Aubrey Organics Vegecol Alcohol Free Toner

photo courtesy of Aubrey Organics

I used to have oily skin all the time, even up until I was about 29 or 30 years old.  After I became pregnant with Liam, my skin went from oily to normal almost overnight, and stayed that way the majority of my pregnancy.  After Liam was born, my skin stayed normal for a little while, then drifted back towards being combination.  Now, like many women, my face gets oilier or drier with the season.  In the spring and summer, I tend to me more oily all over my face, and in the fall and winter, my skin moves more towards combination.  I used to think it was weird that people would switch their skin care regimes depending on the season, but now I have become one of those people.

I bought Vegecol last winter when I knew I needed a toner, but my face was getting dry and itchy so I didn’t want one with any alcohol in it.  I am so pleased with everything about this toner, and it was a great discovery.

First, the smell is very light and slightly herbally.  Even though it contains lavender water, the smell is only slightly reminiscent of lavender.  It has always bothered me when I used a toner or astringent that had a heavier fragrance that I could smell all day long, and that isn’t a problem with Vegecol.

Because it’s alcohol-free, it won’t sting sensitive skin, or even skin that’s a little drier than normal.  And even though it has no alcohol, this is a good toner for those of you who have oily skin, because the witch hazel serves as a natural, but mild, astringent.  It removes the last traces of grime, cleanser, and makeup without stripping skin.

Vegecol with Aloe Alcohol-Free Facial Toner, 8 ounces, $9.92

INGREDIENTS: Deionized Water, Organic Aloe Vera, Witch Hazel (natural herbal extract), Aubrey’s Preservative (Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E), Lavender Water.

Aubrey Organics Natural Herbal Facial Astringent for oily skin

Water, grain alcohol, and witch hazel are the major ingredients of this astringent, which gets all the remaining cleanser off without leaving my skin feeling tingly or dry.  I usually try to steer clear of astringents that have a lot of alcohol in them, but Aubrey’s herbal astringent feels more like water on the skin than anything else.

The smell is herbal, but not strongly so, and evaporates soon after application, so it won’t stick around to haunt you all day long.  Oily skin can handle the alcohol and witch hazel in this product without a problem.  I haven’t noticed an upswing in oil production on the days I use this instead of Aubrey’s Vegecol toner (that is alcohol-free), so you shouldn’t have a problem with oiliness during the day.

INGREDIENTS: Aubrey’s Herbal Base: (Deionized Water, Natural Grain Alcohol, Witch Hazel [natural herbal extract], Vegetable Glycerin; the following whole herbals: Organic German Camomile Flowers, Calendula Flowers, Organic Lavender Flowers, Organic Peppermint Leaf, Organic Coltsfoot Leaf and Organic Nettle Leaf; Extracts of Roman Camomile, Linden, Sage, Clematis, Coneflower, St. John’s Wort, Watercress, Burdock Root, Lemon, Ivy, Soapwort, Meadowsweet, Bladderwrack, Horsetail, Blue Mallow, Pellitory Root, Cucumber, Elder Flower and Arnica; Aubrey’s Preservative [Citrus Seed Extract, Vitamins A, C and E], Organic Lemon Peel Oil), Organic Aloe Vera, Horse Chestnut Extract, Vitamin A, Inositol, Linoleic Acid (Vitamin F), Panthenol (Vitamin B-5), Biotin, Fructose, Glucose, Alanine, Glutamic Acid, Aspartic Acid, Nicotinic Acid, Calendula Oil.

Avalon Organics Vitamin C Balancing Facial toner

I have an on-again, off-again relationship with Avalon Organics Vitamin C Balancing Facial Toner.  I’ve been nursing the same bottle of it for well over a year now (longer, I think).  I use it for a few weeks, then use something else.  Repeat.

The smell is pleasant enough.  It smells slightly of oranges, which is what you might expect something with vitamin C as an ingredient to smell like.

This seems thicker than other toners I’ve used.  That probably sounds weird, because toners are just a mix of different liquids, but this one seems thicker.

The reason I’ve been back and forth with this toner though is because of how it works for me.  It’s supposed to be for all skin types, but the problem is that I don’t know if it really works that way.  A few days into using this, in the middle of winter, my skin starts to feel like it does in the heat of summer.  It turns into an oil slick.  It’s even worse when it’s actually warm outside.  On my skin, this is probably due to the salicylic acid, which has always made my face oily and never helps with breakouts, but it also contains castor oil and glycerin, which both help moisturize the skin.  The benzyl alcohol and salicylic acid could be problematic to someone with dry or sensitive skin.

And a word of caution:  the salicylic acid and various fruit extracts serve as anti-aging ingredients, which can make the skin tingle or burn.  This should subside with a few days of use, but if it doesn’t, please discontinue use.

This isn’t my favorite toner of all time.  I’ve used worse, but this wouldn’t be the first toner I recommend to anyone.

Ingredients

Organic lavandula angustifolia (lavender)(1), chamomilla recutita (chamomile)(1), camellia sinensis (white tea)(2) and organic arnica montana(3) extracts (aqueous), organic aloe barbadensis(2), panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), magnesium ascorbyl phosphate (vitamin C), melatonin, lemon bioflavonoids, organic cucumis sativus (cucumber) and calendula officinalis extracts(2), allantoin, vegetable glycerin, sodium PCA, citric acid, salicylic acid, hydrogenated castor oil, echinacea purpurea, ginkgo biloba, camellia sinensis (green tea) and carica papaya fruit extracts, phenoxyethanol, ethylhexylglycerin, benzyl alcohol, organic citrus aurantium dulcis (orange) oil(2) and other essential oils.