Simple Toner

Skincare is something I didn’t give much thought to for the majority of my life. Just being honest. I was not opposed to sleeping with my makeup on (yikes) and never checking expiration dates on skincare products (extra yikes). As I’ve gotten older I haven’t been as blessed with forgiving skin.

Around Christmas time last year, a few months after my second daughter was born, I began having issues with my skin. Rashes and red, irritated everything. Every makeup product caused a rash. Every lotion. Every perfume. Even my deodorant (the same brand I’d used for 5 years) started causing irritation.

I eliminated just about every product from my bathroom cabinet. At first I started experimenting with different storebought products, but it was getting expensive and they all ended up causing the same problems.

In an effort to heal my skin I looked into some more simplified beauty products. Things that used natural ingredients and were free from unnecessary fragrances and colorants. But they had to also not cost an arm and a leg. Not so easy unfortunately! Ultimately I came to the conclusion that I would need to make these products myself. It’s been nonstop experimentation since!

My skin is pretty sensitive (if that’s not obvious already) so I couldn’t use anything that was too harsh. The combination of hormonal changes from having my second child and diet changes had brought on some pretty terrible acne on my face and neck. So I definitely wanted to tackle that area first. I found that keeping everything super simple has had such a huge impact on my skin becoming clear. I do not wear makeup for the most part, and wash my face with the same shampoo bar I use to wash my hair. You can find the recipe for that here. For even more acne clearing power I added in using this toner to my regimen.

Toners come in a whole variety of ingredients and with a plethora of intended benefits. Because my skin is prone to acne, and extra sensitive I needed to focus on those two things. I found quite a bit of information on using witch hazel as a toner, by itself or more expensively- infused witch hazel products. It’s definitely cheap and easy to find just about anywhere by itself, so that’s where I started.

Witch Hazel is a pretty common astringent. It’s effective for reducing inflammation, tightening skin, and is also an antibacterial. I wanted to add something to it. Something that would be healing for my skin and sensitive. That is how I stumbled across using yarrow! I had already started growing Red Yarrow in my garden. It’s so pretty and the pollinators were drawn right to it.

Yarrow is used in skin care for its healing properties. It’s easy on the skin, is antimicrobial, and soothes irritation. I clipped off some of the flower heads and dried them out in my dehydrator. When they were completely dry I filled a small glass jar and poured my witch hazel over top until the jar was full and the flower heads were covered. Cover the jar and keep in a cool, dark place making sure to give the jar a shake daily. After about 2 weeks the witch hazel had turned a reddish brown color. Simply strain out the flower heads and pour the liquid into a dark glass container.

I found some amber bottles on Amazon that work amazing for this. They came with spray nozzles that make it so easy to apply.
I apply daily after I’ve washed my face.

I’d love to hear some of your favorite skin care products you make at home! I’m always looking for new ideas 🙂