Saturday 3 May 2014

Toner for Oily Skin

I have oily/acne-prone skin with occasional dry patches, and one of the products that I've been wanting to make is a toner for my skin type. Though toner isn't something that I normally use, Susan from Point of Interest! has written a lot about how toners are great for providing moisturization without oils, which sounds perfect for my combination skin.

For my first toner, I've adapted Susan's recipe for an acne-prone skin toner. I had most but not all of the ingredients on hand, so my recipe is slightly different than Susan's recipe. My first batch is small (50g) so that I won't have wasted any ingredients if my skin breaks out.


HEATED PHASE (heat and hold for 20 minutes at 70°C)

64% water
25% lavender hydrosol
2% sodium lactate
2% hydrolized protein
3% honeyquat
0.5% allantoin

COOL DOWN PHASE (added once heated phased has cooled to 45°C)
  
2% panthenol
0.5% powdered chamomile extract
0.5% powdered aloe vera extract
0.5% Geogard (preservative)


The toner smells lovely, with a hint of lavender from the hydrosol. I had considered adding a small amount of lavender essential oil (with an equal part of polysorbate 20 to incorporate it) to increase the therapeutic value, but I think that the hydrosol is enough.

I'll post an update once I've used the toner for a week or so.

UPDATE (May 10, 2014): It's now been one week since I first started using this toner. So far, I'm very pleased with the results. I've noticed an overall improvement in skin tone and clarity. My skin also feels smoother, and I wonder if this is due to the sodium lactate in the toner, which I believe acts as a mild exfoliant. Given the results, I intend to keep using the toner and I will re-evaluate the results in 3 weeks time.