How to Make DIY Face Toner With Witch Hazel and Aloe Vera

DIY toner is so easy to make and it’s a great way to eliminate toxins from your skincare routine. Homemade witch hazel and aloe vera toner tightens tones and calms skin naturally.

Conventional facial toner is frequently loaded with toxic ingredients, including fragrances, preservatives, synthetic moisturizers (petroleum based, ewww) and high levels of alcohol.

RELATED: Top 10 Toxic Ingredients to Avoid in your Skincare Products

Skip all of those chemicals and opt for a super simple, 3-ingredient toner made with all natural ingredients.

DO I NEED A TONER FOR MY FACE?

Toners are typically used as a final cleansing step to remove leftover debris from your cleanser and prep the skin for moisturizer.

(Speaking of cleanser, check out this homemade lemon and cinnamon face wash for acne prone skin. It sounds practically edible!)

If you already use mostly natural products for your face, you will likely find you do not have residue left over from your other skincare products so can possibly skip the toner.

I skip it sometimes, but especially love it on days when I wear makeup as a final cleansing step.

Homemade facial toner can do more than act as a final cleanse for your skin. DIY toner contains witch hazel and aloe, 2 ingredients that calm and tone the skin. Facial toner is a great way to perk up dull skin and is especially useful for acne prone skin.

DOES WITCH HAZEL MAKE A GOOD TONER?

Witch hazel is a known astringent that can help to shrink pores and even out skin tone. YES, witch hazel does make a good toner.

It is one of the most commonly used ingredients in store-bought facial toners, and it is easy to use in your own DIY toner recipe!

You don’t need a bunch of additional ingredients to use witch hazel as a toner. My favorite recipe is only 3 ingredients, but you could use witch hazel straight as a toner as well.

Just make sure you are using high quality witch hazel with an alcohol content of no more than 20%. Otherwise, your toner will be very drying.

HOW DO YOU MAKE HOMEMADE FACIAL TONER?

DIY Toner Recipe (only 3 ingredients!)

4 TBS Witch Hazel

2 TBS Aloe Vera Gel

4-6 drops Essential Oil of choice (ideas below)

Combine all ingredients in a small glass spray bottle or container of your choice.

Give it a good shake, and you’re done!

This recipe makes about 3 ounces of finished product.

So easy, right?!

Rather just buy a natural toner? I feel you, sometimes I don’t feel like DIY-ing it either. I’ve been using this Frankincense toner from NYR Organic for about a month now and really love it! It leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean, plus I adore the reusable blue glass bottle it comes in.

WHAT ESSENTIAL OILS ARE BEST FOR TONER?

Pick your favorite essential oils for this recipe based on what scent you like, or choose based on your own skin type. Leave out the essential oils completely if you have super sensitive skin or just prefer unscented.

There are tons of ways to customize this aloe vera and witch hazel toner!

Lavender is my go-to for many of my homemade beauty products, and for good reason! It works with all skin types, it can help prevent scaring, is antiseptic, relaxing and it smells amazing.

My favorite combination for homemade toner that is great for any skin type is equal parts lavender and bergamot.

Find all of these essential oils right here.

FOR DRY SKIN

Rose

Neroli

Blue Chamomile

FOR OILY SKIN

Peppermint

Orange

Frankincense

Ylang-ylang

FOR ACNE PRONE SKIN

Tea Tree

Clary-Sage

Lemon

Lavender

FOR AGING SKIN

Palma Rosa

Carrot Seed

Rose

Sandalwood

Anti-Aging Blend

FOR SENSITIVE SKIN

Blue Chamomile

Geranium

Lavender

Check Plant Therapy for my absolute favorite essential oils (code 5OFF gets you $5 off of $50)

OR

Find them all on Amazon right here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN I USE FRESH ALOE FROM MY ALOE PLANT?

You absolutely can use fresh aloe vera in this recipe! I love using fresh herbs and plant ingredients whenever possible, and this is a great place to try it out.

Please note that you will need to refrigerate your toner if using fresh aloe vera and I don’t recommend keeping it longer than 2 weeks.

(The packaged aloe vera I use does have a very small amount of safe preservative so that it is shelf stable.)

This video is a great, easy tutorial on how to make your own aloe vera gel.

WHAT CAN I USE INSTEAD OF TONER ON MY FACE?

There are a number of natural ingredients that you probably already have around the house you can use as a toner. Apple cider vinegar makes a good toner. Just mix equal parts with water and add a few drops of essential oil.

I’ve heard of people using vodka as a facial toner, but I don’t love this option. Alcohol is extremely drying for skin, so even super oily prone skin is going to have too much oil removed and probably freak out.

If you’re dead-set on using vodka as a toner, please dilute it with at least 50% water so that the remaining alcohol content is 20% or less.

My favorite recipe (hint, hint, it’s just above here!) uses witch hazel as the base and includes natural aloe vera gel and essential oils.

It is a water-free toner, since water = bacteria growth and I am not interested in using preservatives in my homemade skincare. It’s so easy to make and super refreshing for skin!

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DIY Himalayan Salt Scrub

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And Lots More Clean Beauty