A great natural ingredient to introduce to your skin to clear up acne or just simply improve the overall complexion of your skin is apple cider vinegar. (ACV)
What is ACV?
Apple cider vinegar is a type of vinegar made by the fermentation of apple cider. First the apples are fermented then during the fermentation process, sugar in the apple cider is broken down by bacteria and yeast into alcohol and then into vinegar. The best apple cider vinegar to purchase is unfiltered, unpasteurized and with the “mother”.
How does ACV work?
Did you know that our skin is actually acidic? We have a thin protective layer on our skin that is known as the acid mantle. This acid mantle is made up of sebum (free fatty acids) excreted from the skin’s sebaceous glands, which mixes with lactic and amino acids from sweat to create the skin’s potential hydrogen(pH). A pH number measures from 0 to 14 on how acidic or alkaline a liquid is. Anything above 7 is alkaline and anything below 7 is acid. Our skin should be slightly acidic at about 4.5 and 6.2.
Many facial cleansers tend be to be too alkaline for the skin which strip oils from the skin and cause dryness. Skin that is too alkaline is more likely to break out since the skin also needs a certain level of acidity to reduce bacterial growth on the skin. Cleansers and toners can also be too acidic that will also strip oils from the skin and cause dryness and redness. Finding the right balance is key to your best looking complexion.
You can get apple cider vinegar to a pH level of 3 when it is diluted. This is the perfect balance that will remove and protect you from bacteria and shed dead skin cells while your skin remains healthy.
The benefits from the toner:
- Balance and restore skins natural pH balance
- Improve overall complexion
- Lighten sun and age spots
- Shed dead skin cells
- Reduce appearance of pores
- Can help with acne and scarring
How to make Apple Cider Vinegar Toner:
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. of Apple Cider Vinegar
4 Tbs. of water
(Make sure that you try different ratios according to what works best for your skin. I have sensitive skin so the less ACV the better.) We are trying to find the perfect balance for your skin with less irritation.
Directions:
Combine these two ingredients in a bottle (These bottles can be found in a dollar store. The picture above shows a plastic bottle I purchased at a dollar store.)
How to use:
Shake well before every use. Apply using a cotton ball all over your face but avoiding the delicate areas of the eyes. This can be applied 1-2 times daily.
(ACV does not have a pleasant smell but when diluted it is not as strong and it will go away as it dries.)
I hope you enjoy this DIY toner and see great results.
-Ashes
Sweet Like Honey 