I love simple solutions that can be made from my own backyard.
In my latest skin care post, I talked about buying products I love and then working on a DIY version that mimics the store bought one.
Some things are difficult to DIY like foundation and concealer. I would never recommend you making those. It's practically impossible to get right.
Some things are more time consuming to DIY like sunscreen or soap. Thankfully, some things are really, really easy to make like toner! This toner is only made with two ingredients. As a bonus, it's simple to get these ingredients without creating trash.
The first ingredient is roses. I have a rose bush outside of the house, and it's been so hot they're all starting to wilt.
I decided I couldn't let these beauties go to waste, and thought I should make some rose water! Rose water is the multitasking MVP every beauty lover should have in their fridge or their cabinet.
why's rose water so cool?
Why!? It can do everything.
- It's anti-inflammatory which will help reduce redness and help acne.
- It's antibacterial and helps to heal scars and open wounds like that pimple you popped yesterday.
- It's hydrating keeping your skin balanced and relieves that dry, itchy feeling.
- It balances pH. You have to be careful when DIYing your beauty routine that you keep the pH balanced. If it's out of wack it can lead to breakouts and other problems.
- It controls excess oil without dehydrating your skin.
- It's an antioxidant which helps regenerate new skin cells.
- It's astringent to help clean pores, reduce redness, and tone the skin.
- Helps to soften fine lines and wrinkles.
- The rose scent helps you to relax similar to lavender.
RELATED: How to Make Lavender Bath Salts
The second ingredient is alcohol-free witch hazel. I know, I said these products could easily be found without trash. I know not everyone has a rainbow grocery near them. But, I recently stumbled on to the Refill Revolution where they have witch hazel in bulk.
Witch hazel is another awesome product to keep around your beauty cabinet and your emergency kit.
what's so great about witch hazel:
- It's an anti-inflammatory which helps to reduce swelling and reddness.
- It's an antioxidant preventing free radical damage from UV rays, pollution, stress, and poor diet etc.
- Apply topically to help with cuts and wounds, cracked heels, razor burn, in grown hairs, even hemorrhoids
- Helps soothe itchiness from a dry scalp to bug bites and even poison ivy.
Both of these ingredients are great for your skin. Witch hazel is considered one of the best natural ingredients for fighting acne. This toner is soothing, light, super easy to make, but most importantly - it works really well!!
If you've been a reader for a while, you know I've struggled with acne. You can read more in this post. My skin is better now, but I'm never sure what will set it off. The oil cleansing method did not go over very well for me.
Everything still seems to be a guessing game, but I noticed a huge improvement when switching to rose water and witch hazel. If you struggle with skin texture, redness, dry skin, or overly oily skin, I would highly recommend you give this a try.
The ingredients can be bought fairly inexpensively, and if you don't like the toner, there are TONS of other things you can make with rose water.
- Can be used to set your makeup
- Spray on after a long day to feel refreshed and rejuvenated
- Bags under your eyes, forget cucumbers. Apply chilled rose water with a reusable cotton pad for five minutes
- Apply rose water to damp hair, wait thirty minutes and rinse. Get's ride of frizzy hair, deeply conditions, and adds shine
how to make rose water toner:
- roses any color you like
- filtered water
- witch hazel
- Pick all of the petals off of the roses. I used 7-8 roses.
- Rinse the rose petals washing off any dirt or bugs.
- Place the petals in a pot and cover with filtered water. The water should just be covering the petals. I covered my petals with 2 cups of water.
- Turn the stove on low heat, cover with a lid, and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. My petals were on the stove for an hour.
- Check on it every 15 minutes to keep an eye on the water level. My water level decreased by half.
- Strain out the rose petals and you have rose water!
- Pour one part rose water and one part witch hazel into a vessel to use as toner.
- Keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.
**Pro tip: freeze any leftover rose water in an icecube tray. This will keep perfectly portioned 2 tablespoon cubes ready for all your future DIYing.
What are some of your skin care essentials?
