, photoaging, fine lines, and uneven skin texture.
After your retinol treatments, you are welcome to apply any oils you may use. Overall, face oils are intended to strengthen the skin barrier and prompt the rejuvenation of skin cells. Still, different oils are made for different skin types and are tailored towards different needs.
Some of the most popular oils include rosehip oil, tea tree oil, and argan oil.
Unlike your toner that is meant to assist your skincare products with entering your skin, oils are typically used to seal these products in. Other benefits include regulating sebum production, boosting elasticity, and neutralizing free radicals.
Use Sunscreen
Finally, you can round out your skincare routine with your sunscreen.
Sunscreen is necessary for avoiding photoaging. Photoaging is the damage accrued from sun damage. Symptoms include dark spots, wrinkles, roughness, reduced elasticity, and redness.
It is essential that you apply your sunscreen every single day. Which sunscreen you use is entirely up to you. You are welcome to use either physical or chemical sunscreen.
Physical sunscreens use their ingredients to block and scatter the sun’s rays, while chemical sunscreens use their ingredients to absorb the ultraviolet rays before they can cause damage.
However, what is not optional is that your sunscreen has an SPF of at least 30 and is broad-spectrum, meaning that it defends against UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays are more penetrative than other rays because of their high wavelengths. This means that they affect cells deeper in the skin.
UVB rays are responsible for damaging the outermost layers of skin because of its lower wavelengths and high energy level.
Ideally, all of these skincare products applied after your toner should have been able to penetrate deeper into your skin so that you could reap all of their benefits. This, of course, is partially reliant upon which toner you choose.
What Our MadeMan Ingredients Include
Here is a full list of a few of the product’s ingredients and their functions:
Water: Water is a solvent that dissolves the other ingredients in the moisturizer to help impart their beneficial properties.
Glycerin: Glycerin is a natural humectant that is used to help your skin preserve moisture.
Cyclopentasiloxane: This ingredient is derived from silica, an anti-foaming additive and skin protectant. Cyclopentasiloxane helps smooth skin, retain moisture, and provide you with a hydrated appearance.
Chicory Root: Chicory root is included in our product to help with anti-aging, rapid skin enhancement, and protection from pollutants. Chicory root is an active ingredient known for its ability to lift and tighten the skin. The ingredient can also increase collagen synthesis.
Mica: When incorporated into a moisturizer, mica offers you rapid skin enhancement and anti-aging. Mica can provide the skin with an iridescent effect, appearing healthier. It can also help to hide any imperfections on your skin, such as dark circles, age spots, and fine lines.
Castor Seed Oil: This ingredient alone contains several different benefits. Castor seed oil contains essential fatty acids that help restore the skin’s natural moisture balance and prevent acne production. Castor seed oil can also help treat wrinkles by penetrating the skin and boosting collagen production, softening and hydrating the skin.
Castor seed oil also acts as a natural humectant, locking in moisture. Finally, the ingredient rejuvenates the skin by making it softer and smoother and relieving dry patches on the skin.
Conclusion
In conclusion, toner is optional but helpful. If you find that your other skincare products have not been as successful as you would for them to be, consider implementing a toner before throwing out your skincare products and replacing them with new ones.
Your issue may not be that your products do not work, but rather that they have not been given a chance to work because of their inability to penetrate your skin. At the very least, your toner will help you to feel fresh.
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