DIY Toner: 7 Simple Homemade Skin Toner Recipes

Are you looking for a DIY toner recipe? Here are seven homemade facial toner recipes that would suit combination skin, dry skin or oily skin! If you want to make your own toner this post has step by step instructions to do just that!

One of the benefits of a DIY natural face toner is that it’s free from harsh chemicals. When you make your own DIY toner you have total control over what goes into it and can keep it 100% natural. Common ingredients in homemade toners include witch hazel, aloe vera, green tea, and essential oils such as rose oil and tea tree oil.

Below you will find a list of DIY toner recipes both by ingredient and skin concern. It is recommended that you use distilled water instead of tap water in your toner. This is because distilled water is free from the contaminants which could cause the natural products in your toner to go rancid.

Once you have made your toner simply apply it to your skin using a cotton pad or cotton ball. Use it in your skincare routine after cleansing your skin and before your serum and moisturiser. All of the recipes in this post contain simple ingredients you can buy from the grocery store.

This post is all about how to make your own DIY Toner

DIY Toner

DIY Toners by Ingredient

DIY Rose Water Toner

If you want to make a homemade toner for combination skin, rose is an excellent ingredient! Rose has a number of benefits to the skin including removing impurities and tightening pores.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rose petals
• 3 cups filtered water or distilled water
• 1/4 cup witch hazel
• 5 drops rose otto essential oil

Rose Water Toner Recipe

1. Place the rose petals and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil
2. Bring the heat down to a simmer and leave for 45 minutes
3. Use a cheesecloth to strain the petals from the water
4. Once the water has cooled down at 1/4 cup of witch hazel
5. Add 5 drops of rose essential oil
6. Add the toner to a jar or toner bottle

DIY Tea Tree Oil Toner

If you want to make a DIY toner for oily skin tea tree is excellent. Tea tree has been traditionally used to help clear congested skin. It unclogs pores and removes excess oil from the skin’s surface.

Tea tree oil also helps to reduce pore size and leave the skin with a matte finish. This is an excellent homemade toner for oily skin or skin prone to blemishes or acne.

Ingredients

• 3 cups filtered water or distilled water
• 5 drops tea tree oil
• Add the toner to a jar or toner bottle

Tea Tree Oil Toner Recipe

1. Fill your bottle with distilled water
2. For every 25ml of water add 10 drops of tea tree oil

DIY Lemon and Witch Hazel Toner

If you are looking to make a DIY skin brightening toner, witch hazel, lemon and aloe are excellent ingredients.

Witch Hazel promotes even skin tone and is often used to help balance the skin’s natural oils and unclog pores. When combined with aloe, which is known for it’s soothing effects, this DIY toner boosts hydration and reduces any redness.

Ingredients

• 1 large lemon
• 3 cups filtered water or distilled water
• 1/4 cup witch hazel
• 1 teaspoon aloe vera gel

Lemon and Witch Hazel Toner Recipe

1. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl
2. Add the witch hazel which should be double the amount of lemon juice
3. Add the distilled water
4. Mix in 1 teaspoon of aloe vera gel
5. Add the toner to a jar or toner bottle

DIY Green Tea Toner

Green tea is known for its antioxidant properties, and as a toner it can help to rejuvenate and even out the appearance of skin. This recipe makes a great skin brightening DIY toner.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder
• 1 cup of distilled water

Green Tea Toner Recipe

1. Whisk the matcha powder into the distilled water until it is blended
2. Add the toner to a plastic bottle or jar

Homemade Rice Water Toner 

Rice water toner promotes collagen production and helps to calm your skin and reduce inflammation. It’s also suitable for all skin types.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of rice
• 1 and 1/2 cups of water

Rice Water Toner Recipe

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs clear
2. Put the rice into a bowl and pour the water on top so the rice is covered
3. Leave for 12-24 hours
4. Strain the rice from the water and pour the water into a jar or bottle

Coconut Water Face Toner

If you need a DIY toner for dry skin, this coconut water face toner would make an excellent choice. Coconut water helps to nourish and moisturise dry skin since it contains multiple sugars and amino acids. It’s the perfect ingredient for a homemade toner for dry skin.

Ingredients

• 1 cup coconut water
• 1 Lime

Coconut Water Toner Recipe

1. Mix the juice from a freshly squeezed lime juice into the coconut water
2. Combined the ingredients
3. Pour into a plastic bottle or container

DIY Cucumber Toner

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber

Cucumber Toner Recipe

1. Peel the cucumber and wash it thoroughly
2. Cut the cucumber into small pieces
3. Place the cucumber in a saucepan
4. Add water so the cucumber is just covered
5. Put the pan on a low heat for 5-7 minutes (do not boil)
6. Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool
7. Add the cucumber and water to a mixer and blend the ingredients
8. Use a cheesecloth to filter the water
9. Add the toner to a plastic bottle

DIY Toners by Skin Concern

Adult Acne and Blemish-Prone Skin

Apple cider vinegar is a natural astringent which means it kills bacteria and helps to balance the skin’s pH. It can also help to exfoliate dead skill cells that can block the pores. Acne prone skin would benefit from using apple cider vinegar as it can help to promote a clearer complexion. Another natural astringent is witch hazel.

Using a DIY toner with either apple cider vinegar or witch hazel will help to lead to fewer breakouts. Both ingredients help to promote clear skin and reduce the size of skin pores.

This DIY toner should be diluted more for sensitive skin acne prone skin.

• 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp. distilled water

Sensitive Skin

If you have sensitive skin aloe vera is an excellent ingredient to help calm redness and soothe inflammation. You can add a teaspoon of aloe vera gel to your DIY toner to calm irritated skin.

Aloe is also extremely hydrating and will help the skin to retain its natural moisture as well as calm redness. A good combination for sensitive skin is aloe and rose. Rose is a well known natural remedy for sensitive skin and often used to treat sunburn.

• 1/2 cup rose water
• 1/2 cup aloe vera

Fine Lines

Natural ingredients that are packed with antioxidants such as green tea help to neutralise the free radicals that cause skin ageing. Green tea is also an excellent ingredient for reducing and preventing fine lines since it helps to increase collagen production in the skin.

Green tea can be used on any skin type and will also help to soothe and calm the skin since it has natural anti-inflammatory properties.

• 1/4 cup green tea
• 1/8 cup filtered water

Sun Damage and Age Spots

If you want to make a toner to reduce hyperpigmentation and dark marks left by the sun lemon juice is a good ingredient to add to your toner. Lemon juice contains alpha hydroxy acids and vitamin C that speed up cell renewal and help to fade dark marks. It brightens the skin and evens out dark marks left from sun damage.

For the best results try mixing the lemon juice with coconut oil.  Coconut oil helps to make the skin tone more even, and reduces any scar-related redness and other hyperpigmentation on the skin.

• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• 3 tbsp. coconut oil

FAQs on Homemade Face Toners

How long can you keep a homemade toner?

2-3 days. Remember that homemade toners don’t have any preservatives so they should be stored in the fridge and thrown out after 2 to 3 days.

Do you need to keep homemade toners in the fridge?

Yes. It’s important to put your DIY toner straight into the fridge once you’ve finished making it.

How do Natural Toners Help Your Skin?

1. Natural Toners Help to Remove Dead Skin Cells

Toners can help to exfoliate dead skin cells leaving your face looking healthier and clearer. Dead skill cells can clog the pores and cause blemishes and acne. Good natural ingredients for acne-prone skin include willow bark (nature’s salicylic acid) as this cleans pores and helps to remove dead skin cells.

2. Natural Toners Help to Lighten Dark Spots

Natural toners containing lemon or grapefruit juice can help to lighten dark spots. They are both packed with antioxidants which help to brighten the complexion. As well as helping to fade dark marks on the skin they also help with the healing of scars.

3. Natural Toners Help to Balance the Skin’s pH levels

Healthy skin is naturally slightly acidic. Over cleansing can upset the pH balance of your skin but natural ingredients such as apple cider vinegar or witch hazel can help to rebalance the skin’s pH levels. When your skin is it’s ideal pH, of around 5.5, it is stronger and better protected against bacteria and pollution.

Other Relevant Articles

• Here’s How To Use Facial Toner Without Drying Out Your Skin
• 10 Benefits of Using Strawberry in Homemade Toners
• Make Your Own Lip Scrub

DIY Toner