9 Best Toners For Combination Skin in 2023

Table of Content

• Introdcution
• How to Define Combination Skin
• Why Use Toner for Combination Skin?
• 9 Toners For Combination Skin
• FAQs

The summer is almost here, and everyone wants to shine during vacations, and we all know that having good skin is essential if we wish to look like the best versions of ourselves. 

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Needless to say that essential skincare is important, but having a toner incorporated into your skincare routine is also a great option to have since a toner can help you balance your skin’s pH level, remove any lingering impurities after cleansing, tighten pores, and hydrate the skin. That isn’t bad, right?

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But choosing the wrong tonic for your skin is actually challenging, especially since we see this difficulty with combination skin, which has both dry and oily areas, which are very hard to treat simultaneously.

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Fortunately, we have plenty of products out there to choose from. But choosing them might also be challenging, so I decided to collect the 9 best toners for combination skin. We’ll also talk about what is a toner, how it works, and why you should buy it if you haven’t done so.

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Let’s start with how to define combination skin and why use toner for this skin type.

How to Define Combination Skin

Combination skin, as it’s easy to understand by its name is a skin type that is just a combination of other skin types. Usually, it’s a combination of dry and oily skin in different areas. 

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Some areas might have a lack of hydration and might feel tight and very dry, like cheeks and areas that are closer to the hairline. But for example, T-zone ( The forehead, nose, and chin ) tends to be oily in most cases. 

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So the perfect skincare routine should make your oily areas balanced, by removing an excess of oil, and your dry areas should be hydrated.

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If you have doubts and don’t know what skin type you have, you can find some methods of defining it on the Internet, or if you have more time and desire, you can visit a cosmetologist, who will say exactly what skin type you have.

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Why Use Toner for Combination Skin?

As I briefly mentioned above, toner is a great solution for making your skin tighter, better balanced, and refreshed. It can also reduce oils in the T-zone, which might be important if you want to avoid breakouts in this area.

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How does it work? This liquid gets into your skin fast to remove any dead cells that make your skin look bad. Toners are also making your skin better hydrated, which is very important. In this guide.

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I talked about hydration and solving dry skin problems in detail in this post, so make sure you read it as well, and understand why hydration is important and how to make your skin more hydrated.

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How to Use a Toner Properly:

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1. After cleansing your face, gently pat your skin dry with a clean towel. You shouldn’t put big pressure on your face, it’s also important when you are doing your overall skincare routine.

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2. Pour a small amount of toner onto a cotton pad or your fingertips. I personally use cotton pads, because your fingertips might not be as clean. But if you consider using your fingertips, make sure you washed them very well. We don’t want anything bad to get on our skin during the process of skincare.

3. Gently apply the toner to your face, avoiding the eye area. The skin there is very gentle, so it’s better to not apply any skincare products to it

4. Allow the toner to dry and absorb into your skin for a minute or two, don’t hurry up, because it can decrease your skincare routine effectiveness. We definitely don’t want to throw our money away without any good results.

5. Follow up with a moisturizer or serum suitable for combination skin. 

So, we covered all the important basics about toner and its use. Before we dive deep into the top 9 best toners, I wanna remind you that every product in this list is going to be unique, so if you consider buying it, carefully read how to use this product and what ingredients have been used for its creation.

Some of the products might not be suitable for your body or ethical values, some people are vegans and they’re looking for vegan products. 

If you’re a vegan, you certainly should check out our Best Vegan Skincare Guide, where I cover in detail how to understand whether the product is vegan or not. I also made a list of the best vegan skincare companies. \

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9 Toners For Combination Skin

1. Paula's Choice Skin Balancing Pore-Reducing Toner ( 24$ )

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By far one of the best toners on the market. You can be completely sure that this toner is very good for making your skin balanced ( your dry zones more hydrated, and oily areas less oily ). 

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It has antioxidants and hydrating ceramides in its formula, that make your skin more even and generally beautiful. Reviews on Amazon and other websites are just great, so definitely consider buying this toner. Another good news is that you can use it up to two times a day.

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But it’s not particularly perfect! Some people with very sensitive skin say that this product is not very good for them, so try this product yourself and see if you like it. 

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I used it for a relatively short time, but the overall look of my skin after using it is definitely good, pores were reduced and this is probably the reason why my skin looked good. But I don’t have sensitive skin, so I didn’t notice any problems.

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2. THAYERS Alcohol-Free Rose Petal Witch Hazel Facial Toner with Aloe Vera ( 11$ )

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Has a tremendous amount of good reviews on Amazon, one of the most popular toners of the last few years. Unfortunately, I didn’t try this one, and I’m sure I’ll do it in the future. A toner itself is made out of natural ingredients, it doesn’t contain any alcohol and is perfect for reducing the look of pores and balancing your oily skin.

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Reviews are great, I’ve also been looking for some overviews about this toner, and experts say that it’s one of the best ones out there.

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3. Kiehl's Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol-free Toner ( 22$ )

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I tried this one, and I love it. I used it a lot, because I think that the price is also great, the toner itself is excellent. I love it for its softness. It doesn’t leave your skin burning or feeling tight. 

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It’s also great if you have pimples on your face, it’s going to help you get rid of them. 

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The company makes high-quality cruelty-free products, so consider buying them, they’re worth it!

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In conclusion, if you’re looking for a good quality product and willing to pay for it – I definitely recommend buying this one, it’s going to help you with your skin problems or just make sure you don’t have them in the future. 

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4. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Clarifying Solution ( 17$ )

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My favorite product! I’ve been using it for 4 months straight. It’s perfect for combination and oily skin. I don’t recommend using it very often though. A few times a week is an excellent frequency.

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I love this toner because it makes my skin soft and tremendously decreases the pores' look. It also makes your skin tone more balanced over time. I love it for its affordable price. 

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It lasts very long because I don’t use it every day. 4 months after, I used only 30% of the bottle, which I think is very good since I don’t need to buy this product every month and spend numerous amounts of cash on it.

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I absolutely recommend it and hope you will find it working as well as it is working in my case.

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5. The Ordinary: Glycolic Acid Toner ( 20$ )  

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This toner is very good, it’s great for getting rid of acne and oily skin. It is also very affordable.

The only problem it has is that it might be harsh on your skin if you use it very frequently. As I mentioned in the previous section, you should be really careful using this kind of toner.

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Use it a few times a week, if you feel confident you might use it every day, but only once a day. Don’t use it more, because it might lead to skin irritations and other problems.

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It’s better to start using it once or twice a week during the first few weeks. Then you can increase the number of days in a week when you use this product. I recommend using some other very nourishing products along with this toner, like a good moisturizer.

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6. Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Facial Toner Toner ( 25$ )

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This one is suitable for all skin types. It’s got a pleasant smell and rose petals in it. The price might look a bit big, but you have a good-smelling product that solves your skin problems pretty well.

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By the way, this one is great for sensitive skin. Many people on Amazon actually prove it. Consider buying it, it’s actually a very good product!

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7. Dickinson's Enhanced Witch Hazel Hydrating Toner ( ~6$ )

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Another popular solution for combination skin is on Amazon. I tried it, and it made a good impression on me. I really wanna say that I love it because it makes your skin soft. Literally, a piece of fluff when you touch your face. 

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It’s also very good for sensitive skin. As I mentioned above, I don’t have this kind of skin, so it was hard to figure out whether this product is good for sensitive skin. But considering how soft your skin is after using this product, it is a good solution for soft skin, furthermore, Amazon reviews are really great on this product. 

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I recommend you check this one out, and we’ll move to the next one.

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8. Clear Collective Balancing Capsule Toner from Hero Cosmetics ( 13$ )

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The toner is perfect for use twice a day – every morning and night. It’s going to mattify and refine pores, eliminate redness and fortify the skin’s moisture barrier.

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It is also very cheap compared with other products on that list. Great for sensitive skin and generally makes it more attractive. Try it out on your own and see if it suits your needs!

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9. Bliss Clear Genius Clarifying Toner + Serum ( 15$ )

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Great solution when you are fighting acne. It’s a cooling, nourishing toner that is going to be perfect for use twice a day.

It also functions as a pore-purifying serum. An interesting product that combines both – toner and serum in one compound. I haven’t tried this one out, but the amount of good reviews on Amazon is huge, and this is the reason why I put this one on this list!

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Let’s move to the conclusion. All of these toners are great, but sometimes they’re trying to solve a bit different problems, so it’s better to go to the Amazon page of each product and see what it’s suitable for. 

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All of them are good for combination skin and will definitely make it better, but I encourage you to choose the one you like the most and try it out on your own. 

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Before we end up, I’ve gathered 5 frequently asked questions and wanna answer them.

FAQs

Q: Can I use a toner every day?

It depends on the toner itself. Always make sure that the toner you’ve chosen is good for everyday use, if it’s not, just use it a few times a week. Your skin will shine anyways. 

Also when you’re just starting your skincare routine, it’s mandatory to start out by using a toner one to two times a week for a few weeks to make your skin get used to it. After it you can increase the number of days when you use it.

Q: Can I apply toner with my hands?

Yes, you can do it. Use your fingertips to do so. The only thing you have to do before is to wash your hands properly. After you do it, feel free to use a toner on your face.

You can use a cotton pad as well, just do whatever you feel comfortable with.

Q: How long should I wait between applying toner and moisturizer?

After applying toner, wait for a couple of minutes to let your skin absorb it. After it, you can use a moisturizer without any problems.

Q: Is it okay to use a toner containing alcohol?

No, if you have a combination skin. Unfortunately, products that contain alcohol dry your skin out, it can lead to irritations and redness. 

I remember when I used one toner, which wasn’t suitable for my skin type and had alcohol in it. The feeling after using it wasn't the best, so carefully read about each product you wanna buy.

Q: Can I use a toner to remove makeup?

While some toners may help remove leftover makeup after cleansing, they should not be used as a primary makeup remover. Use a dedicated makeup remover or cleansing oil first to remove makeup, then follow up with a gentle cleanser and toner to complete your routine.

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