At home Cosmetic toners

While we're all eagerly awaiting the time where we (each in our zones) can start planting our gardens for the summer, I thought I'd discuss something we can all get behind. "Free" cosmetics!



Now this is not "makeup" so I'm hoping you guys are still here. These low cost toners can do a lot for your face. Wipe your face with these toners after washing your face and it'll make your face a lot happier.

Summer will be here before you know it and Male or Female, we all sweat. This means we all need face cleansing and we all can develop blemishes at any age. Apply these to cotton rounds and wipe your face after washing and it'll make your face a lot happier.

Since these need to steep for a few weeks, if you start them now, they'll be ready in time to face the sticky heat of the summer! Since there is no alcohol in them they won't dry your skin, but they're still astringent.

You've got to start with quality ingredients since you will be "ingesting" this, via your skin. And since this is the main ingredient, your cost will be LOW for the final product. Start with a good quality apple cider vinegar.

You'll need two cups of herbs if you're using fresh, and one if you're using dried.

Steep the blend of herbs in four cups of apple cider vinegar for 4 weeks. Shake daily for the first week. Store in a cool, dark place. Then you can strain and bottle. (If you can find dark glass bottles, all the better.)

Once you've strained the material out, blend 1/2 cup herbal vinegar to 3 cups water. Keep the remaining herbal vinegar in it's labeled and dated "undiluted" bottle so that you can make more toner when the current batch is gone. You can put it into a spray bottle. (wallyworld carries small 1 oz spray bottles for about .49)




*You can keep a small bottle of the mint toner in the fridge for those hot summer days when you need a cool down. (After mowing the lawn for instance.)

*You can rinse your hair after shampoo with the undiluted mint vinegar to stop itchy scalp and remove shampoo residue.

For this blend you can use your own blend of peppermint (anti itch, cooling, and good for getting rid of pimples), Rosemary (toning and removes dryness) Sage (will kill the bacteria that cause blemishes). I suggest you start with one part of each herb, and blend to your liking until you have the amount you need.



Lavender makes a lovely toner. (You can use flowers or leaves). Lavender can relieve the pain of cystic pimples, and enhances circulation. According to OrganicFacts dot net, lavender, "It is used to treat various skin disorders such as acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, and other inflammation. It heals wounds, cuts, burns, and sunburns rapidly as it aids in the formation of scar tissues. Lavender oil is added to chamomile to treat eczema."

You can add Thyme to any of theses mixes because it's great for your skin and even removes blemishes, scars and other spots according to organicfacts.net.



If you have a lot of redness in your complexion you can make a Rose vinegar. Make sure you're using roses that aren't treated with harsh chemicals. Roses are susceptible to many pests and diseases, so the ones you buy from a florist or grocery store aren't the ones for you! You can also add rose hips. Rose will take the redness out of your skin. It's also an antidepressant, antispasmodic, and will also help fade the scars from acne and other causes (including stretch marks!)

Dried orange peel also makes a handy vinegar because of it's sedative properties. Unlike it's Lemony 'cousin', the orange can help calm you after a bad day, especially a long, hot one! It's also a lot better for you than the prescription variety, that can cause damage to heart and other internal organs.

You can mix any of these diluted vinegar waters with 2 tablespoons of fine clay (available from your local natural food store) for a nice refreshing mask!

If you suffer from migraines, try a mint / lavender vinegar blend to use when your headache starts!