Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Homemade Beauty: Facial Toner

This is the fourth post in my series about homemade beauty products that are simple, affordable, and easy alternatives to the beauty products we all buy at the store.This recipe for facial toner is one of my favorite. Toner is an astringent and is used to exfoliate, or remove dead skin cells making skin look radiant! Yeah for that! It also feels nice and cool on the skin and that is especially nice in the hot days of summer... if only we could get some of those hot days here soon in the Pacific Northwest. One thing that is abundant in the Pacific Northwest, however, are pine needles. They are everywhere! Pine needles steeped in water, like tea, are naturally astringent. Add witch hazel, which anyone can buy rather cheaply at a drug store, and you have a perfect toner that smells really fresh and nice. You can pretend it's Christmas all year!

Pine Needle Toner
2 cups fresh pine needles
1 cup distilled water
1/2 cup witch hazel

Place pine needles in a small saucepan with distilled water. Bring water to a boil. Turn off heat and allow water to cool completely then strain and discard pine needles. Add witch hazel and stir. Pour into a clean bottle or decorative capped container. Apply to skin with a cotton ball after you use your facial cleanser. Store in a cool, dark place.

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