I have tried many toners with varying success. At the start of my forage into the skincare universe I wasn’t sold on the notion of toner in the slightest, but now, years later, it is my favourite step of skincare and the one step that makes the most difference. Some of my all time holy grail favourites being the Alpha H Liquid Gold (full post here), which I adore with undying passion and the Pixi Retinol Tonic (full post here), my favourite out of all the Pixi Tonics to be brutally honest.This can’t be the first time I have mentioned the Boots Tea Tree and Witch Hazel Cleansing and Toning Lotion (£2.67) but it bears repeating. This is a toner that is less than £3 and is constantly on offer at Boots, it is the only toner that speeds up the process of my breakouts.
This is an anti-bacterial toning lotion that contains tea tree oil, which is known to treat acne, and witch hazel which is calming and soothing for the skin. The ingredients are below and here: Aqua (Water), Alcohol denat., Polysorbate 20, Alcohol, Hamamelis virginiana (Witch hazel) distillate, Parfum (Fragrance), Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea tree) leaf oil, Hexyl cinnamal, Limonene, Benzophenone-4, Alpha-isomethyl ionone, Linalool, CI 61570 (Green 5), CI 19140 (Yellow 5). If you don’t have blemish-prone acne-prone problematic af skin then you can absolutely skip this, this will not be the toner for you and if you have dry skin skip this. As you can see from the ingredients there is alcohol in here and that helps dry out spots, if you have active breakouts or breakouts that are under the surface this is a miracle worker. It turns my spots into their last phase of life overnight where I can destroy them in the morning.
Honestly, the ingredients aren’t the best but it is a harsh but effective product. Not to mention affordable. My tips are to not use it every day and to ensure you are using moisturisers, serums or face oils to combat the dryness of this toner and to use it primarily as a spot treatment. I have oily/combination skin where the perimeter of my face and around my eyes are quite dry and I typically breakout around my chin area, I think it is because I touch my face a lot and I really need to stop. So I apply the Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Toner on my chin and jawline, I also like to layer it as I read that this makes toner more effective and I have really seen results using this method. Just last night, I was breaking out all over the shop due to my non-existent willpower when it comes to junk food and I did a quick swipe all over the majority of my skin and then again on the dry parts, slather on some aloe vera and the next day I had so many spots that were ready to break free, pun intended. Again, I cannot reiterate enough do not use it every day, it will dry out your skin, use it as a spot treatment a few times a week. It works for me, I don’t know if it will work for everybody. If you have any recommendations for someone with my skin type please let me know and if you have any toners you really love please share them with me in the comments. I really like to finesse my skincare routine and I am happy to splurge when doing so. Thank you so much for reading. Take care.
What is your holy grail toner?
Love ❤
Kiran
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