Can You Use Glycolic Acid Toner Everyday?

Glycolic acid toner is used for treating a variety of skin situations. It's an anti-aging exfoliant that helps your skin feel firmer and more rejuvenated. Are you loving using your toner, but not sure if you should be using it every single day? Well, have no fear because we have done the research to bring you the answer.

You should decide how often to use a glycolic acid toner based on your skin type. If you have dry skin, you should avoid frequent treatments with this type of toner. However, you can use it in your daily face cleansing routine if you have oily skin. When matched with the right skin type, this toner can help you:

• Remove excess oil from your skin
• Exfoliate your skin
• Help lighten dark spots and acne scars
• Reduce acne and breakouts

If this seems like a lot of information to remember and figure out, stay tuned because we will break everything down for you to make it simple. Just keep reading!

Using Glycolic Acid Toner Every Day

Let's go over the benefits we just mentioned and take a closer look.

Removing Excess Oil

Glycolic acid toners help work to balance your skin after you cleanse it. They work by removing excess oil from hair follicle roots. You may actually be able to use your toner to treat acne by removing excess oil from your face.

Exfoliating Your Skin

Glycolic acid acts as an exfoliant. This means that it can promote exfoliating by shedding dead skin cells from your face. Exfoliating makes your skin appear brighter, younger, and more rejuvenated. Most experts agree that glycolic acid toners are a much gentler exfoliator than some harsh scrubs.

Lightening Dark Spots On Your Face

Glycolic acid toners can also be used to reduce the appearance of dark spots and scars on your skin by suppressing the production of melanin. The lightening of dark spots and scars also occurs due to the exfoliating qualities of these products. As always, it's best to consult with a dermatologist before applying home treatments, especially where new scars are concerned.

Reducing Acne And Breakouts

Glycolic acid toners can sometimes help reduce acne and active breakouts by removing excess oils from the face. By shedding the thing outer layer of the skin, it often becomes healthier and less prone to breakouts. In fact, some users report that glycolic acid doesn't just help prevent breakouts, it can also help get rid of stubborn pimples by drying them out.

However, once again, we have to suggest seeing a dermatologist. Although relatively common, acne is a medical condition and your doctor may suggest other treatments.

What Does Glycolic Acid Do To Your Face?

Generally speaking, these products act on the outermost layer of the skin on your face. Dermatologists claim that this helps stimulate collagen production and thus makes the skin feel firmer, possibly even minimizing the fine lines and wrinkles on your face.

The extent of the effect depends on the concentration of the acid itself in the product, as well as on the frequency of use. Some toners contain only 2% of the stuff, so you can get away with daily usage without a lowe risk for drying out your skin. The higher the percentage, the more careful you should be when applying the product.

Should You Moisturize After Glycolic Acid Toner?

Yes! Glycolic acid is a strong exfoliant so it is very important to moisturize your skin after using it. Cleansing, toning, and moisturizing will keep your skin refreshed and moisturized. If you neglect to apply a moisturizer after using these acidic toners your skin could quickly become dry and flaky.

Cons Of Using Glycolic Acid

If your skin is on the drier side, it is probably not a good idea to use a toner with glycolic acid every single day - or possibly at all. Using such toners removes oils from your skin. This could be a benefit for people with oily skin, but if you suffer from dry and flaky skin, removing these natural skin oils is not a good idea.

Glycolic acid should also be used sparingly if your skin is particularly sensitive. This is an acid after all! The most common side effects of using exfoliants are redness, irritation, scarring, and discoloration.

Even if you have oily skin, mind the concentration levels of acid in your product. Stick to 2%-5% toners when using them at home. 30% glycolic acid treatments are usually only available at beauty salons and should be done by a professional. Sticking to these rules will help your skin from becoming too dry.

How To Apply Glycolic Acid Toner

Now that you are aware of all of the benefits of this special kind of toners, you're probably wondering how to properly use one. Follow these steps:

1. Wash your face with a skin cleanser, rinse, then pat your skin dry with a towel.
2. Apply the toner to a cotton pad and then gently pat your whole face and neck using the cotton pad.
3. Apply a  moisturizer to your skin.

Check out this YouTube video to see how to apply glycolic acid:

What Can You Not Mix With Glycolic Acid?

Steer clear of vitamin C when using a glycolic acid toner. Vitamin C is used as an acid, so layering it with glycolic acid is not beneficial for your skin. Overall, be careful and read labels before applying cosmetic products at home, especially if you have sensitive skin. Exfoliants that are based on acids can be especially risky. When in doubt, consult with a professional licensed beautician or a dermatologist.

Can You Make Glycolic Acid At Home?

Unless you happen to be a chemist with the right laboratory equipment, you can't make the acid itself at home. You also shouldn't try concocting your own toner using purchased pure acid of any kind. Leave the lab work to the chemists and keep yourself and your skin safe.

However, if you're interested in creating a similar cleansing effect at home, Leaf.TV provides a super simple recipe for a homemade peel that acts as an exfoliator. Only two ingredients are needed. Combine cane sugar and lemon juice to form a paste. Then, apply the paste to your face. Let the peel sit for ten minutes and then rinse it off with lukewarm water. After using the peel, apply a moisturizer.

The best part about this DIY skincare product is that it is safe to use on your skin every single day. The exfoliating effect of the acidic lemon juice should help remove excess oil, reduce breakouts, and to lighten acne scars and dark spots on your face.

Best Glycolic Acid Toners To Use

Check out these great products that could be a good fit for your skin cleansing needs.

The Ordinary Toning Solution

This toning solution offers a gentle exfoliation for improved skin brightness and visible clarity. It contains 7% glycolic acid so it is safe for daily use on oily skin types. 

Click here to see this product on Amazon.

Pixi Beauty Skintreats Glow Tonic 

This toner exfoliates the skin. It is an alcohol-free toner that helps create smoother, brighter, and clearer skin. It contains 5% glycolic acid, which is great for everyday use.

Click here to see this product on Amazon.

Mario Badescu Glycolic Acid Toner

This toner contains only 2% glycolic acid. This means that this product is gentle enough to use in your everyday skincare routine and is great for combination skin. The toner also contains aloe vera that helps to soothe the skin.

Click here to see this product on Amazon.

Reviva Labs Facial Toner

This product is ideal for sun-damaged skin. It will still exfoliate your skin and also contains hyaluronic acid. With added aloe vera, it can help soothe the skin during the exfoliation process.

Click here to see this product on Amazon.

In Closing

To sum things up, unless you suffer from dry or sensitive skin, you can probably use a glycolic acid toner every day to remove excess oil and to reduce the appearance of dark spots and acne scars. If you're not sure, opt for a low concentration of the active ingredient in question and see what happens after a few days of daily use. If your skin feels drier than usual, scale back on the use and safe the product for weekly or bi-weekly beauty routines.

Now that you have the answers to all of your glycolic acid toner questions, check out Can You Use Micellar Water Instead Of Cleanser? for even more skincare tips and tricks.

Check out 5 Great Alternatives To Cotton Pads For Toner for more toner advice.