This step is very important, so don't skip it!
Light and refresing like springtime rain or a glass of water with ice and lemon, toner is a fantastic product, and an easy way to make your skin dewier. Hydration is essential for healthy skin, and there is nothing better than moistening with toner to give your skin a good dose of water.
If you've used Poor-quality toners in the past, you might think they are only useful to present ance or to reduce the size of pores. Even though some do work like this, the principal objective of any Korean toner is to hydrate the skin and balance its pH (acidity). If your skin has a low pH level, you can suffer irritation, redness and ance, while if the pH is too high, it provokes dryness and flaking. We don't want either!
Toners return skin to it's ideal state, which corresponds to a pH level of approximately 5. Basically, toner is like yoga in a bottle. Balance is the key!
Another fuction of toners is that they hydrate the skin enough to help it absorb products even better. Think of skin like a sponge: which absorbs more, a sponge which is dry and half broken, or one which is slightly damp? The second, basically! Using a toner allows the skin to absorb essences, serums, facial oils, lotions and creams. The active ingredients of these these treatments will penetrate the pores more efficiently, and this in turn will improve their results.
When choosing a toner, look for sprays that have a manual pump or bottle with an eye dropper becasue these ensure that the product doesn't spoil and the consistency remains very liquid.
There are two ways to apply a toner: the traditional method and the alternative Korean method. Choose which option you prefer!
How to apply a toner:
01After double-cleansing dry the face.
02Dampen a cotton wool pad with toner and apply onto the face. Alternatively, for the Korean method, let some drops of toner fall into the palm of the hand, and use light touches to dab it over the face, gently massaging it in until absorbed.
Believe it or not, rubbing the face with a cotton pad will lightly exfoliate it, so sensitive skin can become slightly irritated. In this case, opt for using the Korean technique. What makes this Korean?
The gentle touch, of course! Applying products with soft touches on the skin is a delicate method that avoids damaging the skin and delays the appearance of wrinkles.
Light touches must also be used with the 7 Skin Method. The Korean language uses the same word for 'skin' and 'toner', so the 7 Skin Method simply consists in applying toner seven times. When your skin needs intensive hydration (either because the air conditioning in the office has dried it out or because you want to look your best at a special evvent), it's time for toner! You can use the same toner seven times or combine different types, always starting with the lightest consistency and ending with the heaviest. Simply apply one layer, using some light touches with the fingers for it to absorb, then repeat until you have done it seven times. The results will surprise you!
A good toner doesn't have to sting or provoke tightness - on the contrary! Korean toners hydrate the skin after double-cleansing so that it is dewy and ready to abosorb the achieve ingredients of the products that follow. Moreover, if you want to generate less residue, opt for the Korean method of application - be sure to apply it to the face with light touches.
Don't be misled by the light texture of toners; they are really effective in balacing the pH levels of your skin. When you hydrate with a toner, you're also preparing your skin to get maximum absorption of the products applied afterwards. Use toner and your skin will thank you!
If you're looking for some extra hydration and don't have a single-use face mask to hand, make your own by placing toner on one or two cotton wool pads and leave them on your face for 5 to 10 minutes.
If you still haven't understood that hydration is key in the Korean beauty routine, this step will leave you with no further doubts.
Even if you follow all the Korean skincare routine steps and begin each morning with a radiant face, it's inevitable that your skin will lose hydration during the day. Thank goodness for facial mist, a very simple treatment that leaves skin hydrated, elastic and full of life!
Facial mist is used when you need a touch of hydration. If you want to purchase one with some other product from the routine, the most similar is toner, though some mists have higher concentrations of actice ingredients. You can also use mists alongside an essence or a serum.
Without doubt, misting is the easiest step of the entire Korean beauty routine, as you only have to spray a little of the product on the face and you've ready! Are you going to the gym in the morning? Refresh your skin with a facial mist after a workout. Have you spent all day in the office with air conditioning or heating on full blast? A little facial mist will keep your skin hydrating. Have you agreed to a last-minute date and you want a spacial shine? You already know what you have to do...
How to apply a facial mist:
01After applying toner, spray the mist on your face. Wait 10 seconds, then use light touches of your fingers to pat it into the skini until absorbed into the face.
02You can also use facial mist to set make-up. Just apply it when yoou're done!
03Apply mist whenever the skin needs a dose of hydration.
'A facial mist is nothing more than water in a bottle, it's not worth buying.' Even though it's true that some of the first facial mists were advertised as mineral waters, they have evolved a great deal since then. Look at the list of ingredients on the bottle and choose a facial mist with active ingredients.
'My skin is too oily to use a mist,' or 'My skin is so dry that I need a stronger product.' First of all, even if you have oily skin, it's also likely to be dehydrated. Excessive production of sebum is the reaction of oily skin to lack of hydration, so facial mist is a very good option (there are even matte mists that can reduce shine). If your skin is very dry, you need an ultra-hydrating facial mist. Any mist with hyaluronic acid will be perfect for you.
