With drugstore beauty products being full of strange promises and even stranger chemicals, I regularly seek refuge in natural ways of maintaining my skin. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Rosehip Oil and Argan Oil are must-haves in my household to remove makeup and moisturize skin, hair and nails.
There was a time that I was working in Myanmar in 2010, and the one thing I forgot to pack was facial toner. Being a newscaster there meant having to wear layers of studio makeup seven days a week. so I absolutely needed an extra hand in taking the day off my face! I came up with a novel idea to head to the local village market to put together my own potion and it worked WONDERS.
The amazing thing is that this facial toner is made out of THREE simple ingredients which you can get at pretty much any local grocery store! Its gentle astringent properties of lime will help to remove impurities and tighten pores, the green tea will deliver anti-oxidants and help to reduce inflammation, and the the vitamin-rich cucumber will cool, refresh and moisturize.
Because it’s made fresh, I recommend that you store it in the fridge for up to a week, so make a small batch!
OR… store it in the freezer, then leave it out for 10-15 minutes before each use, for the product to melt just enough to give you a workable amount of toner.
If your face gets a little tingly after use, this is most likely from the lime juice. I normally leave it on to keep the benefits of the toner on my face, and the tingling goes away eventually. I then follow through with moisturizer.
If leaving the toner on your face creates too much irritation for you though, simply flush with water and pat dry before using moisturizer. And for the next batch of toner you make, I suggest reducing the amount of lime juice and adding more cucumber juice and green tea.
Compared to other factory-made toners in the market that cost heaps more, I find this to be a very rewarding DIY project, that’s a breeze to put together and you know that it’s full of natural goodness.
I hope this toner helps you out in your own simple beauty regime, and feel free to share this recipe with others who may benefit!