As I’ve shared before (to the delight of my readers, for sure) I have oily skin. Therefore I love toner. I find that a cleansing regime isn’t complete without it. At once it shrinks and cleanses pores, controls oil and evens skin tone and I find my skin looks dramatically better with it. However, most commercial toners use less-than-desirable ingredients, like isopropyl alcohol or mineral oil, which dry out the skin and clog up pores, respectively. Fortunately, it’s easy and cheap to make your own, in your kitchen (where all the best beauty ingredients are found).
Skin-Balancing Apple Cider Vinegar and Green Tea Facial Toner
You need:
An empty shampoo, pump or spray bottle.
2 bags of green tea, water and a kettle
Apple cider vinegar (preferably organic)
1/4 tsp of Vitamin E (in capsules or in a bottle)
Antibacterial, acne-fighting essential oils. I like tea tree and lavender.
Directions:
Brew a large cup of green tea and steep with 2 tea bags, to make the brew good and strong. Set aside to steep and cool. Green tea is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, astringent (tightens pores and controls oil) and provides the skin with nourishing anti-oxidants to decrease the signs of aging.
Add in the apple cider vinegar so that it fills 1/10 to 1/4 of your shampoo or pump bottle. Apple cider vinegar controls skin pH, unclogs pores, controls oil production, kills bacteria and even decreases dark spots and wrinkles. Use a higher percentage for oilier skin and a lower percentage for dry skin.
Fill the spray bottle up with green tea until it’s about 3/4 full and add filtered water to top it off. Next, add in 1/4 tsp of vitamin E (or cut open ~5 capsules and squeeze them in). Vitamin E acts as a preservative and is nourishing to skin.
Next, add in a few drops of the lavender and tea tree essential oils, which are anti-bacterial and calming for skin.
1-2 times a day, after washing skin with a gentle cleanser, swipe your entire face with this toner using a cotton ball or pad. Do not rinse. Apply moisturizer afterwards, if needed. After a few days of using this toner after cleansing I noticed that my skin tone looked more even, my cystic acne calmed down and my skin cleared up. I’m definitely making this a permanent part of my cleansing regime.
Art & Practice 
Great recipe, I love organic apple cider vinegar !
Me too! It has about a million uses!
Do i need to keep the toner in a refrigerator ?
No, you can store it on your shelf, especially if you add vitamin E, which acts as a preservative!
Vitamin e is not a preservative. It is an antioxidant! This toner will still grow bacteria and mold. Antioxidants HELP prolong the shelf life if placed in an oil. This is very dangerous to suggest as an natural preservative, vitamin e only works if you are using it for a few days at most and I would definitely refrigerate it. Germaben II is a broad spectrum anti-microbial preservative that if highly effective against yeast and molds and needs no additional preservatives.
How long can you store the toner, 1 month or less?
I’ve had mine for about a month. As long as ACV, which is antimicrobial, and vitamin E, an antioxidant and preservative, are in it, I’d say it should keep for a couple of months at least. Store it in a glass container in a cool, dry place to be on the safe side.
I mixed all the mentioned ingredients but my version doesnt look like yours though. it looks very creamy/cloudy? is that normal?
Hi, I have been using ACV toner for a week now and at first it seemed to be improving my skin (smaller pores, faded red marks) but for the past couple days I have been experiencing a really bad breakout. I have a lot of whiteheads and a few really sore and large pimples. Is it normal to get an initial breakout from ACV? Does this mean I should stop using it?
Hi, Christine,
Are there other changes that you have added to your skincare regime or any other additives to your toner (lavender, etc.?) or changes in diet? Have you had these kinds of breakouts before? Take a break from the toner for a while and see it if clears up. Also, consider removing some of the essential oils or adding them in in lesser amounts as they can irritate sensitive skin over time. Typically if skin gets better and then much worse, it means that something about the treatment isn’t right for you and your skin. Hope that helps!
Just wanted to reply to this, for a lot of people this is normal, the apple cider vinegar, pushes the oil and dead skin cells, out of your pores, this is known as ‘purging’. I’m sure you have heard the “it get worse before it gets better”, for anything acidic this can be very true, but it IS a good thing, this means it’s working for you. However, if your skin is more irritated, or looks more like a rash then acne, you may want to stop using it, or dilute the ACV with some distilled water.
Thanks, Namilea,
I agree with what you said. Sometimes acne, or small pimples below the surface start to come up, making skin look worse in the short term. But a rash could indicate a reaction to the vinegar or, in my case, a reaction to the essential oil. So rinse with water and try omitting certain parts of the toner or just using green tea and ACV on their own (diluted of course).
Do we really need to put the essential oils in the toner
No, you don’t need to. They add antibacterial properties to the toner. Tea tree is also an astringent and has been shown to combat acne. If your skin is sensitive, then vitamin E, apple cider vinegar and green tea on their own will do just fine. đŸ™‚
Hi Talia,
If I do not have Vit E and can’t add it into the concoction, will it go bad really fast?
Thank you
No, Minnie. As long as you use it within a reasonable amount of time, the vinegar should keep things preserved for at least a month or two.
Reblogged this on Chinelo's naturals and commented:
I do this every night before bed, it really helps to prevent breakouts and is a wonderful toner!
Hey, wonderful post, I reblogged it here : naturalistteen.wordpress.com
Thank you!
Great post Talia! I have got it bookmarked and shared it with my friends! Thank you for sharing this to us. đŸ™‚
Hi, I stumbled upon your blog looking for answer about refrigerating my ACV and green tea toner. I didn’t know that vitamin E oil would be great in it, so I don’t currently have any to put in my toner. So with that said, should I refrigerate my toner since I don’t have vitamin E in it?
Thanks!
Hi, Tiffany,
The toner should be fine at room temperature. The ACV, as you know will last a long time in a cupboard and act as a natural preservative for a few weeks.
In reference to the girl who had a breakout after starting this toner, Christine, I think her name was.
I find that since I have super sensitive skin anytime I change my face care regimen I will end up with a rash or breakout. Slowly changing regimen might help. Start out only using the toner every other day or every two days. Use less ACV and more tea and distilled water. Use less Pure Essential Oils or none at all and not all pure essential oils are created equal..and by that I mean that some are more pure than others. Some may have been grown using pesticides….and these may cause you to break out and are not as good for us as organically grown herbs. So just err on the side of caution when doing anything new with your skin. Also, changing your diet can cause adverse skin reactions, I learned this the hard way. Even when switching to a healthier diet.