The Best Face Toner Will Calm and Balance Your Skin

Many guys, even those of us swimming far into the skincare deep end, haven’t bothered finding the best toner. Unlike a powerful serum or moisturizer or retinol, the results of using toner aren’t always noticeable. There are no flashy before/after pictures floating around skin care Reddit singing the praises of toner.

But using toner can be extremely helpful. Toner restores balance when applied to freshly cleansed skin (and before any serums or moisturizers). It helps reduce sebum production in oily skin; it helps soothe and hydrate skin that’s overly dry. The best toner also “resets” the skin to a healthy pH level, which is roughly 5.5 out of 14 on the acidity-alkaline spectrum; skin should be slightly acidic and left of a pure-neutral 7, and each person’s own “neutral” might shift slightly left or right of 5.5. The products we use (and especially cleanser) can often throw this pH out of whack, thus why it helps to balance and harmonize the skin before applying additional products.

Then, on your balanced and neutral skin, those other products are able to work that much more effectively. Using toner is like putting down a coat of primer before painting your walls—you won’t see it in the end, but you’ve gotta do it if you want the best finish.

What makes a good toner?

There’s just one hard rule: Never use a toner with alcohol—in fact, avoid astringents at all costs. These were common in toners in an earlier, less-enlightened age of skin care; some of them have stuck around. They will try out your skin to the point of redness, inflammation, and acne. (So much for having a balanced pH level, right?)

Beyond that, the best toner will depend on what you’re using it for—read on. That being said, two of the most common ingredients in toner include witch hazel and willowbark extract. Witch hazel calms irritation and inflammation, while willowbark extract can mitigate overactive sebum production while also neutralizing bacteria and inflammation. (Willowbark extract is a natural alternative for salicylic acid.)

Who needs a toner?

The best candidates for toners are people with excessively oily or persistently dry skin, those who are acne prone, and those who use lots of products. So really, anyone with skin. You can deploy a toner ad hoc, too, if you’re experiencing any momentary imbalances, like if you’re especially stressed and notice unusual acne. Or, if you wore a bunch of makeup (and then used a bunch of cleansers to remove it) and as a result want to recalibrate your skin to prevent dryness or breakouts.

Of course, talk to your dermatologist if you are experiencing chronic redness, acne, inflammation, and even excess sebum production in the skin. Your doctor can determine what is the best path forward, and that would be a good time to get their recommendations on toners.

How do you use toner?

After washing your face, you can either splash the toner onto a cotton pad or onto freshly washed fingertips. Toners are usually watery and runny, so go easy. Massage the product onto your face. You can either spot-apply to a specific problem area, or apply evenly. If going for uniform distribution, just start down the middle of the forehead, applying outward to the temples. Then go to the nose, and apply outward underneath both eyes. Next, do the same from the chin, outward onto the cheeks. (And don’t forget your upper lip!)