5 facts about skin toners you must know before using them

There’s a plethora of skincare products to choose from today. But what we need to have is a basic understanding of the products available and know about its pros and cons in order to develop a skincare routine that we can use over time to treat our skin problems. We are often told to use skin toners, but do we know exactly why we need it?

What is a skin toner?

Skin toner, also known as just toner, is a lotion, tonic, or wash used mostly on the face to cleanse the skin and minimize the appearance of pores. Additionally, it hydrates, protects, and rejuvenates the skin. Toners are used in a variety of ways on the skin, either by a round of cotton or by applying facial spray.

Facts about skin toners

Renowned dermatologist Dr Jaishree Sharad, in her recent Instagram post, shared some facts about skin toners that you should know. Read on to know more:

1. No matter how expensive your toner may be, it cannot always minimize pores. Toners just help in removing that extra grime, dirt, impurities or oil on your face.

2. Toners are not a compulsory step in your skin care routine. Most people consider toner to be one of the most important part of the perfect skincare routine, but you don’t need to have a toner if all of your products (moisturiser, serum or sunscreen) already contain enough antioxidants.

3. Toners cause irritation or dryness, if used in excess. Avoid alcohol based toners. Skincare containing alcohol is bad for the skin. It is advised to stay away from it because of how harsh it is. Over time, it can dry up your skin and drain its moisture.

4. Avoid toners if you have sensitive skin, seborrhoeic dermatitis or rosacea.

5. Toners can be easily replaced by active serums. Your skin will benefit more from serums than from toners.

Also, read: A dermatologist weighs in on whether you really need to use a toner for your skin

Why should you avoid using alcohol-based toners?

Most people believe that alcohol-based sanitizers are more effective to fight against the coronavirus. And so, they tend to apply the same logic for skin toners. But imagine what will happen if you continue to use an alcohol-based toner on a daily basis. It will eliminate all of the normal bacteria from the skin. Therefore, if you kill all the good microorganisms, the bad bacteria and fungi will multiply and cause acne breakouts.

The regular, naturally occurring oils that are present on the skin are also stripped off when you use alcohol-based toners. These oils are beneficial and protective against harmful fungal infections. They also maintain your skin by keeping it nourished and free from allergies. So, by eliminating that, what you’re doing is ripping off and peeling off all the natural oil that is already there on the skin.

Using a toner will have the exact opposite effect from what you want and is not a cure for oily skin. If you remove the healthy, natural oil, your skin will produce even more oil as a result.

In a nutshell, toners can be good if it suits your skin type but anything used in excess can be dangerous. It should be used in a limit and it’s better to make your skin care routine risk free as you can’t take a chance when it comes to your skin.