Toning is an essential part of every basic skincare routine – its importance spelled out in CTM – which translates into Cleansing, Toning, and Moisturizing. Toning, the second step after cleansing that so often gets overlooked and forgotten. Some of us even forgo the step entirely.
Toner is applied directly to your skin after cleansing your skin with your cleanser. It should be considered standard in any beauty routine as it removes remaining oil and dirt that our cleanser missed. It’s nothing but helpful, despite the reputation that it’s kind of a waste of time.
This is one of the most important parts of your daily skincare routine, because toner lowers the skins pH level, calms the skin and helps prepare it for any of the serums, lotions, and creams to absorb better and play their part in your skincare routine. Apart from cleaning excess dirt off the skin, did you know it’s also a great way to ward off the signs of aging? Depending on what kind of toner you choose, some may contain awesome antioxidant ingredients that help to prevent early aging.
Toners haven’t always had a great reputation over the years, with many traditional products containing alcohol, known for stripping the skin of its natural oils and drying out the skin, leading to skin irritations, flare-ups, and premature aging.
Combine this with the fact that many of us spend our days in artificially heated or cooled environments, possibly not drinking enough water and consuming caffeine and alcohol, and we are dealing with seriously dehydrated and lackluster skin!
Enter – a high quality, alcohol-free Toner.
Recently I came across the brand Divine Organics, which is a completely organic eco-certified brand of skincare and hair-care products! Since I steer clear of alcohol-based toners and natural ones are hard to come by, I decided to try out two of their variants in toners. Clearly, the fact that they are completely alcohol-free was a plus point. Another plus point was they were to be sprayed directly from the bottle – so no contamination or fuss by putting some onto your hands or cotton balls and wiping off. You can keep the bottles in your handbag for quick on-the-go freshening up as well.
Certified By ECOCERT (the very first certification body to develop standards for “natural and organic cosmetics”), these are Pesticide, Mineral Oil And Animal Ingredients Free Product. In addition, there are no artificial fragrances, parabens, phthalates, colors or anything synthetic. In fact, as the label at the back proudly claimed, ‘95.923% of the ingredients are from organic farming’. Could these products really work? I decided to put both to test and here is how both fared…
1.Divine Organics Refreshing Toner With Green Coconut & Cucumber 100ml;Price: Rs 350.
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This unique mixture of natural green coconut and cucumber provides nourishment and hydration by maintaining the pH balance of the skin. Cucumber is a cooling agent and this product is ideal for hot summer days. It helps minimize the pores and keeps that grimy shine away from your skin. Green coconut milk and water is very effective in treating sun damage and keeping the skin hydrated from within.
I used it twice a day -once in the morning right after my bath and once in the night as part of my CTM routine. The immediate results were of course instant cooling and soothing of skin. After about a week, I noticed my pores appeared smaller and skin was definitely brighter, the tan having gone.
2.Divine Organics Skin Brightening Rose & Saffron Toner 100ml; Price: Rs 375
This was the second toner I tried to see if it would do anything to my dull skin. I used it on alternate days once in the evening after cleansing my face. I absolutely love the mild and yet exotic fragrance. Immediate results were, of course, this dewy look that my skin had. After about ten days, I noticed the toner made my skin look ‘cleaner’. Blemishes were reduced and because of the anti-inflammatory properties of saffron, new breakouts were much fewer. After about a month, my skin shows dramatic improvement in tone and texture. Enriched with natural Rose and Saffron, this formulation helps in enhancing the skin complexion and prevents hyperpigmentation and age spots.
The best thing about these natural toners is that they are a gentle way to cleanse your skin and dissolve impurities, without drying. Rich with anti-bacterial properties and calming herbs—plus delightful fragrance—they help restore a healthy pH to inflamed and unbalanced skin, leaving it feeling fresh, clean and lightly hydrated. Perfect for normal, combination, oily, blemish-prone, sensitive, and dehydrated types.
Putting the much-needed moisture back into the skin is one of the key qualities of a good toner. Thankfully, because they are non-alcoholic, these two toners achieve that benefit too, resulting in improved skin elasticity, smoother texture, less fine lines, and wrinkles and an even tone.
They help in naturally soothing, hydrating and cooling the skin and make it less prone to oiliness and infection, and creating a more vibrant and smoother appearance.
These are extremely affordable, must-have products for the season. Please go buy – your skin will love you for it.
