If I'm completely honest, my skin finally changed the day I realized my problem was not acne, sensibility, or oiliness; but dehydration. Western dermatology tends to make us believe the problem behind an oily complexion is oil itself, but even when that sounds like the obvious answer it's not always like that.

I always remember the day I stopped by a K-Beauty store a few years ago asking for a foundation that didn't smudge on my face as all the foundations I was using at the moment. What did the lady say to me? "The problem is not your foundation. The problem is that your skin is super dehydrated". Thinking I knew something about skin care I told the girl: "No way, my skin is not dry at all. I'm more on the oily side" to which she answered: "I didn't say dry, I said dehydrated" and that answer right there changed my skincare understanding forever.

I went home and did some research. What did she mean by that? How can my skin be dehydrated but oily? We're used to believe our skin is either oily, dry, combo or normal, what was this dehydrated/oily category? But what I discovered while on my research was fascinating. Having dehydrated skin has to do with water/moisture loss but has nothing to do with having dry skin. As Joanna Vargas - celebrity facialist - declares, "hydration should not be determined by your blackheads or by the amount of breakouts you have". Now, how can you differentiate between dry and dehydrated? Dry skin is the type of skin you have, and it's like this all the time, while dehydration is more of a condition, it can come and go depending on weather, lifestyle, eating habits and skincare routine. For that reason any skin type can become dehydrated.

I was shocked to my very core. How did no one told me this before? And, what do I do to bring back hydration to my skin? This is when I fell in love and started a committed relationship with toners, a skincare step I never skipped but never appreciated much either. A hydrating toner can work wonders on our skin if you pick the right ones. Personally I like to apply at least three layers of toner every time I apply it to stay away from dehydration, but you can't do that with any kind of toner out there. That's when I met Klairs Supple Preparation Toner, and let me tell you, it's been an incredible relationship since then.

This little bottle of magic balances the skin's pH levels while improving the effectiveness of your entire skincare routine - meaning, everything you apply later will absorb better. The amino acids contained in it also help reduce irritation and provide your skin with deep hydration, AKA, what we were looking for.

Its gentle formula combines hyaluronic acid - a hydrating ingredient by nature - and some botanical extracts suchs as centella asiatica, aloe and althaea rosea flower, all very hydrating, soothing and anti-inflammatory ingredients. Its very light consistency and herbal scent make this toner an obsession for me. I'm not very into aromas when talking skincare, but this one comes with the right amount of "earth scents" in it.

Also, I'm an apply-your-toner-with-your-hands kinda person, which this toner is perfect for as it's not too runny yet easy to spread. Only 5-6 drops will do the job and your skin will feel fresher, more elastic and immediately more hydrated. Something I've noticed everytime I use this toner many days in a row is how my acne scars or breakouts seem to heal faster, so when hormones are going a little crazy I tend to rely on it.

If you feel like your skin maybe falls on the dehydrated category I would definitely recommend to try this toner to begin with. Maybe apply two layers of it to start, and see how it goes from there.

What's your favorite thing about toner? Is it a regular on your routine?

Carolina Malis

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