DIY: All Natural Toner

I love DIY projects! It is so much fun to create things with your hands and it gives you a deeper appreciation for the thing itself. Not to mention DIY gifts are a great option for people in your life if you are on a tight budget. Mostly I DIY crafts like candles and bookshelves made out of books, but recently I’ve been trying to DIY some health and Beauty elixirs.

 I’ve always had acne, but I feel like as I’ve gotten older my acne is getting worse (I thought acne was supposed to go away when you stop being a teenager?!?!).  Luckily for me I found a DIY toner for acne prone skin.

Before I started making my own toner I had no idea what toner was even used for. Apparently it’s used to wipe away excess dirt and oil and is supposed to make your pores appear smaller. It kind of seemed like nonsense (I thought that was what washing your face is for), but as my acne kept getting worse I was willing to try anything. Skincare already feels really complicated. People are always saying things like “skincare is simple here is a 17-step process for making your face glow”. Also who washes their face like this for real?

So in the vein of trying to keep my routine as simple as possible, I wanted to make my own all natural toner. One big reason I wanted a natural toner was because lots of drugstore toners come with tons of added chemicals (in addition to having acne my skin also is fairly sensitive). Luckily the internet exists and I was able to find about a billion recipes for it. The one that caught my eye has only two ingredients:

1. Water-good ol’ fashion H2O.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)- with the Mother (the mother Is a colony of beneficial bacteria similar to what you find in Kombucha) in it.

The brand most often recommended for ACV is Bragg. I found a 32oz bottle for $5.99 at my local grocery store. The recipe is a simple one 1 part ACV to 1 part water. I usually only make a small amount at a time. I only make a small amount because I don’t want the mixture to “go bad,” not that any recipes say that is what will happen, I’m just extra paranoid. I do 2 tablespoons of ACV to every 2 tablespoons of water. I just put both ingredients into an extra clean jar, I’m partial to the 8oz wide mouth mason jars.

To use, make sure your face is washed and all makeup removed. Then simply dip in a cotton ball and spread it all over your face. It might tingle a little, but it shouldn’t hurt. Then let it dry completely on your face. While you are waiting for the toner to dry your face will smell like a fall salad. Depending on what you like, this could be a pro or con. To me it’s a con, so you have been forewarned. I will say that since using this at night before I go to bed my face has been a lot clearer. I wasn’t having as many breakouts and more pores did appear clear. Unfortunately I stopped you using it for a week because I was house sitting and my family was visiting (Yay family time!), and my acne crept back in, so now I am doing damage control. I will continue to use this daily to help get my acne back under control.

Mmmmmm..... This is what your face will smell like.

I don’t know if this will work for everyone, but if you are looking for an all-natural toner it doesn’t get much easier (or cheaper!) than this. It also might be a good added step if you are using cosplay makeup or trying out new face makeup just to make sure you get it all off. I’ve only had to make two batches since August and have used it almost every day, and I’ve barely made a dent in the bottle.

Do you have any at home beauty hacks you swear by? Let me know!