Easy DIY Face Toner with Aloe Vera Toner and Juniper Berry

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DIY skincare products can be tricky to make but homemade skin toners are the easiest! This DIY face toner recipe can be made in minutes and is perfect for sensitive skin but is great for dry skin and can even be used as a light moisturizer for oily skin and acne-prone skin. Using only natural, simple ingredients, this natural face toner is the perfect addition to your skin care routine!

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This recipe for a simple toner will literally take you minutes to make and you can use it immediately. It is full of hydration your skin needs! Did you know that when you restore hydration the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles are greatly diminished? Your skin appears plumper and has a natural glow!

I’ve concocted a new and very easy to make DIY aloe vera toner! I had run out of my usual toner and had just applied a DIY pumpkin glycolic mask. My skin needed something soothing as well as balancing so it was time to make something to fit my skin’s current needs. 

I’ve been using this new homemade facial toner for over a week and love how it is not only acting as a skin balancing spray, it is also calming and hydrating my skin in the process.

The Anatomy of a DIY Face Toner:

Making your own toner can be as simple as using a bottle of witch hazel which is a natural astringent. You can also add water based ingredients such as aloe vera, as we are doing today, or floral waters like rose water. Other additional ingredients are rice water, green tea, botanical extracts and hyaluronic acid.

Many popular diy toner recipes include apple cider vinegar which is great at balancing pH but can be a bit harsh on the skin and not recommended for sensitive skin types and dry skin types.

My favorite homemade toner recipe includes rose witch hazel and after today’s DIY toner, aloe vera gel!

Why Use a Face Toner?

The main job of a facial toner is to restore the skin’s pH level. Balanced pH levels are so vitally important. Often times our cleansers have a high pH. This is what gives them the power to strip the skin of dirt. The problem is that if a toner isn’t used afterwards, the skin can stay at a high pH which causes an imbalance. 

When the skin is not in balance, several issues occur. Excessive dryness or excessive oiliness are the main repercussions. When pH in the skin is off, our acid mantle is compromised. The acid mantle of our skin acts as a protective barrier keeping bacteria at bay and when we use harsh products (mainly cleansers) our acid mantle can become damaged. 

As you can see, toners aren’t to be skipped but for even more reasons beyond pH….

Face toners also help to remove traces of dirt, makeup and oil that might have been left behind by a cleanser.

Face toners also deliver skin nourishing botanicals, vitamins, minerals and essential oils that can help target a specific skin concern.

Depending on what ingredients a face toner has, your skin can get an extra boost of hydration by using a toner.

Toners can help you get the most out of your moisturizer. Getting the skin balanced can help absorption.

The water based ingredients of a face toner can act as a vehicle to transport oils deeper into the skin. This is especially helpful if you are using a facial oil as your moisturizer. Sometimes oils can set on top of the skin but when there is water already on the skin, the oils tend to sink in faster and deeper. This is one reason skin lotions contain water.

As you can see, facial toners are a pivotal part of any skincare routine.

DIY Face Toner Ingredients:

Aloe vera gel helps with wound healing and has anti-inflammatory properties that reduce skin inflammation. There is also a growth hormone in aloe that stimulates the growth of new cells. This is why you’re always seeing aloe used when someone has been burned. Aloe allows the skin to heal quickly and naturally with minimal scarring.  It is antibacterial, antiviral, and anti fungal too! Aloe contains antioxidants like beta carotene, vitamin C and E.  These are amazing qualities that make aloe excellent for moisturizing and anti aging! 

Witch Hazel is the balancing ingredient in this DIY. In a nut shell-Witch Hazel is anti bacterial and antiseptic. It also has powerful anti inflammatory, astringent and healing properties. Witch Hazel has a tightening quality that helps “tone” the skin. It also is excellent to help bring the skin back into balance after cleansing.

Juniper Berry helps with detoxing the skin. It also is a powerful toner. The best part about juniper is that it revs up circulation substantially. You might wonder why blood circulation is so important when it comes to the health of your skin-Blood carries oxygen and nutrients to cells throughout the skin. In addition to providing oxygen, blood flow also helps carry away waste products, including free radicals, from cells. Juniper Berry essential oil can kick start your cells to work hard for a beautiful complexion! It is also helpful with acne, eczema and helps with inflammation!

Lavender just makes me happy-that’s why it’s in there. Actually, it has a lot of skin benefits as well. It’s a powerful anti inflammatory and has anti fungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. It is extremely calming to the skin as well as the mind.

What You’ll Need to Make DIY Face Toner:

Remember, your DIY is only as good as the ingredients you are using.  I love Mountain Rose Herb’s Aloe Vera Gel and I recommend it in this particular recipe because it is very watery. Many aloe vera gels can be too thick to get through a spray bottle. If the aloe you are using is thick, you might reduce the amount of aloe you add so that it is watered down by more witch hazel.

I have linked all the ingredients at Mountain Rose Herbs but I also like Thayers Witch Hazel and Plant Therapy Essential Oils. They are both on Amazon and ship a bit faster than MRH. 

Essential Oil Alternatives:

I love the combination of juniper berry and lavender but you could use tea tree oil instead to help acne due to it’s powerful antibacterial properties or geranium oil which is great for more mature skin and shown to lighten dark spots.

As long as you keep your drops at 8 per 2 ounces, you could substitute any essential oils you have on hand or prefer. For more ideas check out my 8 Must Have Essential Oils post.

How to Use DIY Face Toner

1. After cleansing, spray directly on the face.
2. Follow up with a moisturizer.

This DIY toner can be used morning and night. 

You can also use a cotton pad if you would like. Using a cotton pad will help remove extra excess oil, dirt and makeup.

Does This Recipe Need a Preservative?

No preservative is needed in this facial toner recipe. Aloe (unless you are using fresh from the plant) has a preservative as does witch hazel. The essential oils will further help to keep your spray fresh. I only make two ounces at a time and this will typically last about a month. You can make more but I would suggest storing in the fridge. Aloe does tend to go bad faster than most ingredients despite the preservative. If you are using fresh aloe, I suggest using 1/4 tsp. of leucidal liquid.

If you are new to making your own skin care, a DIY natural toner is a great place to start! It’s so easy to make an amazingly effective product with little time and money spent. 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and are excited to make your own facial toner! With only natural ingredients, this homemade face toner is the perfect addition to your skin care routine and possibly the most refreshing part of your routine as well. If you have a skincare fridge, toners are great skincare products to keep cold. They are naturally inflammation busters but if you apply them cold, they are next level when it comes to puffiness and redness.

More DIY Face Toners:

xx, Jenni

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