Are toners a necessary step in the face cleansing process? No. Not necessary, but many women use toners religiously because they don't feel their skin is as clean if they don't. While many beauty experts will tell you that toners don't always help and sometimes even hurt (if you're constantly stripping away your skin's beneficial layer of oil), you can still tone your skin with radiant results.

The trick is to find the right toner for your skin type. One of my most important criteria: it contains no alcohol. Alcohol can be incredibly drying and irritating to your skin, especially if it's sensitive.



Here's a few toners you may be familiar with or may want to try. All are alcohol-free.

* Clarins Toning Lotion with Chamomile
* Aubrey Organics Alcohol-Free Toner
* Kiehl's Cucumber Herbal Alcohol-Free Toner
* Neutrogena Alcohol-Free Toner
* Elizabeth Arden Hydra Splash Alcohol Free Toner

For years, I didn't use toner, but have recently begun using it again (the Neutrogena brand, which is light and refreshing and smells pretty good). I really like the extra clean feeling it gives me at the end of the day.

Plus, although my methods aren't scientific, I always feel like using toner helps cut down on the number of breakouts I get. I'd been having breakouts along my jawline and with once or twice-a-day use of toner (plus diligent cleaning and always washing makeup off at night), the breakouts have stopped. Which is a plus because I thought I left pimples behind in high school.

'Til next time, my pretties.