Skin toning is one of the basic elements that our daily beauty ritual must always include. After removing makeup and cleansing the face carefully, the dermis has to be exposed to subtle moisturizing delivered in the form of lightweight lotions that balance skin’s pH. When damp, the skin absorbs skin care products better and faster.
Herbal distillates
Most commonly known as floral waters or herbal waters, they are definitely the best products to tone the skin with (which obviously has to be done after precise skin cleansing). Such products are slowly gaining in popularity so you can easily find them in almost all drugstores. As the name speaks for itself, they have the consistency of water and subtle aroma. They are obtained during the process of hydrodistillation. When a herb or plant is exposed to this process, there are two products obtained: essential oil and herbal/floral water.
There is no need to thin herbal distillates with water before applying them to the skin. They can be put directly on the skin just like you do it with a facial toner, for example. Floral waters have a proven positive influence on eye skin and are far more gentle than essential oils. Their aroma is more subtle too. The majority of herbal distillates’ pH is close to the natural skin’s pH, which means that they are well-tolerated by skin at all ages. Another good news is that there are plenty of floral/herbal waters to choose from so you can easily find an all-natural cosmetic that will satisfy all your needs. Additional asset of herbal distillates is that you can mix and combine a few of them to create your own customized skin care product. This form of skin toning is especially recommended to those with sensitive skin because floral waters don’t cause any irritations. Neither do they contain artificial substances. Sadly, herbal waters spoil fast therefore it’s better to choose the products that contain mild preservatives.
How to check if a herbal distillate is genuine?
There is one important issue to bear in mind while choosing the herbal distillate for yourself. Namely, you have to check whether the product you want to throw into the basket is genuine. What does it mean? Sometimes you may be holding a herbal water that was combined with artificial fragrances and aromas. You definitely want to avoid such cosmetics. Okay, but how to distinguish genuine herbal water from a product that pretends to be one? Luckily, this is easy. Just check the list of ingredients – it must begin with the name of the plant it was made of. When you notice that the very first ingredient listed is water, this means that this isn’t the genuine herbal distillate.
How to boost the effects of herbal distillate?
Yes, you can amplify the effects delivered by herbal distillate if you combine it with chosen active substances. You must check whether the “boosters” you want to add are water-soluble. In this way you can create a customized herbal skin care product. You can use it as a skin toner or a product used after treating the face with a skin toner.
If your skin is oily or combination, try combining herbal distillate with vitamin B3 and other plant extracts such as: willow extract, green tea or burdock extract. In the case of dry skin, you should make use of hyaluronic acid, panthenol, ceramides, collagen and vegetable proteins. Couperose and sensitive skin needs green tea, pot marigold, chamomile and vitamin B5.
How to apply skin toners, herbal waters and other plant extracts?
Take a cotton pad and damp it with a cosmetic of your choice: a skin toner, herbal distillate or other plant extract. Wipe the face with the pad to remove impurities and sweat from your face. In the morning, you don’t have to use other skin cleansing cosmetics – herbal distillate should do.
When it comes to rich herbal waters, you should make use of atomizer to apply them. You can also pour a small amount of it on your hands and pat it delicately into the skin. What’s important, don’t use a cotton pad here because such herbal water has to be left on the face to let the skin absorb it fully. So, instead of removing it with a cotton pad, better follow with one of your favorite skin care products that you use on a regular basis.
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