Pssst: Here’s a little secret about me. Sometimes I skip a step in my skin care routine. I don’t necessarily use a serum every day. Or the eye treatment. Occasionally – GASP — I’ll go outside without sunscreen or to sleep without a night-time moisturizer.  But you’ll have to pry my toner from my cold dead fingers before I’ll give that up. Ironically, it’s probably the least necessary step of all, but I need that cool, refreshing splash of my Soothing Lotion from DHC twice a day, every day.

Of course, the idea that it actually DOES something could be all in my head. It could be the skin care industry’s version of a placebo. The primary ingredient, after all, is water.

Personal care product manufacturers tout toner as Step 2 in the daily face care routine. Used after cleansing, it clears away residue, helps re-balance the skin’s natural pH and closes the pores, making it harder for dirt to get in.  The Cosmetics Cop, Paula Begoun, consistently refers to using toners as part of a daily routine. Estee Lauder has one for every skin type. Burt’s Bees has jumped on the bandwagon with a “Tomato Garden” toner for oily skin. There are several for sensitive skin which are water, with little else.

So you can’t really blame the skeptics, who say that a good cleanser won’t leave a residue anyway; the skin restores its own pH within a couple of hours of cleansing and closed pores also prevent moisturizers from penetrating the skin.

The Beauty Brains likens toner to your appendix – you have it, but you don’t need it. An article on Smartskincare.com says it’s only essential for people with oily skin, noting that many contain alcohol or witch hazel, which can have a drying effect.

Still, my skin – which leans to the dry side — feels cleaner, softer and most importantly, quenched after using toner. I have lots of options in the do-it-yourself category including chamomile tea, green tea and even red wine.  It may be worth giving them a shot, especially the wine.  But chances are, you’d have to pry that from my cold dead fingers, too.

• DHC has about a thousand different kinds of toner.
• So does Estee Lauder.
• But, Burt’s Bees Wax Tomato Toner?  They sure have expanded since they were bought by Clorox!
• And of course, we have to give you a link to the red wine as toner reference.  Gets all over my face all the time!