Say goodbye to grease and hello to glow with these incredible toners for oily skin
Plus, why you should be using a toner if you aren’t already
Toners are greatly misunderstood. Most of us aren’t sure what they do. Others don’t know why they’re necessary. And then some of us are just plain clueless about where to even start when picking the right one. Allow us to set you straight, because, spoiler alert: you need one in your life - especially if you have oily skin.
First up, what is a toner?
Defining what a toner is can be tricky, because it’s the sort of product that aims to please, doing so many different things depending on the formula you choose (there are hydrating ones, brightening ones, pore refining ones, oil-controlling ones, and so many more!).
A toner bridges the gap between your cleanser (it does a last sweep to remove any remaining traces of makeup, dirt and dead skin cells) and your treatments (it prepares skin for a deeper penetration of their ensuing nutrient-rich formulas).
Why do you need to use a toner?
By moistening the skin post-cleansing with its ultra-absorbent, often water-like consistency, a toner preps your complexion so it’s more receptive to soaking up all the goodness from the potent products you’re about to apply. A toner’s job is also to rebalance your skin and restore its natural pH levels - something oily skin needs particular help with.
How to use a toner
Toner should be applied after your cleanser and exfoliant, and before serums and moisturiser. Most toners can be used once or twice a day, but for extra astringent toners (which most formulas for oily skin are), use them every second day to begin with. Be mindful that if your toner contains any active ingredients that cause sun sensitivity, like retinol, you should stick to using it at night time only, and always apply sun protection during the day.
What are the best toners?
If you have oily skin, you know that one of the worst things you can do is use over-drying formulas (you’ll only encourage your skin to produce more natural oils to compensate), and if you’ve ever used a *bad* toner (you know the ones - they sting and strip) then you have likely vowed to never use one again. But we urge you to give them a second chance.
So, what is a good toner for oily skin? Our team and SUPERcrew members have cast their votes for the best toner for oily skin - these are their personal favourites, with reviews.
Main image credit: Getty
If you have a dry skin type and want to ditch the dehydration, you may want to check out our guide to the best toners for dry skin.
Chelsea is BEAUTYcrew’s Contributing Editor. She has a sweet spot for anything that claims to make skin glow and won’t leave the house without a slick of mascara. Chelsea has 10 years of experience as a beauty editor and her words can be found on BEAUTYcrew, Women’s Health, Daily Addict, The Joye and Primped.
