Homemade Skin Brightening Toner

I've decided to do something rare and surprising: actually following through with something I have talked about doing for a long time! I've intended on making some of my own beauty products for ages now and even purchased this book to help guide me. I read the book, full of motivation to buy mountains of jojoba oil and beeswax but just never got round to it. What I realised though is that I perhaps set my intentions a bit too high and needed to start smaller instead of aiming to produce Body Shop quality products in my first week. I read a couple of recipes online and saw this one for a toner which didn't seem too intimidating. Toner is a great way to lift skin of products and oils and I thought it was a perfect beginner project for the summer. In this (short-lived) heat we have to constantly reapply sunscreen which can lead to a build up of dirt and grime across the day. If you suffer from oily or combination skin, using a toner between cleansing and moisturising can give you the assurance that those excess oils have been removed. I only started using the toner this week so I'm yet to notice any miraculous differences but I do love the smell and how fresh it leaves my skin. I think it'll be great for travelling to keep skin feeling clear and refreshed. For such a simple recipe it gave me a great boost in confidence in making my own products and I have now ordered essential oils to get a bit of a workshop together - will make sure to post more attempted efforts!! The toner contains witch hazel, lemon juice and water - that's all! Witch hazel's strong antioxidant and astringent properties make it excellent at killing bacteria and preventing cell damage. The lemon juice is a great antibacterial too and can really help reduce those pesky blackheads. As well as that, because it's rich in vitamin C, lemon juice can lighten and brighten your skin helping to eliminate dark spots and irregularities - not a bad all rounder! Al you need for your own toner is:

• 1/2 cup of lemon juice
• 1 cup of water
• 2/3 cup of witch hazel
• plastic bottle jar (I just bought mine off Amazon)

To make the toner you just need to mix the ingredients together in a jug and pour in to your containers - easy peasy lemon squeezy (sorry - not sorry)!

Good luck with yours and hopefully there will be more successful DIY beauty posts to come in the future! xx