DIY Acne Clearing Toner

If you suffer from acne, try this all natural DIY facial toner to clear up your breakouts

These claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 


I was gifted with great genes: I'm tall. I'm slender. I'm smart. I have straight, white teeth. I like to think I'm kinda funny, even if only on my best days. But where I tanked in the gene pool is my skin. I have had acne prone skin since I was a pre-teen. Back in those days I attempted to over-treat it and developed "combination skin", drying out any of the normal/healthy sections with aggressive acne treatments. When I was pregnant, my skin was about as bad as it was when I was a teenager! And then I got it under control after Otto was born... Until I stopped breastfeeding. Since then, my skin has been a complete horror. I don't wear makeup most days, and I've been embarrassed to go out in public. When I was pregnant and couldn't do the aggressive chemical treatments, I learned that oils and natural products actually worked BETTER! So after a bunch of research and basically becoming your personal horrible-skin-test-lab-rat, I've come up with a DIY toner that really clears out stubborn acne. Even that dreaded hormonal acne. Yassssss!

First, the essential oils! Revive oils are my new go-to. Yup, I used to be with Young Living, but the expense of those oils were insane. I asked some of my oily gurus who they got their oils from and learned about Revive. They're therapeutic grade, indigestible essential oils that are NOT a multi-level-marketing structure. You can go on their website and buy them like you'd buy something on Amazon - no need to sign up for some membership! They have packages with diffusers and single essential oils, plus roller bottles and other lifestyle items. Use code Paige10 for 10% off your order and experience the same quality of Young Living or doTERRA without the obnoxious price (and minus the sales people always trying to get you to buy things...)

When I was boobie feeding lil O, I used this DIY acne clearing face wash and it did WONDERS. My skin cleared up completely in two weeks, and stayed clear until I stopped with the boobie feeds. When you wean, there's a massive hormone shift - and I even took about two full months to wean! I was also battling an extraordinarily humid Texas summer. Add the hormones and the high humidity and my skin was about the worst it's been since I hit puberty and shot up to my glorious 5'10 self. Gene pool win met gene pool fail.

Anyway, my wonderful coconut oil/baking soda/essential oil acne clearing face wash was no longer enough! I needed more. Being the {un}smelly hippie that I am, I immediately looked into some go-to, centuries old (um, at least) stand-bys: apple cider vinegar and witch hazel. I added a few of my fav, thousands of years proven essential oils.

Not so much for the benefits of the essential oils, but honestly? I think apple cider vinegar STINKS. I know people who drink it and wash their hair with it and I'm just over here like the most basic of white girls with her "cannot even" to the smell of that stuff.

But to cure some nasty, ever-lingering acne? Ooooooook, twist my arm. I'll plug my nose. And add some great oils. And hope this stuff doesn't smell as I sweat throughout our 100+ degree summer days. (Spoiler alert: it doesn't smell as you sweat!)

So! Here's how I made it. And yes (shameless plug) you should use it with my DIY face wash.

DIY Acne Clearing Toner 

- 2T apple cider vinegar

- 1/2 C witch hazel

- 1/2 C distilled water

- 10 drops tea tree essential oil

- 10 drops lavender essential oil

- 10 drops lemon essential oil

*Don't forget to use code Paige10 at checkout - you'll get 10% off!

Witch hazel has been used for thousands of years by Native Americans for it's gentle cleaning ability. apple cider vinegar is used for just about everything it seems, but from my research it has cleaning and anti-inflammatory properties, which is beneficial for clearing acne. In terms of the essential oils, lavender helps to calm any breakouts and irritation you may have on your face, tea tree is a natural antibacterial cleaner (bacteria is what's causing those breakouts) and lemon helps to fade any scarring you may have from past acne.

Mix everything together in a small bottle that you can either unscrew or pop the top and pour a small amount out of and boom! You're in business. Use a cotton ball or pad and wipe it over your face after you've washed it in the morning and the evening. Give this DIY acne clearing toner about two weeks and watch your face clear up, even if you live in a hot and humid climate like me!