 In cosmetics, toner refers to a lotion designed to cleanse the skin and shrink pores, usually used on the face. Some people dispute whether toner is actually necessary, and prefer to use plain water instead. Toners can be applied to the skin in different ways:- On damp cotton wool (most frequently used method).
- Spraying onto the face using a vaporiser.
- By applying a tonic gauze facial mask - a piece of gauze is covered with toner and left on the face for a few minutes.
Users often apply moisturiser after toner has dried.
Types of toners
Skin bracers or fresheners
These are the mildest form of toners; they contain virtually no alcohol (0-10%), water, and a humectant such as glycerine. Humectants help to keep the moisture in the upper layers of the epidermis by preventing it from evaporating. A popular example of this is rosewater.
These toners are the kindest to skin, and are most suitable for use on dry, dehydrated, sensitive and normal skins.
Skin tonics
These are slightly stronger and contain a small quantity of alcohol (up to 20%), water and a humectant ingredient. Orange flower water is an example of a skin tonic. Skin tonics are suitable for use on normal, combination, and oily skin.
Astringents
These are the strongest form of toner and contain a high proportion of alcohol (20-60%), antiseptic ingredients, water, and a humectant ingredient. These are commonly recommended for oily skins as they are drying, but note that the removal of oil from the skin can lead to excess oil production as the skin tries to compensate for this and prevent moisture loss. Witch hazel is an example of an astringent. To prevent dehydration, astringent is best applied only to problem areas of skin, such as spots.
Rosewater
Rosewater or rose syrup is the hydrosol portion of the distillate of rose petals. Rosewater, itself a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume, is used to flavour food, as a component in some cosmetic and medical preparations, and for religious purposes throughout Europe and Asia.
Rose perfumes are made from attar of roses or rose oil, which is a mixture of volatile essential oils obtained by steam-distilling the crushed petals of roses, a process first developed in Persia and Bulgaria. Rose water is a by-product of this process.
Rosewater has a very distinctive flavour and is used heavily in South Asian, West Asian and Middle Eastern cuisine—especially in sweets. For example, rosewater gives loukoumia and gulab jamuns their distinctive flavours. In Iran it is also added to tea, ice cream, cookies and other sweets in small quantities. It is also a key ingredient in Sweet Lassi, a drink made from yogurt, sugar and various fruit juices, and is also used to make jallab. In Malaysia and Singapore, rosewater is mixed with milk, sugar and pink food colouring to make a sweet drink called bandung. In Western Europe, rosewater is sometimes used to flavour both marzipan and a shell-shaped French cake (sometimes called a cookie) known as a madeleine.
A rosewater ointment is occasionally used as an emollient, and rosewater is sometimes used in cosmetics such as cold creams. Zamzam water, used to clean the Kaaba, a holy shrine of Islam located in Mecca, includes rose water as a component. Rosewater is used in some Hindu rituals as well.
Rosewater was first produced by Muslim chemists in the medieval Islamic world through the distillation of roses, for use in the drinking and perfumery industries.
Witch hazel (astringent)
Witch hazel is an astringent produced from the leaves and bark of the North American Witch Hazel shrub (Hamamelis virginiana) which ranges from Nova Scotia west to Ontario, and south to Texas, and Florida. The native plant was widely used for medicinal purposes by American Indians. The extract is obtained by steaming the twigs of the shrub.
Essential oil of witch hazel is not sold separately as a consumer product. The plant does not produce enough essential oil to make production viable. However, there are various distillates of witch hazel (called hydrosols or hydrolats) that are gentler than the "drug store" witch hazel and contain alcohol.
Uses
Witch hazel is mainly used externally on sores, bruises and swelling. The main constituents of the extract include tannin, gallic acid, catechins, proanthocyanins, flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin), essential oil (carvacrol, eugenol, hexenol), choline, saponins, and bitters. Distilled witch hazel sold in drug stores and pharmacies typically contains no tannin.
Witch hazel hydrosol is used in skincare. It is a strong anti-oxidant and astringent, which makes it very useful in fighting acne. It has been recommended for psoriasis, eczema, aftershave applications, cracked or blistered skin, for treating insect bites, poison ivy, and as the treatment of choice for varicose veins and hemorrhoids. (It is found in Tucks Hemorrhoidal Pads, and Preparation H pads.)
Witch hazel is also known to help with speed the healing of cold sores with several daily applications.
Witch hazel is also traditionally known as a good first reaction against shaving cuts and abrasions for men and is also recommended by The Doctors Book of Home Remedies as effective for helping sunburns.
Some people have found it to be an effective cure for athlete's foot.
Non-medicinal uses
The drug store product witch hazel has also been found to be useful in the restoration or renewal of old furniture finishes. When poured onto a flat wood surface with significant crazing in the old lacquer or varnish and left to sit, the witch hazel will essentially "melt" or soften the surface.
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