How to Make Your Own Herbal Astringent for the Face

Just as with facial cleansers, a good foundation for healthy skin is the use of astringents and toners.

Their objective is to penetrate and remove all traces of dirt and oil. Likewise, they contract and tighten the pores, and make the skin on our face feel exceptionally clean.

An astringent is basically something that constricts body tissues when applied.

Most often a good astringents are costly — as is the case with most beauty care products and cosmetics — but learn how to make your own and never pay top dollar again!

Herbs with Astringent Properties

Many of our Earth’s plants and herbs possess amazing astringent properties — some of the most common one’s include:

• lemon balm
• chamomile
• rose petals
• elderflowers
• peppermint
• calendula
• comfrey leaf
• witch hazel bark
• lemon and orange peel
• yarrow
• lavender
• rosemary
• sage

Please note: Any of these plant materials can be combined and used in the following recipe — do so based on what you have available.

Herbal Astringent for the Face

Ingredients

-equal parts of: lemon balm, chamomile flowers, rose petals, calendula petals, comfrey leaf, lavender, yarrow, and rosemary
-organic apple cider vinegar to cover

-witch hazel
-essential oils of carrot seed and rose geranium, optional

Method

1. In a quart-sized glass mason jar, combine equal parts of all the herbs you will be using, and based on basic tincturing principles, proceed to prepare the mixture. Note: If using dried herbs, combine equal parts of all of them to total no more than 2 ounces. If using fresh herbs, combine equal parts of all of them to total no more than 4 ounces. Feel free to download and print this How to Make a Tincture at Home pdf file for future reference.

2. Pour organic apple cider vinegar over the herbs until it reaches approximately 2 inches above the plant material.

3. Stir well to combine. Then place a lid on the jar and shake.

4. The jar should rest in a warm place, near a sunny window, and somewhere that allows you to shake it at least once daily (twice is best).

5. Steep for 2-4 weeks.

6. Strain mixture through a cheesecloth-lined, fine mesh sieve. Reserve the herb-infused vinegar and compost the plant material.

7. Combine herb-infused vinegar with equal parts witch hazel and a few drops of essential oils of carrot seed and rose geranium.

8. The astringent will keep in a dark-colored glass bottle or clear glass in a cool, dark place for up to a year.

9. Label each bottle with the name, date, and contents.

10. Use as you would any commercially-prepared astringent product.

Note: I recommend purchasing all of your organic dried herbs from Mountain Rose Herbs and/or The Bulk Herb Store.

Not up for another DIY? Please check out my listing for this Herbal Astringent by clicking this link to my little Etsy Shop.