I used to see toners as a bit of an unnecessary step in my skincare routine. I’ve used them on and off over the years, but I didn’t really know what the point of them was.
It’s only recently that I’ve read up on it and realised that toner can play an important role in balancing your skin’s PH and prepping it for whatever comes next (for me, usually a serum then moisturiser).
I started looking around online for an alcohol free toner designed for combination/oily skin. Enter Disciple. Founded by psychotherapist Charlotte Ferguson, Disciple’s entire range is designed for stressed-out skin to help with problems like adult-acne, eczema and premature ageing. Using minimal ingredients and mainly plant extracts, Disciple is the epitome of ‘clean’ skincare. That combined with the cool, minimalist packaging and I was sold.
I ordered the Balancing Mist from Cult Beauty, and was pleased when it came with a 10ml sample of Disciple’s Good Skin oil. I tend to be wary of face oils, so it’s not something I would have necessarily ordered myself, but I was keen to see how it worked for my oily, acne-prone skin.
Disciple Balancing Mist
With only 3 ingredients, this is about as simple and pared-back as you can get. The main ingredient is pure geranium water, which they say ‘balances oily patches and encourages dry patches to boost normal oil secretion’. Geranium also apparently helps balance your hormones. As I’m convinced my adult acne is hormone-related, this really sung to me. The second key ingredient is copper peptides, to help rejuvenate skin cells and boost the collagen and elastin production.
I’ve been using this for about a month now and really like it. I use it as a toner but you can just use it as a refreshing mist throughout the day. I spray it over my face morning and evening after cleansing, and then follow with the rest of my routine. The first thing I have to say is that it smells incredible. I’m also feeling hopeful that it’s making my skin a little less oily, but it is always hard to pin that kind of thing down to just one product.
My only bugbear with the mist is that it comes in a 50ml bottle, which at £12 is not cheap!
Disciple Good Skin oil
The Good Skin oil is similarly pared-back and made from a mixture of hormone-balancing and bacteria-fighting essential oils. Cucumber oil, turmeric oil, geranium oil and burdock root are the key ingredients, helping to clear breakouts, sooth inflammation and speed up healing.
I haven’t used this as an all-over face oil yet, but have used it a few times as a concentrated spot treatment. I dab it on any particularly angry spots overnight and always notice an improvement by the next morning, either bringing under-the-skin spots to a head or helping to calm them down a bit.
While neither product has (yet) transformed my skin, I’ve enjoyed using both and will keep doing so until they run out.
