A Toner vs. An Essence
I remember being a kid and seeing someone apply toner to their face after washing and it just looked like water. So I was thoroughly confused and of course they explained "its just what you do to take care of your skin" I simply nodded my head and accepted that explanation, but now lets really break it down. Why do we use toners? What do they do for us? And what the heck is an Essence? And do we need both? Basically how much skincare do we actually need?
Firstly you definitely don't need ALL the skincare. I find there are two main types of people when it comes to skincare. There are people that love every single step of their skincare routine. It is their sanctuary in the morning and the evening. Its how they truly unwind. These people tend to research ingredients to understand how they work. They thoroughly enjoy every step. Double cleanse, micellar water, exfoliate, toner, essence, serum, eye cream, face cream and facial oil. Yes, that's a lot of steps and for some that is just right. Awesome!
There are also people that do only what they need to do and only as they need it. They wash their makeup off but maybe they don't double cleanse. Maybe they use serums a couple nights a week. and maybe they skip the daytime eye cream. Once again....awesome!!!! I probably fall into the first category. I love learning about skincare ingredients and I pretty much do the same routine everyday. The only thing I do only every few days is physical exfoliation on my face and masks. You just don't need to do those things everyday. If you fall somewhere in between those two generalizations, awesome and congratulations. You do you boo. The following types of products are not necessary in every skincare routine but they do good things for you skin. If you do choose to add these into your routine I don't think you'll regret it.
Toner
Typically toners are known for being drying and astringent-y. Well not all of them are supposed to be that way. Toners are meant to bring the PH of your skin back to normal after washing and cleansing.
In case you don't know, our skin is acidic (4.5-5.5 PH) and a lot of cleansers are more on the alkaline side of things (soapy water usually has a PH of 11-12. The scale tops out at 14 peeps). If you want to read more about PH in skincare in cleansers and why it matters, this is a great article explaining more. We use things with a higher PH then our skin so that the product opens up our pores so that cleansers and active ingredients can get into the skin and do their job. But too high of a PH and the skin can get irritated. You don't have to use products in a certain PH range but it is always good to know how and why things work.
There is so much variety in toners these days. Toners to help control oil are going to be the more astringent kinds. These will balance the skin while not adding hydration that will make the skin even oilier. Toners for dry skin typically have mid level acids to help balance the skin and help it absorb your moisturizers better. If you have sensitive skin you can use something as simple as a rosewater spray to bring your skin back to normal. Toners can also be a bit cleansing. They can help get that extra stuff that maybe your cleaners didn't quite get.
Micellar Water
Please note that micellar waters are not toners. Without testing the PH myself but doing a bit of research it seems like the PH of micellar water is about 7-9. Yay! a lower PH then most cleansers. So that means these will clean without too much irritation. I even use one that claims to remove waterproof makeup....it doesn't totally do that...but it does help remove that little bit of dirt that gets left behind.
Essence
An Essesce is a different thing from a toner but also not a serum and not cleansing at all. They are more powerful then toners. They have more concentrated amounts of ingredients. This is also a product mainly for hydration. You would use these kinda like you would use a serum. When hydrating ingredients are carried into the skin in more of a watery solution they can get deeper into the skin. So some essences are very very watery and others are a like liquid lotions. I apply mine with a cotton square after cleansing and before moisturizers. I definitely notice my skin is plumper and holds onto hydration better when I use and essence type product. Once again you do not NEED this step in your skincare. Its totally an extra, and if you choose to add this into your personal skincare routine, then awesome and tell me all about which ones you use. I'm currently using one from Aveda. Here are some available at Sephora that look promising.
P.S if an essence claims to be clarifying or skin clearing, those are more toners then essences. Gosh skincare industry! Why you gotta be confusing?!?
As always do your research, get a sample or trial size if you can or keep your receipt just in case a product doesn't work out. Sephora and Ulta take returns of products that have been lightly used. And as always let me know what you find and have tried. Take care of yourselves and simply stay pretty.
There are also people that do only what they need to do and only as they need it. They wash their makeup off but maybe they don't double cleanse. Maybe they use serums a couple nights a week. and maybe they skip the daytime eye cream. Once again....awesome!!!! I probably fall into the first category. I love learning about skincare ingredients and I pretty much do the same routine everyday. The only thing I do only every few days is physical exfoliation on my face and masks. You just don't need to do those things everyday. If you fall somewhere in between those two generalizations, awesome and congratulations. You do you boo. The following types of products are not necessary in every skincare routine but they do good things for you skin. If you do choose to add these into your routine I don't think you'll regret it.
Toner
Typically toners are known for being drying and astringent-y. Well not all of them are supposed to be that way. Toners are meant to bring the PH of your skin back to normal after washing and cleansing.
In case you don't know, our skin is acidic (4.5-5.5 PH) and a lot of cleansers are more on the alkaline side of things (soapy water usually has a PH of 11-12. The scale tops out at 14 peeps). If you want to read more about PH in skincare in cleansers and why it matters, this is a great article explaining more. We use things with a higher PH then our skin so that the product opens up our pores so that cleansers and active ingredients can get into the skin and do their job. But too high of a PH and the skin can get irritated. You don't have to use products in a certain PH range but it is always good to know how and why things work.
There is so much variety in toners these days. Toners to help control oil are going to be the more astringent kinds. These will balance the skin while not adding hydration that will make the skin even oilier. Toners for dry skin typically have mid level acids to help balance the skin and help it absorb your moisturizers better. If you have sensitive skin you can use something as simple as a rosewater spray to bring your skin back to normal. Toners can also be a bit cleansing. They can help get that extra stuff that maybe your cleaners didn't quite get.
Micellar Water
Please note that micellar waters are not toners. Without testing the PH myself but doing a bit of research it seems like the PH of micellar water is about 7-9. Yay! a lower PH then most cleansers. So that means these will clean without too much irritation. I even use one that claims to remove waterproof makeup....it doesn't totally do that...but it does help remove that little bit of dirt that gets left behind.
Essence
An Essesce is a different thing from a toner but also not a serum and not cleansing at all. They are more powerful then toners. They have more concentrated amounts of ingredients. This is also a product mainly for hydration. You would use these kinda like you would use a serum. When hydrating ingredients are carried into the skin in more of a watery solution they can get deeper into the skin. So some essences are very very watery and others are a like liquid lotions. I apply mine with a cotton square after cleansing and before moisturizers. I definitely notice my skin is plumper and holds onto hydration better when I use and essence type product. Once again you do not NEED this step in your skincare. Its totally an extra, and if you choose to add this into your personal skincare routine, then awesome and tell me all about which ones you use. I'm currently using one from Aveda. Here are some available at Sephora that look promising.
P.S if an essence claims to be clarifying or skin clearing, those are more toners then essences. Gosh skincare industry! Why you gotta be confusing?!?
As always do your research, get a sample or trial size if you can or keep your receipt just in case a product doesn't work out. Sephora and Ulta take returns of products that have been lightly used. And as always let me know what you find and have tried. Take care of yourselves and simply stay pretty.
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