Martha Sessions Davis wrote: "To use toner or not to use toner . . . I keep getting different answers from different folks. I want to make sure I don't leave any makeup or dirt behind when I cleanse, so do I use toner after cleansing and before moisturizing?"
Good question, Martha. Toner is an important player in good skin care. Let's start by telling a little about pH of your skin.
pH stands for the logarithm of the reciprocal of hydrogen ion concentration in gram atoms per liter. What?
Ok . . . settle down . . . pH is the way we measure the alkalinity or acidity of something. If something is 100% pure acid, it has a pH of 0, and if it is pure 100% alkaline it has a pH of 14. Normal skin pH is 5.5
The pores of our skin are made up of a combination of oil and sweat glands (sebaceous and sudoriferous glands) helping to keep our skin healthy and elastic. An excessive sebum secretion is often associated with oily skin and acne. This is particularly common in adolescents, and again in menopausal/peri-menopausal females, as the increased levels of hormones stimulate sebum production and secretion. When in balance, the combined excretion of oil and sweat from the skin’s pores has a pH of about 5.5.
So . . . to Martha’s question, will a toner really help with the care of your skin? Martha, this may be one of the most hotly debated questions in our industry. Here’s a little more detail on the biology of our skin. . . Your skin’s pH is a result of the skin’s acid mantle, which is a mixture of sebum and sweat that form on the surface of your skin. Ideally, a slightly acidic pH is desired because it helps to keep off harmful bacteria. When you wash your skin, you strip away at this acid mantle with cleansers that their sole purpose is to clean and dissolve oils. Using a toner is said to then “re-balance” the skin’s acid mantle.
Now then, having said that, the question still remains, “Is a toner necessary?” After all, within hours after cleansing your skin it will regenerate the acid mantle all on it’s own. In years past the standard in good skin care was “Cleanse, Tone, Moisturize.” Toners were used to remove traces of cleansers and any remaining makeup, daily grime and debris. Today’s cleaners are made to wash completely away and don’t actually need an additional step. In addition, many toners USED to be made up primarily from alcohol and/or witch hazel. BOTH of these ingredients are drying and irritating, especially if you have dry or sensitive skin. Todays toner products are different and most have an additional moisturizing ingredient.
Remember that in cleansing your skin, it is not desirable that you strip away every single oil molecule!
Oil, is not the enemy! EXCESSIVE oil is the concern. Key word: EXCESSIVE! If you have an oily complexion a toner is always a must for your daily skin care.
Now for my personal skin care routine – I try to never skip using a toner in my own personal regime. I especially love the way my skin feels after a toner. In addition, I will often spritz my face during the day when I feel I need a pick-me-up and especially during the winter when my skin stays thirsty. But in the summer, I even keep some in the fridge in my treatment room. That’s simply a wonderful skin care treat about 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
I stand on the side of the controversy that says you should be using a daily toner. I think at best it encourages healthy skin and certainly at worst, can’t hurt.
Martha, thank you for your question. You are now entered into our monthly drawing for FREE European Facial.
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