Home made facial toners

Whilst a lot of my make do and mend projects revolve around the new frugal way of life we have through necessity alongside the desire to lead a more sustainable green existence, some projects are pure joy and are simply better than anything available commercially.

One of those is making my own facial toners.

I don't tend to wear a lot of make up these days except on 'outings' when I do indulge myself, as applying make up remains one of my great personal pick me ups.

But first thing in the morning, last thing at night and at odd moments in the day when I have once again wiped dirty hands across my brow I do like to cleanse my face. Soap and water are great for a wash but can be very drying, and my teen daughter likes something she can keep in her bedroom for those quick 'washes' too, as well as something for those occaisional outbreaks.

I make several toners dependent on what is available in the house and the garden, later in the year I make them with infusions taken from the flower buds of chamomile and lavender, but with an absence of flowers currently I also use tea bags - green tea, mint tea and chamomile tea.

Today I replensished my bottles of chamomile and tea tree toner.

I sterilise my receptacle bottle simply with some boiling water, remembering to sterilise the cork too. Then leave a tea bag to infuse for several minutes. Empty the boiling water from the bottle, add a few drops of tea tree essential oil to the bottle then pour in the tea, shake and cork, use when it has cooled. It will keep for a while before being opened, a month or two, and once opened you are more likely to use it up before it goes off, obviously depending on the size of your bottle, I use 150ml and 200 ml bottles that last about a month.

Chamomile tea by itself is also a fantastic treatment for sore eyes from hayfever, just make a cup up, when it has cooled, decant into a little bottle or jar, then use clean cotton pieces to dip into it to soothe across tired, itchy and sore eyes. I use the same treatment for my horse when the flies congregate around her eyes and they start to water excessively.

Speaking of make do and mend - today has been a bit of a patch up project day, as well as making my toners this morning, I have also had a pile of mending to get through, but now with that cleared away, and the sun out in force, there is just enough time to get out into the garden before I have to leave for work.