Every time I set out to write a “quick little DIY blog post”, I end up getting fascinated with the science behind the tonics, and creams, and salves and then write mini novels on the topic. How does it work? Why does it work? What is the chemical reaction between the elements? Tell meeeeee!!
It’s like a housewife, information detective and mad scientist are all vying for prominence in my brain. Talk about OCD meets perfectionism. I’ve got a problem, I know!
At any rate, I went on a quest for natural facial toners and after much consideration, I started using this detoxifying facial toner a little over a week ago. Inspired by various articles, most of them found on acne.com, I determined what mixture would work best for my normal (with occasional flare-ups of oily) skin.
Since using it, my complexion feels noticeably smoother and a few little breakouts just dried up and went away. Poof! Gone! It’s gentle, it’s fast and easy to apply, and it yields immediate results. This toner is solidly in my daily skin care routine now!
Why Use A Natural Ingredient Facial Toner?
Toner is generally used to remove surface oils, dirt or makeup within your pores, and to act as a pore minimizer.
For a facial toner to work at minimizing pores, it must contain ingredients that are astringent, meaning they cause tissues to contract, making the pores tighten.
The problem with most store bought toners is that they use extremely alkaline synthetic pore minimizers, which often have only a temporary tightening effect, but over time cause the skin to lose its protective, acidic mantle.
It’s best to use astringents that gently cleanse while leaving your skin’s pH at its ideal, slightly acidic balance. The two active ingredients in this all natural facial toner are Apple Cider Vinegar and Pink Himalayan Salt, both of which are excellent natural astringents that cleanse while protecting – not harming – your skins delicate acidic mantle.
How To Make It
½ cup of Filtered Water
2 teaspoons of Pink Himalayan Salt
2 teaspoons of Apple Cider Vinegar
There’s no real trick to making this. Get your water and Apple Cider Vinegar and combine them in a clean glass bottle. Finely grind your salt, and add it to the liquid, gently shaking the bottle till it is completely dissolved. For oily skin you can add more Apple Cider Vinegar – up to a 50/50 water and vinegar solution. Experiment and see what works best for you!
Note, vinegar and water dissolve salt, and there is no real chemical reaction between the three element, salt, water and vinegar. Because the acid levels in the vinegar are so diluted with water, both the salt and vinegar remain in their unaltered states, so you reap the full and individual benefits of the Pink Himalayan Salt and Apple Cider Vinegar.
To use the toner, simply wet a cotton ball or cotton pad and gently apply the solution to your face, paying special attention to any acne-prone or problem areas. Do this 1-3 times daily. (I use mine in the morning and before bed.)
How It Works
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar (one of my FAVORITE natural food and beauty ingredients!) is an acidic solution with pH values between 4.25 and 5. Human skin pH rests between 4.5 and 6.2. When applied to the skin, Apple Cider Vinegar helps restore the natural pH balance.
The slightly acidic nature of apple cider vinegar is provided by naturally occurring and organic acids.
Acne is primarily responsible for breaking down fatty acids in your skin and making your pH balance all wonky. By restoring the acidity of the skin, Apple Cider Vinegar promotes the normal functioning of your skin, reduces keratinization, regulates sebum production and hinders bacterial colonization. (Apple Cider Vinegar is also extremely effective against acne because of its antiseptic and antibacterial properties!)
All of this means that a daily dose of apple cider vinegar equals skin pores that are no longer clogged and acne breakouts that are healed and prevented!
Pink Himalayan Salt
I am quickly becoming obsessed with this ingredient! My husband is laughing at me because of how much I use and talk about this miracle salt.. I just can’t get enough!
Pink Himalayan Salt is 100% natural and is one of the most beneficial, cleanest salts available on the planet. It is found only in the Himalayan region of Pakistan in “The Salt Range”, a huge mountain 700 miles long consisting only of salt. The salt is filled with the full spectrum of 84 minerals and trace elements so pure that you can eat it straight from the mountain. (Click here to read the full list of Pink Himalayan Salt’s mineral contents.)
Anyway, salt has a long history of use in various skin cures and beauty tonics, and for good reason!
The elements in this natural, mineral rich salt are available in such tiny microscopic particles that they can be easily absorbed by human skin cells and metabolized. When Himalayan Salt is dissolved into water, the elements are absorbed in their ionic form into your cells.
As a result, it deeply cleans the pores – purifying and disinfecting them – and stimulates the skin’s surface circulation.
Salt is also naturally antiseptic, and when it comes into contact with your skin, it automatically forms an environment hostile to microorganisms.
But the little known benefit of salt when used as a skin cleansing agent, is that salts have a unique ability to attract and hold water, making them a natural moisturizer.
Mineral salts, such as Himalayan Salt, is rich in magnesium and calcium, which improves hydration by strengthening the barrier function of the skin. The minerals in the salt are also hydroscopic, meaning they attract water, so when you put them on the skin, they actually draw moisture and nutrients from the deeper levels of the skin up to the epidermis.
Since your skin is the very last organ to receive the water you drink (see my blog post, “How To Moisturize From the Inside Out”) this gentle forced rerouting of water stores immediately boosts skin quality and tone.
How This Toner Detoxifies
So powerful is the simple solution of salt in water, that the therapeutic application even has its own name: thalassotherapy. (On which I’ll be writing much more in the future!) The basic premise of thalassotherapy – infusing your skin with trace elements of magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and iodide found in salt water for detoxification – is essentially what this facial toner is designed to do.
Every one of the ten trillion cells in your body contains thousands of enzymes. Your health is dependent upon having every cell pulling its weight in the task of working together with all the other cells. For the cells to work efficiently, all of their enzymes must be functioning well.
The majority of enzymes require minerals in small amounts – minerals are basically essential for enzymes to function.
We spoke earlier about the ability of salt to be absorbed in skin when it’s dissolved into microscopic particles. When all of the minerals are in a readily available form, one of the first things to happen is the salt minerals act as a sort of laxative for all the cells in your body. The cells are able to offload the buildup of toxins, leaving your skin healthy and fresh and rejuvenated. Instant detoxification!
Sheesh woman you are so convincing that I am a sucker for your suggestions. So where do I find that Himalayan salt? I used Kosher salt this morning but after reading your full post I am on a hunt for Himalayan salt.
Haha.. I spend sooooo much time researching this stuff, so it’s nice to know that I can pass it along to others! I got a bunch of the salt from the Grocery Outlet on EXTREME markdown.. not sure if you have any of those near you? Otherwise, there are tons of online shops that sell it! (The link to all the minerals in my post goes to a shop that sells it.) Let me know how it works for you!!
I make this stuff too but I use some organic mint tea in mine! It gives me a fresh feeling. I also like to use some tea tree oil when I am having breakouts, it helps cleanse and heal my face so fast, and even helps with dry skin! I put mine in little spray bottles. I swear we need to meet some time. Lol. (I swear by Apple Cider Vinegar. Since I am a Diabetic UTI and yeast infections happen about once a year. Putting some in a bath and soaking in it helps with the symptoms and clears it up fast. Maybe TMI) haha
Hahaha, that how I DISCOVERED apple cider vinegar! I had a yeast infection for the FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE at age 25. I thought the world was coming to an end. And I didn’t have health insurance so I was freaking out. Started scouring the web and read about apple cider vinegar. I’d had food poisoning the year before and heard to take it then, but didn’t. But having it come up twice convinced me to try it. Worked like a charm! Then, my cat Yzma came down with horrible, face scarring feline acne. The medicine to treat it is like $60 a month! But I read apple cider vinegar works just as well, and even better. So we tried it out first, and voila! It worked! Ever since then we’ve been CRAZY about apple cider vinegar.
I have just visited Hallstatt in Germany and they mine pink rock salt directly from the core of the mountain range. In fact, Hallstatt is the oldest salt mine in the world … I think the tour guide said that it has been in use since before the bronze age when miners used chisel type instruments to mine the salt. Do some research on Hallstatt Austria, I am sure you can probably purchase some pink rock salt directly from there in it’s pure ancient form. They also make pink rock salt lights which as suppose to purify the air… …
nice idea, thank you!
can you please tell me do i need to keep this in my fridge and what’s the “shelf life”? 🙂 thanks!
From what I understand, salt water keeps indefinitely! I generally go through mine every 4-5 months or so, just because that’s when I tend to run out. 😉
Thank you for this recipe. It has been an amazing help with my ultra dry skin. Any tips on making this smell nicer. It smells like when I used to dye Easter eggs. The apple cider vinegar smell is so strong. Otherwise it is the perfect facial tonic.
So crazy that you ask! I just started tweaking mine by using red clover italic water instead of water.. I was going to blog about it sometime this week.. I’ll link to it when I post about it!!
I have not heard of red clover water. Thanks for a link when you get a chance.
For sure, I’ll have it out soon!
Here is the link to my new recipe! Check it out and let me know what you think! http://domesticgeekgirl.com/crafts-diy/red-clover-lavender-botanical-facial-toner/
I found Himalayan salt very cheap at an Amish grocery store….I bought it not knowing what I was going to do with it…so I have been on the internet researching. I like this idea…I too am an avid apple cider vinegar user. I will make some of this toner today!
Hey, just wanted to ask which skin lotion/cream do you use? Or do you use any at all after the toner? Thanks 🙂
Hi,
Thanks for the info on this facial toner. I am a 46 year old male, and over the last few years haven’t “really” been taking care of myself. Smoking and not drinking enough water have cause parts of my face to sort of get a “leathery” kind of look to it. That, coupled with the bags under my eyes, was starting to make me look older in the face. I stopped smoking and I started intaking at least 1 liter of water a day, more on days when I worked out hard. I started to use this combination of ACV, water, and himalayan salt. Within a couple of days of changing things up and using this, I have already started to notice the “leathery-ness” start to tighten up. I’ll be on the lookout on your site for any other facial things such as a mask, as I think it is super important for guys to keep up their appearance as well.
Thanks for posting the info!
-SB
Quick question: after mixing salt with vinegar and cleaning your face with it, do you rinse after a while or let it sit there till next time? Thx, Paul
I just let it sit until next time! <3
Merci, damn I wish everybody respond as fast as you 🙂 I kind of using the same method, though I never settle on how much time I should leave it working on my face. Have a graet day, best, Paul
Just wondering if Rose Water would be equally effective at combating the smell of the ACV. Has anyone tried it? I have eczema on my face that I’ve been strugging to get under control for years and this is just a perfect solution considering the benefits of all 3 to just spray on and let it dry before moisturizing.
Thanks in advance!
– D.
Natural things are always good for body. You can add tea tree oil in your mixture 🙂
This is my exact toner, for my oily/sensitive skin, I love it. I follow it up with Grapeseed oil in the evenings, which has been fantastic.
Hi! Can i use natural coconut vinegar in place of the ACV? My husband’s friend gave us the vinegar straight from natural processing 🙂
Hey…Can I substitute the filtered water for rose water .thanx
Oh my your blog is brilliant! I’m 20y/o girl from Finland and I was looking for one recipe for a sea salt based toner I found and used years and years ago, with no luck though, but I just found your blog and this is something that I just must follow for more!<3 I immediately fall in love with the way you describe everything, because "how does this and that work?" is exactly what I have been wondering when coming across with something like DIY skin care product recipes :3 Totally gonna try this one 🙂
Your Comment Here..hello does the toner clear black spots?