DIY: Apple Cider Vinegar Toner

Guess what I made all by myself, like the big girl I am? 
My very own toner!

Before I go into how I made this and how you can make this, I am sure there are a few questions on what I made and why.
Well my darlings, toners have been long forgotten and overlooked in the important skin care regime. So lets learn why it is one of the most important things you can do for you purrtyyy face. Toners come after cleansing and before moisturizing. They help prep your face for any other products you'll be adding on. After you wash your face you might feel a tightness or dryness, which could be for a few reasons but more commonly its due to the fact that you just got rid of all the dirt, sweat and oil (both the good and bad kind.) Its the cleaning of the good type of oil that causes tightness because our skin naturally produces that oil to protect our skin. Its also why those with oily skin who use very aggressive skincare products feel like their skin is even more oilier then before. Furthermore, cleansing throws the pH level of your skin off which causes skin to freak out. When you use a toner after you cleanse you restore the pH level of your lovely skin as well as welcome additional products to the skin and help them go further into your skin. Using a toner means you can use a lesser amount of product on your face. So if you haven't started using toner, I beg you to start now. 

With all those great reasons of why you should use a toner there's also the question of, why would you make your own if there are so many on the market now? Currently there is just a lot of unnecessary ingredients in our skincare including toner. Just pick one up at the drugstore and see whats going into that baby (I suggest you do that with all your skincare but beware, it gets scary.) A lot of toners today contain alcohol, fragrance and parabens. Alcohol gives off that strong medical smell but also contributes to dryness and irritation on the skin. Fragrance has a way to sneak into all our products and since its considered a trade secret companies don't have to list what goes into it. It's not always the bad guy but think about it as if you're putting perfume on your face. It doesn't quite make sense. Parabens help preserve products with water so it doesn't go bad and to create a shelf life. The craziness of all of this is why going to natural, organic or DIY products is always great. Not only do you know what is going into your products but you can support small brands. Now that we had this little crash course let me show you how you can make your very own toner!

DIY: Apple Cider Vinegar Toner
Adapted from: http://tasty-yummies.com/2013/05/22/how-to-make-your-own-apple-cider-vinegar-facial-toner/

What you'll need:

• A plastic spray bottle or glass jar (I suggest anything under 5 oz. since this has nothing preserving it and you don't want it going bad)
• Organic Apple Cider Vinegar <- Make sure it's organic. You don't want to be putting processed stuff on your face.
• Filtered or room temp. water that was boiled
• Essential oils (optional)

Directions:

 

1. Pour 1 part apple cider and 2 parts water. (Feel free to play around with the ratio)
2. Shake, shake, shake it! But make sure to lid it first!
3. Add your choice of essential oils, of course you don't have to do this step but it helps customize the toner to your skincare concerns. I would suggest no more then adding 7-8 drops of oil but it's all up to you. I ended up using 5 drops of tea tree oil because I am oily and tend to break out. Lavender is also a great option for all skin types but especially for those who need some balancing. Rose would be great for soothing irritated skin.
4. Just give it a shake and you are ready to go.

Note: The apple cider vinegar does have a strong smell but it wears off with time in the bottle and on the skin. 

There you go! I would love to know if you tried this out and let me know what other products you'd like to see me DIY.

Ta ta for now!