The pH balancer...Facial Toners De-Mistified

Hello my lovely petals,

I hope that you are all doing well. This past few weeks have been quite hectic for me. I've had a number of quizzes and exams and apologize for the delayed post. How has your week been?

Today, I will be talking about...wait for it....

Natural facial toners (Specifically Thayers Alcohol Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner)!!!!

My story:
Years ago I would just wash my face with a cleanser and go about my day. This made my skin dry and itchy. I would breakout and my skin just didn't feel healthy. I then made a decision to purchase an oil free moisturizer, hoping that that would make a difference in my skin. Well, let's just say that my skin hated that as well. It is possible that all the chemicals in my facial wash and moisturizer were irritating my skin, but I wasn't going to give up until I found a solution. I talked to friends and family hoping that they could give me advice on how to improve the condition of my skin. A friend of mine mentioned the use of a facial toner. Not knowing much about the facial products at the time, I was intrigued. She explained that when you wash your face, you strip away oils and destroy the natural pH level (acid mantel) of your sensitive facial skin. In order to replenish the lost oil, you use a moisturizer, but before doing so you have to restore your skins natural pH. To do so, she said that you use a toner. Not only does a toner restore ones pH, but many contain astringents to kill any remaining bacteria that was not cleared away from the face wash. She continued to say that it is important to tone ones face before moisturizing. If you skip the toning step, you risk the chance of spreading the remaining bacteria around your face with the moisturizer. At this point, I realized that skipping the toner was effecting the health of my skin. My face wash was stripping the oil off my skin and causing my skin to produce excess oil to replenish the oil that was lost. This led to pretty bad acne. The use of moisturizer without the previous toning step was spreading around the remaining bacteria, feeding the already existing acne and creating more. Now, all this occurred before I started using natural products, but I can assure you that incorporating a toner into your morning and evening facial routine, will dramatically improve the condition of your skin. At that time, I used an unnatural toner, yet it still improved my skins health than just using a face wash and moisturizer.

In establishing a more natural lifestyle, I was on the hunt for a pH balancing and disinfecting facial toner. Being a lover of rose, as you all know, I just had to find a rose facial toner. After hours of research, I found the most amazing toner! And here it is...

Thayers Alcohol-free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Toner

This toner is absolutely fantastic! Not only does it contain essential rose oil, but it contains Aloe Vera and Witch Hazel as well. In my last blog, I reviewed Heritage Store Rose Petal Rosewater spray and their Rosewater and Glycerin spray. These can be used as facial toners as well, but are a bit lighter in terms of disinfecting power. I prefer to use the Rosewater spray in the morning and the Thayers toner at night. I feel that the toner removes all the remaining dirt from the day following my shower in the evening.

What brand is this?:
This toner comes from the brand, 'Thayers'. Thayers natural remedies is an all natural company that was started in 1847 by Henry Thayer M.D. They sell a wide variety of dry mouth and throat remedies/lozenges as well as their ever so popular facial toners and astringents. Not only are their products extremely effective and beneficial, but they are quite affordable!

How much does this cost and where can I purchase this?:
I purchased mine at Whole Foods for $9.99, but you can purchase the same product for $7.56 on Luckyvitamin.com and $7.96 on Vitacost.com (see links below).  Sprouts also carries this product for about $9.99.  What a bargain!  This product is overall quite affordable and I highly suggest that you all go purchase it!

http://www.luckyvitamin.com/p-25823-thayers-rose-petal-witch-hazel-with-aloe-vera-alcohol-free-toner-12-oz?redirect=1

http://www.vitacost.com/thayers-witch-hazel-with-aloe-vera-rose-petal

What are the benefits of this product?:
This product works to disinfect your skin and get rid of all the remaining bacteria, gunk and residue that was not washed away by your facial cleanser.  The bottle claims to soothe your skin, and it does just that.

How do I use this product?:
-After cleansing my face at night, I apply some of the toner to a cotton round and wipe it across my face.

Product Pro's:
-Smells of a rose garden (very natural, not artificial)
-Great packaging; I love the squirt bottle!
-Extremely soothing to the skin
-Kills bacteria on contact
-Helps calm skin redness and irritation
-All natural
-Great amount for the price

Product Con's:
-None!!!!!

Overall thoughts:
I give this product 5 out of 5 petals. I have no complaints whatsoever.  This product operates exactly as stated on the bottle and is great for all skin types. I have normal to dry skin and this toner works fabulously for me!  I highly recommend that you all try it!  If you do, please let me know what you think in the comments below.

Stay tuned for my next post..."Pura D'or Shampoo, Conditioner and Argan Oil Review"

In the mean time, stay active, healthy and happy.

Feel free to leave any comments or questions below.

Your Rose,
Daniela I.