Budget Friendly Eco-Beauty: Cooling Cucumber Toner Recipe

I am fortunate enough that I have to do very little in the way of skin care in order to keep my skin looking and feeling great. Seriously, if I do much more than wash with a gentle cleanser I risk throwing off the perfect balance that my skin seems to naturally have. But, I have noticed that a gentle toner doesn't hurt and it really does help when I need a quick skin perk. 

I have been through many a bottle of toner, and I try to only use natural and/or organic, but honestly, I have more unused bottles of toner sitting under the sink than I care to admit to. My favorite toner is Lush Tea Tree Oil Toner, but since I have never really dealt with acne, I have been looking for a toner that has ingredients that deal with other skin issues. 

Browsing Borders I found, this nifty book called, EcoBeauty: Scrubs, Rubs, Masks, and Bath Bombs for You and Your Friends it's $14 on Amazon. It's packed full of really easy, budget friendly recipes that you can whip up with things you already have, or can easily find. I have been through and made 4 of the 8 toner recipes so far and already have a favorite-- though there is one more that I am very excited to try-- called the Cooling Cucumber Toner that is perfect for soothing, calming and also tightening skin.  I figured with summer coming, this is a recipe that a lot of women can use.


Use this if:

• You need something to soothe puffy skin or eyes
• You want to reduce the appearance of freckles caused by the sun
• You want to reduce the appearance of large pores
• You need to soothe sunburned skin

Ingredients Needed:
1/2 cucumber with peel, chopped
3 tablespoons witch hazel 
2 tablespoons distilled water


Add all of the ingredients to a blender, or food processor, and blend until it is as smooth as you can get it. Place a clean, fine mesh sieve into the opening of a clean bottle or container and pour the mixture through. Apply a tight fitting lid to your bottle or container and keep in the fridge for up to 6 weeks when you are not using it. To apply to your face, soak a cotton ball with the toner and gently press into your skin. 


A quick word on the cost and ingredients. So many basic health and beauty "concoction" use witch hazel because it is great for so many things, so I recommend always keeping a bottle on hand. You can pick this up at any drugstore, in Walgreen's it can be found in the first aid section and only costs about $3/$4 for a quart.  


Cost:
.25  Witch Hazel (amount used in this recipe)
.10/.50/FREE  Cucumber in season/off season/grown in garden
.10  Water
.50-$1 Total!

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