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Reader Question - Do I Need to Use a Toner?

Authored by critty.Pinkpurple_thumb
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Barbie sent me an email and wanted to know if she needed to use a toner.  Ahhhhhh toners.  Some people love 'em, some people hate 'em.  There has been HUGE changes on the toner front in the past few years, and if you weren't aware, you'll want to read this post.

There have been lot of reports in the past few years saying toners aren't necessary, especially alcohol based ones which can create havoc with your skin.  Alcohol + skin = bad.  That's my kinda math ;)

In the past, cleansers were heavier and left a residue after they were used.  Toners were then applied to remove the excess so the skin would be perfectly clean to apply moisturizer.

Today's cleansers don't leave any residue, therefore eliminating the need for yesterday's toners.  But many women consider them an essential element in their skin care regime.  Of course the cosmetic companies were only too happy to still sell them the toners. 

As more and more reports came out deeming toners unnecessary, the cosmetic companies smartened up ... and created new toners that have added antioxidants that are very beneficial for your skin.  Smarty pantses!  Instead of just eliminating them, they have created a better product that we actually need. 

Using the toners of today, you are applying antioxidants to improve your skin's texture and tone.  While you can't expect to get the same levels of antioxidants in a toner as you will find in an antioxidant laced moisturizer, any additional amounts that you use will all be added benefits for your skin condition so that will make it worthwhile.

You can see this with the Clinique 3 Step system, "toners" have been replaced by Clarifying Lotion, which help to exfoliate and that is always a good idea.

So are toners necessary?  Old toners - no, new toners, quite possibly.  They aren't mandatory like SPF is, but they can definitely help improve your skin, and to me, that's a good reason to use them.

Comments


i never really got into the toner thing.......never saw the need and when i did try one out for a while i didn't notice a difference........
Posted on Mon May 12 13:49:23 UTC 2008 by entyce08

I don't tone either ... I want to get my face washed and moisturized in the fastest way possible! I would be up for a spray on toner though :)
Posted on Mon May 12 16:16:07 UTC 2008 by critty

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