Homemade Astringent and Toners
Astringent and toners are essential part of a beauty regime for any type of skin. These are used to remove the traces of grease and dirt from the closed pores of the skin. It is mostly applied on the oiliest part of the skin like the nose, chin and the forehead regularly.
Though there are a variety of astringents and toners available in the market today. They all contain harmful chemicals, which may at times have some reaction to the skin. If you want then you can make some good astringents concoctions at home and use them regularly without worrying about the harmful chemicals. Most of the ingredients in these products can be found in your kitchen cupboard.
Here we suggest a few of those concoctions. Honey is known to be a very good natural ingredient for the skin when consumed either externally or internally. Take one teaspoon of honey and mix it with eight tablespoons of sandalwood powder, one teaspoon of bergamot oil, half teaspoon each of lavender oil and clove oil, four tablespoon of rose water and the same amount of orange flower water. This has to be kept in an airtight jar and shake it daily. It can be used after a fortnight. Use it with the help of a cotton ball.
You can make another concoction of honey water by mixing two tablespoon each of honey; coriander seeds, nutmeg and one tablespoon of cloves. Add four tablespoons each of grated lemon peel and orange flower water. Along with this add half teaspoon each of benozin and storax.
Lemon is very useful for the oily skin; hence you can whip up a lemon astringent at home. Take the juice of two lemons; add half teaspoon of peppermint extract, eight tablespoon of witch hazel and two tablespoon of alcohol. Keep this in a bottle for 24 hours, then strain it and use it when required.
The other effective toner is the rosemary water. Mix two tablespoon of rosemary, with the peel of ¼ orange and1/2 lemon. Along with this add four sprigs of mint and ¼ cup pf alcohol and ½ cup water. Keep it in a bottle and keep it for 48 to 72. Then shake it keep it aside for further use.
Camphor can also help in tightening the skin and cleaning the pores as well. In a large bottle add ½ cup each of rose water, witch hazel and distilled water. Along with this add one tablespoon of camphor spirit and a few drop of blue coloring. If you want a stronger astringent then add a pinch of alum.
Cucumber astringent can also be very useful in cleaning the skin. Mash one cucumber and mix around three tablespoon of rose water, two tablespoon Eau-de-cologne and one tablespoon of glycerin. Mix all the ingredients well and then strain the solution and the keep it in the refrigerator for further use.
Lemon astringent helps in tightening the pores; refreshing the skin and also removes the excessive oil form the skin. In a small bowl combine three teaspoon of lemon juice, along with one juice of lime and half cup of rubbing alcohol. Transfer the solution in the jar and shake it well.
The other lemon concoction can be made with orange as well. In a blender add half parts of each thinly sliced lemon and thinly sliced orange. Along with this add ¾ cup of ethanol alcohol. Blend till the fruits are well mashed. Then strain the liquid and keep stored in a jar.
This is a good astringent and can be used by all skin types. Combine ½ pint of olive oil, one ounce each of vodka and rose water along with a few drops of glycerin. Apply this astringent with the help of a cotton ball. Mixing 100 ml of rosewater along with one drop each of camomile and geranium oil can make the other toner for the same skin type. Mix them together and apply it regularly.
You can make an excellent toner for sensitive skin. This can be made by an infusion of 100ml from chamomile and one drop of German chamomile. This will be in the same concoction of black tea.
Mixing 100ml rosewater and one drop each of juniper berry and rose otto can make another astringent that suits the oily to combination skin. Mix all of them together and the strain and store it in a container.
