So I have a few secrets up my sleeve when it comes to skin care. This one really is totally old school but still applies and something that is so important but so forgotten as well. One thing I learned back in the day working at a cosmetic counter was that women want to fix skin problems with makeup...
They'd come and say things like
"I need a new foundation, my skin is flaky" or "My foundation is making me really oily, can you suggest a new one" or "My foundation is turning orange, I need a new one." or "My foundation is separating and coming off, I need a different one."
So people, "I know this much is true", you cant fix your skin problems with makeup...
The same questions would come up regarding moisturizers and skin treatments. "It's not working." "My skin is breaking out in pimples." etc. etc.
When I was in training I hung on to a tid-bit of information that really really stuck with me.
PH Balance...
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The first time I'd ever heard of PH Balance was with Sea Breeze back in the 80's. So what is the magic product that can 90% of the time fix all your problems? A simple toner.. Yup, that's it.. See without PH Balance in the skin, your acidity levels are whack and because of this your skin actually rejects any treatment you apply, so all that expensive skin care is sitting on your skin and wasting away. Some people still see small results with skin care, but when you add a toner, you are guaranteed bigger better results.
Here is a great clip from AnswerBag
"When you skin ph is too high it means your skin will be less able to fight off bacterial infections, acne and oil skin (??). When you skin ph is too low your skin will appear dull, aged and un-elastic. You see in the skin there are two layers the outer layer, the epidermis layer, and the inner layer, the Dermal layer. One is responsible for fighting off Bacteria (Epidermis layer) and the other responsible for making your skin appear more elastic and youthful (Dermal Layer). It is important that you maintain your skin ph around the 5.5 range because the epidermis layer functions better in acidic conditions whereas the Dermal layer functions better in Akaline conditions. I hoped this helped."
This was a dangerous piece of information to a cosmetic sales girl who was sick of pushing unnecessary products on people. I'd send them home with a toner, not the most expensive thing at the counter and their problems would be fixed. Needless to say, my sales went way way down because I was fixing problems instead of pushing the latest, greatest most expensive new product at the counter. I have a hard time endorsing products I don't believe in.
Toner seems like a pain in the hiney step, you gotta get the cotton ball, open and close the bottle, throw the cotton away, etc. What I do is buy a small spritzer from the travel section and fill it with a non alcohol toner, and before I step out of the shower, spritz the face before you dry it. Simple and done! I've also learned that toner is great for dry scalp as well, my hubby and I both struggle wit
h it with our dry climate and hard water. We keep a spritzer of Rosewater and Witch hazel for our heads in between shampooing and conditioning. Works like a charm. My uncle was having issues with dry hands and callouses, he too started spritzing his 
hands before lotion and it worked!
Is there a magic toner? NO... Here is the tricky part, as is with all products. REMEMBER THE TRUTH "We all have a different body chemistry, so what works for you, may not work for me." So I say, start at the drug store and work your way up the chart. Would there be thousands of different products and a billion dollar beauty industry if there was one magic line for everyone?
What works for me is Loreal Hydra Fresh Toner. I also like Kiehls array of toners. And as for my scalp, Thayer's does the trick for me.
Let me end with. If something burns or causes raised redness or a pimply rash, stop u
sing it. If you have some blemishes, most likely your skin is purging and a complete skin cycle is about 3 to 4 weeks, which seems like forever. And if you just ate a bag of Butterfingers like me, you cant blame your makeup when zits start to show up.
So when in doubt, Toner it out!
True by Spandau Ballet
