Homemade Facial Toner
Making homemade facial toners is super easy and fun. And you’ll avoid exposure to the toxic chemicals in store bought toner.
Chemicals like PEGS that may be contaminated with carcinogens like ethylene oxide. Preservatives like propylparaben, an endocrine disruptor, and diazolidinyl urea, which works by releasing formaldehyde, a carcinogen.
Then there’s the undisclosed chemicals that make up fragrance, plus dyes and silicone. So there are plenty of toxic reasons to make homemade facial toner.
Here are some easy recipes to get you started. All but one of the recipes use a good witch hazel base. Your homemade facial toners should be stored in glass spray bottles. And to avoid pesticide residues apply with organic cotton pads.
Rose Water Toner – for mature skin
- 1 tablespoon aloe gel
- 2 tablespoons vegetable glycerin
- 10 drops Rosehip oil
- 1 cup Rose Water
- ½ cup Witch hazel w/ Rose Water
Mix the first 3 ingredients together. Pour into rose water and add witch hazel. Pour into glass spritzer bottle. Shake before using.
(Rosehip oil can also be used as a moisturizer right from the bottle. Great for wrinkles and lightening dark spots).
Cucumber Calendula Toner – for sensitive skin
- ½ cup aloe gel
- 1 cup witch hazel with cucumber
- 5 drops of cucumber oil
- 5 drops calendula flower oil
- 5 drops chamomile oil
Mix all ingredients and pour into glass spritzer
bottle. Shake before using.
Lemon Refresher – for oily skin
- ½ cup of lemon witch hazel
- ½ cup of aloe gel
- Juice of half a lemon
Mix ingredients and store in glass spritzer bottle.
Tangerine Toner – for oily skin
- ½ cup of lemon witch hazel
- ½ cup of aloe gel
- 10-12 drops tangerine essential oil
Combine ingredients in a glass spritzer bottle and shake well.
Oil Fighting Toner - for oily skin
- 1 1/4 cup of lemon witch hazel
- 20 drops eucalyptus oil
- 7 drops peppermint oil
- 10 drops rosemary oil
Combine ingredients in a glass spritzer bottle and shake well.
Fennel Soothing Tonic – all skin types
- 1 tlb crushed fennel seeds
- ¼ cup of raw apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups distilled water
- 2 tsp of vegetable glycerin
Boil water. Remove from heat and add crushed fennel seeds. Steep 45 minutes. Strain. Strain and add remaining ingredients. Shake well before using. Use within a month or refrigerate.
Soothing Lavender Toner – all skin types
- 1 tablespoon each of calendula, lavender and chamomile flowers
- 1 cup of cucumber witch hazel
- 5 drops of cucumber oil
Place dried flowers in a mason jar. Add witch hazel to jar. Cover and steep in a sunny window for 2 weeks. Strain and add cucumber oil. Pour into glass spritzer bottle.
pH Restorer
- 2 cups distilled water
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 10 drops of lavender, lemon or rose oil.
Combine ingredients and store in glass bottle. Will remove alkaline residue from cleansers.
Aubrey’s Herbal Astringent
This recipe is the ultimate homemade facial toner, good for all skin types * **. It’s a recipe from the 1987 book Natural Organic Hair and Skin Care by Aubrey Hampton, the founder of Aubrey Organics.
It’s easy to make but does require 11 different herbs. So it would be expensive to make unless you grow herbs or know people who do.
- 16 ounces of water
- 16 ounces witch hazel
- 1 tablespoon each of coltsfoot, comfrey, fennel, eucalyptus leaves and lavender flowers
- 2 tablespoons each of nettle, camomile, elder berries, marshmallow, calendula blossoms
- Peels from 2 organic lemons cut into strips
- 2 ounces aloe gel
Pour the witch hazel and water into a stainless steel pot and put on the pot to boil. Add the herbs and lemon peel. Remove from the heat when it starts to boil. Let it cool than strain out the herbs. Pour into glass bottles.
*For very oily skin you can add 6 more ounces of lemon witch hazel to the toner.
**For very dry skin add 2 tablespoons glycerin to the toner.