When you are venturing through the beauty products, you will find yourself among many serums, creams, and things that are in between. Among all of them, the two kinds of go-to choices for skins of all types are the toner and the cleanser.
Because of all of the benefits that they can bring to the table, you will find heaps of them on the shelves. And when you are considering buying one of them, you might ask yourself about the differences between a toner and a cleanser.
In our take on the topic cleanser vs toner, we are going to go through those exact aspects. Alongside that, we will also fill you in about the topics that you should know before you decide to pick one of them up.
What Exactly Is a Cleanser?
Before we get into starting the differences that are between the two of the specific beauty products, let us give you a brief idea about them. And to start with, let us first talk about cleansers.
Like the rest of the beauty products, this one falls in the same category. And as the name suggests, the primary function of this remove all of the pollutants from the skin. Starting from oil, dirt, dead cells, and makeup, this one is capable of removing all of them.
Talking of which, these are available in different forms. The different versions generally depend on the consistency of the product. Many will even have a different way of using them. Some of these need to be rinsed, while you can keep some on the skin without washing them away.
Types of Cleansers And Benefits of Each
As we have mentioned above, the types generally depend on the consistency and the application process. That being said, the most common ones that you are going to find in the market are as follows:
1. Gel
Like you have guessed from reading the name, this one has a gel-like consistency. Having such type of viscosity, it achieves the capability of deep cleaning the skin. Along with that, these have exfoliating properties as well. As a result, these are mostly ideal for acne-prone and oily skin.
2. Cream
These are the types that have a considerably thicker viscosity. And, these have the ability to moisturize the skin as well. Because of having the moisturizing capability, these will suit the generally dry skins. It would work exceptionally well on the sensitive skins as well.
3. Foam
Compared to the other types, this one is exceptionally light. These are lightweight solutions that can produce foamy lather. In the case of effectiveness, these are as good as the gel cleansers. And these are ideal for most skin types.
How to Use a Cleanser?
As you know by now, there are a couple of types of cleansers available in the market. And the application process for all of them is not the same. You would not have to go through that much of an intricate process for applying for the cream ones. The palms of your fingers should be enough. Apply it like regular creams.
Talking of which, as the cream ones have the moisturizing capability, there will be no need to apply any sort of moisturizers after applying this one to your face. It alone should be enough for revitalizing your dry skin.
On the other hand, for the gels, you would need some cotton pads. Simply soak the pad with the gel and apply it to your skin. Make sure that you cover each of the areas and leave it. Do ensure that you do not put anything else on your skin upon application, or else you might have to face some adverse effects.
Lastly, the case for the foam is not the same. As you know, these will offer you a foamy lather. So the first step would be to gently scrub your face by putting some on your hands. After you have adequately cleaned each area, you need to wash it down with some water.
Make sure that you do not use rough towels to wipe the water off your face. And once you have properly wiped your face with the towel, you must apply some moisturizer to it.
So What About Toners?
Now that you have some idea about cleansers and available types let us move towards the second product we planned to discuss in this article, which is the toner. You might be already familiar with it because these are getting pretty popular in the beauty products market.
Nevertheless, for those of you who do not really have any idea about this one, it is basically a type of liquid mainly used to clean. Another use case for this would be to contract the pores that are on the face. Just like the cleanser, people with oily and acne-prone faces are the ones that this one is targeted towards.
These are also opted for removing the residues of makeup that a regular cleaning product can not remove. However, unlike the cleansers, the types of these do not really depend on the application process and the consistency of the liquid. That is because these have the same application process and the same consistency.
Instead of that, the types generally depend on the extra benefits that they are capable of offering. However, all of them have the same primary functionality, which is removing the layer of dirt and removing any sort of pollutants that might be on the skin.
Benefits of Applying a Toner
Aside from just cleaning your face, there are a couple of other benefits that you are going to enjoy by applying this on your skin on a regular basis. And no matter which one you pick, the main benefits that you are going to enjoy from applying them to your skin are as follows:
- Shrinking of the Pores
First and foremost, these do a decent job in shrinking the pores that are on your face. In fact, upon the first application, you will feel that the pores are shrinking. Also, because of the shrinkage of the pores, the possibility of ingrown hair occurring in your face will be pretty low as well.
- Preventing Acne
Pores and acnes go hand in hand with each other. And as this product will shrink the pores, the chances of acne occurring on your skin after regularly applying it would be pretty slim.
- Acts Like a Moisturizer
Some of the toners that you will find in the market will have the capability to moisturize your skin. These will do that by leaving a protective layer on top of your skin. As a result, your skin will not feel dry that often when you have this on the skin.
- Refreshes Your Skin and Restores the pH Balance
For the formulation that these have, they are capable of restoring the pH balance of your face. Also, when the pH level is neutralized, you will notice that you are feeling more refreshed, which will make your face glow.
How to Apply a Toner?
The process of applying this to your skin is pretty simple. In fact, it is simpler than the other skin products that are on the market. First, you need to clean your face with some water. Then, you need to dry it up and get yourself some cotton pads. Soak the pads with the toner and gently push them towards your face.
Make sure that you cover every area of your face and neck. However, if you do not have any cotton pads with you, you can apply them using your palms. All you need to do is drop a few drops of toner on it and then push them towards your face.
After application, you should apply some moisturizer to your skin. However, you might not have to apply any extra moisturizer for the ones that contain moisturizing elements in them.
So What Exactly Makes a Toner and a Cleanser Different?
There are a couple of obvious differences between them. And they are as stated below:
- Functionality
While the cleanser is primarily used to dirt and pollutants from the skin, the toner will clean the skin, moisturize it and balance the pH level. Toners are also capable of shrinking the pores, which the cleaners are not capable of delivering.
- Application Process
As you know by now, different types of cleansers have different application processes. On the contrary, the toners only differ in the extra features, but all of them have the same application process.
- Using Process
Toners are applied after cleaning the skin with water. On the other hand, cleansers can be applied without cleaning the skin. In fact, some will require you to clean your face upon application, which you will not have to do for the toner.
Also check: Face Scrub Vs Face Wash – Which One Should You Use ?
Final Words
At this point, you should have a proper idea regarding two of the beauty products that we are discussed here. With that, we would like to conclude our take on the topic of cleanser vs toner here by hoping that your face glows at each time of the day and each day of the year.