Unpopular Opinion - Toners Are Like Plus Ones.
The year was 2016. It was a time before Tik Tok influencers had us all putting potatoes on our faces and using butt lotion under our eyes. Clients usually came in with a pretty simple routine. Maybe they cleansed 1-2 times a day, some had a moisturizer, and some didn’t. But dear god, EVERYONE had a toner.
For whatever reason - even if they didn’t use a moisturizer, they still used a toner because (cue hype word) - “toner” was the thing to do! Toner was a hype word. In a world before everyone was aware of Squalane and Retinol, they were all like, “Can I get a toner with that, please?”
Toners were what separated the strong from the weak in skincare. There was this idea that a toner was THE thing that made you a serious skincare user.
Clients would be like, “Can you point me in the direction of a REALLY good toner?” and in my head I was all -"Ummm... what would that even consist of?”
In beauty school, I swear to god we toned like 2-3 times per service. We had witch hazel toners, clear skin toners, hydration toners, bedazzled toners, 24 karat gold toners, toners that magically turned into genies and made all of your dreams come true.
Do you know how many toners I carry in my studio these days? Maybe 3?
Look, I'm not trying to piss anyone off or set us back 500 years here. I'm not saying that you shouldn't use a toner. They certainly aren't going to hurt you (unless you’re using straight witch hazel everyday to dry out your acne, in which case, come see me so we can chat about how to fix your barrier).
What I AM saying is this.
Toners are boring as hell. They’re like the plus one you brought to the wedding, in hopes they would leave early and you could find somebody more interesting to go home with.
(Just sayin’)
A toner is made to wipe away residual cleanser and prep the skin for its next ingredient. It also balances the pH of the skin, so it will benefit MORE from the other ingredients you’re putting on next.
Now there ARE toners with specific uses.
You can get a toner with a high acid level, for example, that will double as your chemical exfoliant. In these cases, they are not to be used every single day and are more of a treatment-based toner. I have a 10% Glycolic acid toner in my studio that I LOVE for body acne!
You can also get toners that have antioxidants, hydration ingredients, and other “insert buzz word skincare ingredients here,” but let's be honest… Serums are really the MVPs when it comes to getting the strongest effects from these big-name ingredients. So again, the toner falls short.
Keep in mind, not all toners are for everyone. If you have extra dry skin, don’t reach for one with a salicylic acid or high alcohol content.
That would be like bringing a plus one who is not at all compatible with you. You spend the entire night with someone that you are looking for any reason to avoid conversation with. Your eyes dart quickly around the room, hoping for a reason why you need to leave this conversation, and when you don’t find one, you simply say “excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”
Also, if you are already using chemical-based exfoliants, then adding an acid-based toner - you could be in a “three’s a crowd” type of situation. Too many acids at the party can be an absolute nightmare for your skin. That would be like accidentally asking two people to be your plus one… and forgetting to cancel on one of them. How awkward.
Here is the thing about plus ones, though. They do bring a sense of comfort when you are putting yourself out there. Having someone who is your designated “talk to me so I am not standing by a punch bowl by myself all night” is a way to make sure the event is a little less awful.
Similarly, having a toner to make sure your cleanser is gone, and getting the most out of your $175 serum is certainly a way to go the extra step for yourself. I just don’t find them that interesting, and that's really all I wanted to say.
Thoughts or questions about toner? Let’s talk about it!
