Here's an easy DIY skin toner with apple cider vinegar

If you want to have great flawless skin, then you must follow those three steps religiously! But, more often than not, people do not understand the whole idea of toning the face, so they skip it and just cleanse and moisturize. You might be wondering, “Why should we tone the skin?”. It’s all got to do with the skin’s PH. A PH scale ranges from 0-14, with 0 being most acidic and 14 being most alkaline. Our skin should normally have a PH of around 5 and this is when our skin is balanced. If it’s too alkaline, the skin can be very dry and sensitive and when it’s too acidic it can be very oily and that’s typically when we get most breakouts. Throughout the day, our skin produces oil and that’s why most facial cleansers tend to be alkaline, typically having a PH of around 7 so that way it removes the excess oils and sweat. But, after we cleanse it, the skin is basically stripped and that’s why it can feel tight and dry after washing it and that’s why we need a slightly acidic toner to balance the skin’s PH. A toner helps return the skin’s PH back to normal and toning the skin not only balances the skin’s PH but also helps to remove any leftover makeup or oily residues that the cleansers don’t get rid of. In addition, it also helps close our pores which is important when you’re trying to fight acne.

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The problem with many toners our there is that they are full of alcohol which does more harm to the skin and beats the purpose of having a toner because it dries out the skin. That said, natural products are almost always the better solution to almost anything.

Lady cleaning her face (Courtesy) Pulse Live Kenya

Luckily, you can make an easy skin toner with just two ingredients, apple cider vinegar and green tea. You will also need a glass jar, to put the toner.

Apple cider vinegar is great for the skin as it helps clear excess oil, acts as a gentle exfoliator, it can help improve acne and acne scars and helps balance the natural PH of the skin.

Green tea is full of natural antioxidants and helps fight aging. It also contains EGCG compounds that help reactivate skin cells that are damaged because of pollution, sunburns and poor lifestyle choices. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce redness and inflammation.

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Apple Cider vinegar (Courtesy) Pulse Live Kenya

How to make the toner:

First of all, you want to make sure that you’re using raw unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar and raw organic pure green tea with no additives, as you will be putting that on your face.

Instructions:

Brew your tea as you normally would, by boiling hot water and putting it into a cup with your green tea teabag and letting it cool down.

For sensitive skin, mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 4 parts green tea.

For normal skin, mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 2 parts green tea.

And for oily skin, mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 1 part green tea.

According to your skin type, mix the ingredients into the jar, using something that you can measure with, shake and it’s ready to use.

How to use:

After you wash your skin at night and in the morning, apply your toner using a cotton pad, allow it to dry and go ahead with your normal makeup routine. Store your toner in the fridge, to ensure that you’re getting all the benefits that it has to offer.