In the last few months I have been loving my new recipe for a DIY Toner with rose hydrosol. I feel like it goes a long way to balance the skin, further hydrate and even calm the skin, preparing it for a moisturizer. Many people skip a facial spray or toner because they don’t understand how beneficial one can actually be for you skin. In fact, I was kind of one of those people.
However, I have come to relying on my toner for many jobs and since they are so affordable and easy to make, I’m never without one.
Why should I make a DIY toner?
- First and foremost, toners are meant to balance the skin. When I say balance, I mean restore pH. In a nutshell, when your skin’s pH is off, you are extremely prone to skin conditions you don’t want. Sometimes, acne, blackheads, dryness, excessive oiliness, and unevenness can be a result of an imbalance in the skin. Once you bring your skin into balance, it doesn’t take much time for your skin to straighten up! Because cleansers usually have a high pH in order to dissolve dirt and oil, a toner can help restore pH after cleansing.
- A toner, like it’s name, tones the skin. It constricts or tightens the pores. That’s why a toner is used after cleansing. It actually can close up clean pores, protecting the pores from dirt.
- When applied with a cotton pad/ball it can further cleanse the skin by swiping away dirt and oil that you might have missed while cleansing.
- Toners can control excessive oiliness as well as hydrate excessive dryness depending on which ingredients you use.
- Toners can also double as makeup setting sprays! Spritz one after you’ve done your makeup to help set your foundation as well as minimize a cake or matte look.
Toners can calm stressed and inflamed skin. DIY Toners are one of the best and the easiest skin care diys you will ever make. It doesn’t take a chemist to make a really effective one. With wonderful witch hazel and pure hydrosols all you have to do is add some essential oils and you have an insanely effective toner.
DIY Toner Ingredients
My favorite type of toner is witch hazel. It’s an amazing plant with anti inflammatory and healing properties. Plus, they are so affordable.
I also love hydrosols. A hydrosol is basically an infused water. Mountain Rose Herb has hydrsols infused with rose, lavender, orange, chamomile, cucumber, neroli, peppermint etc.
Hydrosols are a great way to reap the benefits of essential oils but at a much lower price. Rose and Helichrysum are 2 essential oils that are hugely beneficial for the skin but unless you have a chunk of change lying around, these 2 essential oils are really so expensive.
So with hydrosol and witch hazel as a base for our toner, now we can add essential oils to further customize for specific skin concerns.
Here are my essential oil suggestions. Feel free to use any combo. you see fit. This isn’t rocket science and you won’t go wrong mixing different essential oils. Just pay attention to my suggested amount per ounce of toner.
- Firming-Cypress
- Balance-Frankincense
- Sensitive-Chamomile or Lavender
- Discoloration-Geranium
- Oiliness-Ylang Ylang
- Regenerating-Carrot Seed
- Circulation-Rosemary
In my facial spray, I used 5 drops of lavender, 2 drop of geranium and 4 drops of cypress. I wanted something that would be hydrating, calming as well as beneficial for aging.
I LOVE the smell of my spray. It is so refreshing! I have been using mine morning and night and love how it feels and what it is doing. It’s like a light treatment that is working with my moisturizer to support the health of my skin.
DIY Hydrating Rose Face Toner:
- 2 TBSP. Witch Hazel (find it HERE)
- 1 TBSP. Rose Hydrosol (find it HERE)
- 1 TBPS. Aloe Vera Gel (find it HERE)
- 5 drops Lavender Essential Oil (find it HERE)
- 4 drops Cypress Essential Oil (find it HERE)
- 2 drops Geranium Essential Oil (find it HERE)
This recipe makes 2 ounces. Find 2 ounce glass spray bottles HERE.
Remember-Your product is only as good as the ingredients you use. I always link the highest quality ingredients I can find because you are already saving serious money by making your own skin care-you don’t want to skimp even more and make something that isn’t going to be effective, right?
Mountain Rose Herbs has HIGH QUALITY hydosols and essential oils.
Oh and guess what? You can use this spray for sunburn relief and even diaper rash soothing! Witch Hazel is excellent for taking the itch out of bug bites as well!!
This is probably one of my most effective, and favorite DIYs. It works wonders for every type of skin plus you can’t beat how affordable and easy it is to make!
xx, Jenni
P.S.This is one of my absolute favorite DIY toner recipes and am selling in my Etsy shop HERE.
[convertkit form=2502210]
PIN IT!
Hi Jenni, is straight up WH w/out rose water ok? Or does it need to be diluted?
RSMITH-No, plain witch hazel is fine! I just got really crazy with the rose this time but it’s not necessary!
Jenni, like you I didn’t really believe in the value of toners for a long time. But here’s something that I’ve been doing lately and I really think it is helping. I have been buying aloe leaves at the grocery store. They are huge and super cheap in the produce section. I “filet” it, and cut the inside part into little chunks which I keep in a glass jar in the fridge. Takes awhile but gives me enough for several weeks. After oil cleansing at night, I grab a chunk and rub it all over my face and neck (and even down to my chest after reading you last post!). Once it dries, I usually moisturize. Lately I’ve been dabbing on rose hip oil, which is nice. In the morning, I wash my face with a warm wash cloth, and then apply some raw honey, which I rinse off in the shower. After the shower, I use the aloe again. Really seems to make a nice base for my makeup, and my skin has been looking great.
Elizabeth-I love this! Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have any rose hydrosol, could I replace that with rose water?
Lisa-Hydrosols are floral waters so rose water is the same thing! Your good to go with your rose water!!
Interesting! Ive just added french bio brand called Sanoflore eau fe florale Rose and Bleuet ( rose and cornflower) and i think its hydrosol.I was suprised that these 2 contain alcohol! Which explains why each time I mist or wipe with cotton, i do get that slight tight feeling despite after a serum or moisturizer.
I need a ph balance toner in order to maximise my benefits and VIT C ( alternately).I know using a foaming mousse can contirbute higher ph in our skin and may cut the efficiency of AHA’s and VIT C.Currently Im clueless about low ph cleansers, or should I just add a toner to balance the ph of my skin?
What do u suggest?
I forgot to mention that my skin is dehydrated, open pores, breakouts now and then but not serious.Recently looks dull too.Ive got a rose wood essential oil with me.Ive tried just putting 2 drops in my regular night cream, its stings a bit but then I can’t see much different in toning or clarity.I do also have tea tree and cedar wood( I use these 2 for my scalp and dandruff problems)
Im trying to add vit c or AHA in order to bring back my dull skin back to life, as well as evening out my skintone.
Faryanna-I would skip diy cleansers because of pH issues! Try a brand like Juice Beauty-Amazon and Ulta carry the line. I love to use this toner to balance my skin’s pH so I would for sure make this. Yes, no alcohol! Make sure you find witch hazel and a hydrosol that is free of alcohol. I have linked my choices in this post.
I’ve never worked with rosewood or cedarwood. Tea tree won’t help with dullness. Vitamin C would help but it is very unstable and has a shelf life of about 5 days so unless you make a new batch often, it won’t help for long. I leave the exfoliating to the professionals and prefer using THIS product. Another goody from Juice Beauty. It’s exactly what you need to remove dull skin and reveal fresh, new skin!
Hi there!
I have a question. I am 34, I have psoriasis, I get blackheads (alot!) and I want to start a more proactive anti aging approach now. In the past when I’ve used witch hazel it causes me to breakout, within twelve hours of use. What could you recommend for me?
Bridget-I would omit a toner if witch hazel breaks you out-The other DIY toner I do has apple cider vinegar-I’m not sure how your skin would respond to it if w.h. is too much. What about trying just rose water? It’s gentle and has wonderful benefits for the skin!
I get blackheads too-Something many people don’t know is that sometimes when you are dry and dehydrated, blackheads can really become a problem. Once you properly nourish your skin, the blackheads disappear! Are you using a good moisturizer?
What is the shelf life of this toner?
Rachel-Because it only contains the preservative of the witch hazel, I would say it is about 2 mos. Some rose waters have a preservative too though and oils are anti fungal and anti bacterial so it could be much longer depending on which brands you use.
Hi Jenni, love your blog! I have Sjogrens and my skin in terribly wrinkled, dry and sagging, making me look older than I am. Sjogrens also causes blocked hair follicles. I am dark hair and take prednisone daily so I am very hairy, i.e., whiteheads cover my face. Have tried most everything, but just can’t clear up my skin. Do you have any suggestions for which essential oil solutions work best? I use a natural soap and toner I made with Rose water, witch hazel, Cypress oil, tea tree oil and moisturize with coconut oil, Maluka, Rosehip seed, tea tree and Cypress oila/
If I want to add Tea Tree Oil, how many drops should I add?
Jenni, thank you for this! I’ve been searching for a DIY recipe for something to help me deal with dryness. Do you think this would be good for keeping skin dewey and moist in a dry climate, or would the water actually make more moisture evaporate from the skin? I’m only 24 but my skin and hair is crazy dry and dull and produces virtually no oil – I got my first fine lines before high school, if that helps as a reference. Or perhaps just getting my Ph lower would help this?
Chelsea-This will help with dryness but it’s not enough. You should make a facial oil-This is your best bet with super dry skin since a facial oil contains no water. Look into THIS recipe.
Can you use this in hair?
Manjinder-You could!
Hi Jenni.
Enjoying your recipes very much, do you have one for diy deodorant I couldn’t find one in your list of recipes.
As a teen I startedusing Dickinson’s witch hazel as a toner now I know it contains too much alcohol for aging skin. I’m happy to have found Thayer’s non-alcohol). It works sowell after OCM to remove the oily traces not absorbed and then I can move right onto a facial serum without feeling like I have layers of oil on before applying my make-up.
Great blog, always finding a recipe I’m ready to try and love to try various ingredients I haven’t used before, FUN!
Thanks
Hi Sue- I do! And it’s my fave of all natural deodorants I’ve tried! Find it HERE.
Hi Jenny, thanks for your great recipes. I want to try this out but want to order these oils in smaller volumes first. Sparks Naturals seems to have 5 ml versions of the essential oils. What do you recommend to replace the (Mountain rose Herbs) Rose Hydrosol with from Sparks Naturals? Thanks!
Jenni, can I incorporate hyalironic acid into this spray toner?
Thank you! Love your recipes!