An Ultimate Guide to Face Mist and Face Toner: Use, Benefits, and More
| Authored by: Ammar |
| Reviewed by: Kapil Dhameja |
| Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes |
There has always been a question to be asked – Is face mist really necessary? Can’t one simply use a moisturizer? But time has told a different story. Given modern life with its dust, pollution, and other environmental stress factors, our skin requires more than just a moisturizer to keep it looking healthy and feeling fresh. A bottle of face mist can be compared to carrying a cylinder of oxygen. It may seem like an extravagance in the first instance, however, it is essential for any person who would like to appear fresh in this day and age (everyone, obviously).
In this tutorial, I shall take you through enough information about face mist (or face toner whichever sounds more high-end). Including how did face mist come about and their varieties and even how to maximally utilize it for a purpose – these are the things in your learning for getting into the face mist craze. Devote yourselves to your rose water, we are starting!
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What is Face Mist or Face Toner?
First things first. Face mist, which is often mistaken for face toner, is preparing and desiring a series of motions that are sprayed directly onto the face. Its main function? To make sure that your skin is healthy, hydrated, and radiant. Imagine it as a cocktail of plenty of dewy skin in a glass ready for sipping. Sometimes one’s skin feels thirsty and this drink comes in the form of a face mist (better made as a little cocktail as we are too classy for just water).
On the contrary, toners have always served the purpose of a finish, after cleansing the face, to clean any remaining debris, restore the pH of the skin, and shrink the pores. In recent years, however, toners and facial mists have become more or less the same products with both aimed to refresh and moisturize the skin prior to the further steps involved in the routine.
A Quick Trip Down History Lane: The Evolution of Face Mist
Skin spritzes, believe it or not, are not a millennial innovation of just spraying refreshing waters on the face. This phenomenon existed several centuries way back - long before we popularized the use of misting bottles within women’s handbags.
Consider Ayurveda, for instance. This traditional Indian health care system has encouraged the drinking of water to which herbs like rose have been added to cool and balance the skin surface for centuries. In fact, it is rosewater that there was the most extremely high regard for which is known for its calming and moisture-retaining effect. Cleopatra herself was said to use rose water in her beauty regime – if it is fit for an Egyptian queen, it is surely fit for us!
Back during the 20th C, when skincare routines became more advanced, the toner idea too, came to the fore first advertised as oil control astringents. However, this was before the J-beauty craze, so face mists wore off as the over-the-top luxury. Today, these mists have evolved from just hydration – they balance, tone, and even offer protection from harmful elements in the environment.
Different Types of Face Mist
If you're thinking all face mists are created equal, think again! There’s a whole spectrum of face mists out there, each with its own special purpose and ingredients that cater to specific skin needs. Whether you're looking for a hydration boost, soothing relief, or a shield against pollution, there's a mist for every moment and mood. Here’s a breakdown of the different types of face mists available, so you can find the one that works best for you (and your skin):
1. Hydrating Mist
Perfect for dry or dehydrated skin, these mists contain ingredients like hyaluronic acid, glycerin, and, you guessed it, rose water. They help to lock in moisture and give your skin that plump, fresh look.
2. Calming Mist
Stressed-out skin is no fun. Calming mists are packed with soothing ingredients like chamomile, aloe vera, and green tea, helping to reduce redness and irritation. Perfect after a long day in the sun or when your skin just needs a little TLC.
3. Balancing Mist
Oily or acne-prone? Balancing mists are designed to control excess oil and shrink the appearance of pores. These often contain witch hazel, tea tree oil, or lavender.
4. Antioxidant Mist
Living in a city filled with pollution? Antioxidant face mists help protect your skin from free radicals and environmental damage. Look for ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, or green tea extract.
Ingredients to Look for in Face Mist
When facing the decision of choosing a face mist, the elements involved play an important role. Here is a simple and quick guide on what ingredients should be present in your mist:
- Rose Water: A true jack of all trades- rose water calms, refreshes, and boasts of a high level of antioxidants. This is why it has remained in the fashion activities of people for years and years!
- Aloe Vera: While best known for its inner usefulness, that gel is also well known for the external soothing properties of aloe vera.
- Hyaluronic Acid: This moisture preserving and skin tightening ingredient is often associated with rejuvenescence.
- Kumkumadi: Hailing from Ayurvedic traditions, Kumkumadi face mist is one of the best face mists as it nourishes and hydrates the skin while improving skin tone and providing a healthy and radiant outlook to the face. Also, the preparation contains saffron and a mix of several other Ayurveda herbs which help to clear dark spots, blemishes, and aging effects. In addition, it also helps to revive the tired looking skin making it healthy and refreshed.
- Green Tea: Rich in antioxidants, green tea is effective in preventing damage to skin from the external environment.
Now if you are a fan of skin care products that contain only organic elements (who is not nowadays?), then choose face mists that are distilled using steam, do not use any chemical additives and are rich in ayurvedic content. Especially with regards to the rose water in our facial mist, we will only use the purest natural ingredients. This ensures that the skin gets the proper care it deserves and there are no compromises!
Different Ways to Use Face Mist
Here’s where things get fun! You may think you know all there is to know about face mist (spritz, refresh, repeat), but there are tons of ways to use this versatile product.
1. Prepping the Skin
Before you apply your serum, moisturizer, or sunscreen, a few spritzes of face mist help prep the skin. This allows the other products to absorb better, like a perfectly primed canvas for your skincare routine.
2. Mid-Day Pick-Me-Up
Is your skin looking dull halfway through the day? No problem. Keep a face mist handy at work or in your bag to give yourself an instant refresh. It’s like a coffee break but for your face!
3. Setting Makeup
Ever feel like your makeup looks a bit too cakey? A light mist of toner for the face helps set everything, giving your makeup that dewy, natural finish. Just a spritz or two, and you're good to go.
4. Refreshing After the Gym
That post-workout glow can just as well become that post-workout sweat. Washing your face right after working out can be very dehydrating and not advisable, thus a face mist comes in handy to cool off and replenish moisture.
5. Removing Makeup
I bet nobody knew that face mist is also useful as a makeup remover. Take a cotton pad, spray some and gently wipe off the makeup. It absorbs powerfully when the fatigue jerks you back and takes to the extremes where one cannot go to a full wash.
6. Mixing with Face Packs
Do you know those powder face packs (like ubtan) that need mixing with water? Swap out regular water for your favorite face mist for an extra boost of hydration and nutrients. It’s an easy way to level up your at-home spa day.
Benefits of Face Mist
Now that you know the how, let's talk about the why. Why should you be incorporating face mist into your routine? What’s so special about this liquid magic? Oh, let me count the ways.
1. Hydration on the Go
The most obvious benefit—face mist hydrates your skin anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re in an air-conditioned office or out in the sun, your skin will thank you for that refreshing spritz of moisture.
2. Balances Skin pH
Cleansing can throw your skin's pH balance out of whack, making it prone to irritation. A good face mist helps restore that balance, keeping your skin calm and happy.
3. Soothes Irritated Skin
Whether it’s from sunburn, acne, or just everyday stressors, face mist can help calm redness and irritation. Ingredients like rose water and aloe vera work wonders for soothing sensitive skin.
4. Boosts Absorption of Other Products
Face mist helps your skin absorb serums, moisturizers, and oils more effectively. Think of it as the appetizer before the main course—your skin is primed and ready to soak up all the good stuff.
5. Refreshes Makeup
Who needs to reapply powder when you’ve got a face mist handy? A few spritzes throughout the day keep your makeup looking fresh and dewy, without the need for constant touch-ups.
6. Gives You That Dewy Glow
This one’s for all the glow-getters out there. Regular use of face mist leaves your skin looking plump, hydrated, and oh-so-glowy. It’s like having an Instagram filter in real life!
Ayurveda's Take on Face Mist
This is where it starts to get truly exciting. Apart from oral health treatments, the ancient Indian science of medicine has for centuries laid emphasis on the inclusion of plants and plant extracts in skin care too. In Ayurveda, the skin's condition is considered to be the outer manifestation of the inner equilibrium of the three energies, or doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha). Because if the doshas are not in equilibrium, the skin may show signs of discomfort or unease like dryness, excess oiliness, irritation, rashes, etc.
Ayurveda believes that skin is a pantheon where, almost all the time, the interior meets some exterior. Therefore the skin demands assistance to prevent imbalances. The secret behind healthy skin is the ability of the skin to achieve a proper ratio of water, oil and nutrition. This is the time when products like rosewater are needed. Rose water is one of the most nourishing ayurvedic treatments to calm and relieve one’s skin, particularly the steam distilled variety since it has the whiff of mother nature.
The benefits of rose water are not only recorded in Ayurveda and availed by the practitioners, but indeed there is support for these claims in science. For example, a proper analysis of rose water reveals it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antimicrobial characteristics, which are beneficial to the skin in soothing and calming it. Hence, research done in the Food Science and Nutrition (open access) states that the application of rose water facilitates rapid recovery from erythema and rosacea, which is probably why it is included in formulations recommended for sensitive skin types.
Next, the study discussed in the paper by Mohaddese Mahboubi on the Therapeutic and Health Benefits of Rose Fixed Oil, draws attention to the antioxidant properties of the floral hydrosol and explains that it averts free radicals responsible for factors such as aging and environmental degradation. Such results are in total agreement with the Ayurveda culture which regards skin health as a multi-faceted blessing, and all external applications of treatment, as incorporating healing plant properties.
How Sure Can One Be?
If you are still doubtful about the benefits of face mist, allow me to introduce you to Huda Kattan who is an authority on the subject. The beauty entrepreneur and social media influencer is fond of claiming that rose water facial mist is essential in her everyday skincare routine.
“I always carry a rose water mist in my bag,” she says. “It’s like my go-to product for refreshing my skin during flights or long workdays. It instantly wakes up my face.”
And if it’s good enough for Huda, it’s good enough for us, right?
Bottomline, the point is that one can never be too sure when it comes to cosmetics. with the risk to reward ratio being way too high, one can only make conjectures. Face mist has always been the unsung hero when it comes to one’s skincare routine, regardless of the fact that one could be getting ready to apply makeup, relaxing at home after a long day or even in need of a little extra moisture. With constituents such as rose water (who does not love hydrating agents?) and pain relieving ingredients such as aloe vera, it is not surprising that face mist is becoming an essential product in the market.
And don’t forget, when selecting an ideal face mist, consider the ones that are steam distilled, contain no preservatives and color additives and are enriched with Ayurveda as the Blue Nectar products. Because your skin truly deserves quality!
Recommended Products by Blue Nectar:
Shubhr Rose Face Tonic Mist | Skin Toning & pH Balance
Shubhr Steam Distilled Vetiver Toner & Face Tonic Mist (Alcohol & Preservative Free)
References:
Do face mists actually help hydrate your skin?
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