“Three pillars: cleansing, toning and basic care.” The cosmetologist told how to properly care for your skin

A girl should start taking care of her skin from the moment of puberty.
For some it is 12-13 years, for others 15. The three pillars on which skin care is based are
cleansing, toning and applying the main product.

Facial toner - what is it?

Facial tonic is a leave-in water-based product (up to 95% distilled and/or thermal water in the composition) with active substances dissolved in it for skin care: moisturizing, softening, refreshing. Most often, toning completes the stage of skin cleansing - the product promotes better penetration of the active components of creams and serums. The key task of a facial tonic is to restore the acid-base balance (pH) of the skin after cleansing and prepare it for the application of care.

Criteria by which we evaluate tonics of each brand

• Toning.
  And generally performing functions. The condition of your facial skin should improve after 2 weeks of daily use.
• The basis.
  Of the 3 possible options: alcohol, glycerin, water - the last one is most preferable, the other 2 can harm the skin. However, glycerin-based toners are rich in oils, so they have their place but require caution.
• Compound.
  There are no exceptions here: the more natural ingredients, the better.
• Smell.
  Should be neutral or unobtrusive, soft.
• Price.
  A quality product can be inexpensive.

Point system:

By quality:

• 1 point for improved skin condition after 2 weeks;
• 1 point for water base;
• 0.5 points for glycerin base;
• 1 point for natural composition;
• 1 point for neutral or light aroma.

By cost:

• 4 points for costs up to 400 rubles;
• 3 points for a cost from 400 to 800 rubles;
• 2 points for a price from 800 to 1,200 rubles;
• 1 point for a price over 1,200 rubles.

By popularity:

• 3 points for more than 2,000 queries in Yandex per month;
• 2 points for 1,000-2,000 queries in Yandex per month;
• 1 point for less than 1,000 queries in Yandex per month.

After we talk about each of the 5 best facial toner brands and assign points, we will collect all the data in a common table.

When collecting information about products, we used: sites with reviews of real customers, personal sales statistics of KrasotkaPro, open data from the Yandex search engine.

Why do you need a facial toner?

The main condition for proper care is daily cleansing of the face twice a day: morning and evening. By cleansing the skin, we rid it of corneocytes (keratinized cells), while disrupting the natural protective barrier of the skin, consisting of sebum (sebum), microflora, lactic acid and sweat. This protective mantle forms the basis of the moisturizing factor (NMF).

The skin's hydrolipid barrier can be damaged due to non-compliance with washing recommendations: the use of overly aggressive cleansing products, incorrectly selected skin care, too frequent cleansing (more than 2 times a day), washing with too hot or cold water. As a result of the weakening of the protective barrier, the pH level is disrupted and the skin becomes sensitive, dry and irritated, itching, redness and inflammation appear.

Using a facial tonic will help normalize the pH level of the skin, which is disturbed during the cleansing process.

In addition, the product performs other important functions:

• Delicately completes the cleansing process;
• Serves as a conductor for the active components of care products (cream, mask, fluid, facial serum);
• Prevents skin from feeling tight after washing with cleanser and hard tap water;
• Moisturizes, softens, tones, refreshes, mattifies the skin, fights free radicals and the first signs of aging, depending on its type and needs;
• With regular use of facial skin tonic, it evens out the tone and texture of the face, giving it a natural glow.

What is the difference between lotion and facial toner?

Tonic and lotion are products for toning the skin, participating in the final stage of care - cleansing. Both products are designed to restore skin pH and improve skin tone. But not many people know the difference between these two remedies.

• Lotion
  comes from the Latin root “lotio”, meaning “wash”, and is an aqueous solution with active substances intended for the care of primarily oily skin. Lotion often contains alcohol-containing ingredients and is used as an additional cleansing step.
• Tonic
  is a special solution that completes the cleansing procedure and prepares the skin for subsequent care. Cares for facial skin according to its type and needs.

What is the difference between toner and facial toner?

• 
  A water-based tonic
• The toner
  has a denser texture and can be distributed over the face with your fingertips, without using a cotton pad. The main function of the toner is to intensively moisturize and soften the skin after cleansing.

Basic care product

Of course, it is better to have a day and night product. Night products contain ingredients that cannot be used during the day. Cream, emulsion or gel are selected according to the problem. It’s good to contact a cosmetologist and choose what’s right for you. Moisturizing is important for all skin types and is essential for oily skin too. There are many moisturizing components: hyaluronic acid, urea, ceramides.

Photo: pexels.com

Antioxidants

In summer it is good to use products with antioxidants. This will prevent lipid peroxidation, which leads to photoaging. The main antioxidants are
vitamins A, C, E, ferulic acid, alpha lipoic acid.

Natural cosmetic

Natural cosmetics, including handmade ones, are very popular now. But you need to be careful with her. For example, pharmaceutical cosmetics undergo all clinical trials over a long period of time, but natural cosmetics are not made where they are produced. Many extracts, for example, St. John's wort, rosemary, will cause photosensitivity in the summer, that is, increase sensitivity to the sun. You need to re-read a huge amount of literature to find what is right for you and will not cause harm.

Photo: pixabay.com

Oil

Often clients say that they simply lubricate their skin with oil at night. If the skin is not damaged, it will not get worse. But if the epidermal barrier is broken, this oil can bind to the skin's own lipids, and there will be the opposite effect: instead of moisturizing, you will get even more dryness and discomfort. I never recommend applying oil.

Mass market

I am calm about the mass market. There are positions that can be recommended. If we look at something more affordable ,
these are pharmaceutical products.

Professional cosmetics

I recommend professional cosmetics.
It is more highly specialized and works on a specific problem. The assets there are more balanced. Dermatologists, as a rule, recommend pharmaceutical cosmetics. At the same time, there are decent budget products with active ingredients in the mass market. You can always recommend something more expensive or cheaper. For any budget you can find a decent product from the mass market, pharmacy, luxury and professional stores.

Oily skin

Alcohol is often the first ingredient in oily skin care products.
This dries out the skin. Salicylic acid will be drying in the first places, but in the last positions in the composition it will work as a keratolytic - gently exfoliate. Oily skin -

This is most often an unpleasant greasy sheen. Adsorbing components help combat this. These are substances of plant origin that mattify without drying out.

It is imperative to moisturize oily skin, just use emulsions rather than thick textures.

Dry and sensitive skin

Dry and sensitive skin in winter and summer requires protection and, again, hydration -
emollients, urea, and ceramides help achieve this.

Evening care for oily skin

Night products for oily skin may contain acids, but again you need to look at the season. If it is summer, the acids should be large-molecular: for example, mandelic. During the day, you must not forget about reliable sun protection -
this is sacred.
Acids will dry out inflammation, even out tone, and remove post-traumatic pigmentation. They are universal fighters -
they work in many directions.

Evening care for dry skin

Here you can also choose acids, but different ones, for example, lactic acid. At night it is better to use moisturizing components: urea, ceramides. By the way, hyaluronic acid, which we all know well, is not a true skin moisturizer. It acts only on the stratum corneum and provides temporary hydration, but urea and ceramides are
true moisturizers that penetrate deep into the skin. You may not notice the effect right away; you need to use such products for two or three weeks to notice the result.

Thermal water

Thermal water is different from thermal water. In general, any thermal water should be blotted with a napkin. Because it can have the opposite effect: instead of moisturizing, you can get dryness. The only water that does not need to be soaked is
isotonic, that is, its concentration of trace elements is close to the concentration of trace elements in biological fluids. Thermal water in the summer will help moisturize your face and refresh your makeup.

When to see a specialist

If your skin is healthy, a visit to a cosmetologist is not necessary until a certain age. The main thing is
regular, properly selected home care. If after sleep you don’t like swelling, bags under your eyes or a network of wrinkles, then a cosmetologist can help you. You don't have to do expensive procedures. A specialist can recommend home care with active ingredients that will work for your problem.

I always say: if there is a choice between a course of procedures from a cosmetologist and the purchase of high-quality cosmetics, it is better to choose the latter.

Types of toners: how to choose a product for your skin type

When answering the question: “what types of tonics are there?”, keep in mind that a good tonic should be selected according to the type and needs of the skin, on which the direction of the formula’s action depends:

• For dry skin types
  , choose moisturizing facial tonics with powerful hydrofixing agents in the formula (glycerin, amino acids, aloe, hyaluronic acid).
• For sensitive types,
  products with a soft, slightly oily structure that have a soothing and softening effect are suitable. The formulas of such tonics should not contain alcohol, fragrances, parabens and dyes.
• For a normal type,
  choose a universal product based on hyaluronic acid, which helps moisturize and strengthen the protective properties of the skin.
• For a combination type
  , use multi-toning (using two tonics for different skin types): moisturizing in the cheek area and mattifying in the T-zone. Or use a 2-in-1 product labeled “for combination type.”
• For aging skin,
  choose products with an anti-age effect: lifting, increasing elasticity and density, deep hydration and smoothing wrinkles. Anti-aging toner formulas often include hyaluronic and glycolic acids and antioxidants (vitamins C and E, resveratrol).

What happens to the skin in winter?

When the season changes, not only your wardrobe changes, but also your skin condition. Under the influence of low temperatures and cold winds, the sebaceous glands produce less sebum, which normally forms the protective layer of the skin. Due to dry indoor air during the heating season, the hydrolipid balance on the skin surface may be disrupted. As a result, it becomes more sensitive, small areas of redness and peeling appear, and an unpleasant feeling of tightness appears after washing or walking in the fresh air.

That is why during the winter period the skin needs gentle cleansing, an additional portion of hydration and nutrition, and denser, enveloping textures of products. Comprehensive care will support natural recovery processes and strengthen the skin’s own protection from external adverse factors.

Composition of facial toners

The composition of the tonic directly depends on the needs and type of skin and the problems that need to be solved.

Below are the main components that are most often found in tonic bases:

• Allantoin
  heals, relieves inflammation, irritation, tightens pores, softens the skin and promotes cell regeneration.
• Hyaluronic acid
  deeply moisturizes, prevents moisture evaporation, smoothes wrinkles.
• Glycerin
  softens, moisturizes, and retains moisture in the deep layers of the epidermis.
• Glycolic acid
  cleanses, exfoliates, softens, brightens the skin, smoothes out deep creases and folds.
• Salicylic acid
  exfoliates, mattifies, tightens pores, and has a drying effect.
• Simple alcohols
  provide an antibacterial effect, enhance the penetration of active ingredients into the dermis and serve to stabilize the formula.
• Thermal water
  from French volcanic springs enriches the dermis with vitamins and minerals, nourishes, strengthens, protects, moisturizes, neutralizes the harmful effects of free radicals, and soothes.
• Zinc
  is an indispensable component in tonics for oily, problem skin. Relieves inflammation, dries, controls oily shine.
• Plant extracts
  are universal and have a wide range of effects: strengthen blood vessels, relieve irritation, rejuvenate, tighten pores, fight harmful bacteria, and have an antioxidant effect.

How to use toner correctly

It is recommended to use tonic after each facial cleansing procedure: twice a day. Avoid the eye area when applying cosmetics unless otherwise specified by the manufacturer. There are two ways to apply toner to the skin.

1. Using a cotton pad along the massage lines:

• Moisten a cotton pad with toner and lightly move from the center of the forehead to the temples, one smoothing motion on each side;
• Then walk with a cotton pad from the wings of the nose to the ears;
• Distribute the toner from the center of the chin to the ears;
• The final stage: from the space between the eyebrows to the tip of the nose.

2. Cloth napkin (suitable for sensitive skin types):

• Soak a cloth napkin or pharmaceutical gauze folded in 2-3 layers well with the tonic composition and apply tightly to your face, like a fabric mask, for a few seconds.

What is the difference between toner and toner?

Two concepts such as toner and toner are very often confused with each other or even equated with each other. The main difference between these two products is their effect on the skin. The toner is a representative of the Asian care system, and its main function is instant deep hydration of the epidermis.

The tonic, in turn, belongs to the European skin care system and is designed to eliminate makeup residues. If the toner has a rather liquid consistency, similar to water, then the toner has a thicker texture, reminiscent of a gel.

These two products also have similar effects. They prepare the skin for the subsequent application of skincare products, tighten pores, even out complexion, and relieve irritation.

The Korean method of toning involves applying toner sequentially, in 7 layers, using patting movements. Each subsequent layer is applied after the previous one has been absorbed. Thanks to this procedure, it is possible to achieve deeper hydration of dehydrated areas of the skin.

The best facial toners: La Roche-Posay rating

Below are the best La Roche-Posay toning products. The dermatological laboratory of the French brand occupies a leading position in world ratings and reviews of pharmacy cosmetics.

Effaclar Pore Tightening Lotion for oily, blemish-prone skin types

EFFACLAR

Pore ​​tightening lotion

Effectively fights oily shine, mattifies the skin for a long time, providing a light exfoliating effect due to the LHA acid in the composition. Reduces pores and helps smooth out skin texture.

RUB 1,468 more details