There are many natural astringents found in nature. In other cases, you must expend some time making natural astringent extracts, tinctures, and salves from parts of plants, trees, etc. Sometimes the astringent properties are directly available just by rubbing the leaves on your skin. Astringents contain ingredients that are very mild on your skin and delicately work on your skin pores. You usually need to use astringents when you have enlarged skin pores, acne, and blackheads.
These natural astringents gently reduce the size of the skin pores and keep skin problems at bay. You might wonder why you would need skin toning in an off-grid situation. The answer to that may not be so obvious. In fact, if you utilize a stiff nail brush, a back brush, or the like, each time that you scrub with them you make thousands of micro abrasions on your skin.
Non-toxic surfactant – Sodium Chloride
A simple solution of 0.9 sodium chloride in purified water under reasonable pressure utilized to irrigate wounds. My recommendation is the use of a food grade squeeze bottle. You can find them for under $1 USA in food equipment supply houses. (Many similar bottles available in consumer stores are made of unsafe plastics, see the section on Recycling Codes).
Rose Water
Cleansing with rose water is mild and effective way to clean your pores, soften your skin, all while toning it.
Mint
An example is the mint leaf. It has a cooling effect on the skin as well as toning and cleaning too. The mint leaves can be steeped as a tea. The hot water extracts the oils. The resulting tea soothes the mouth and settles the stomach.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar likely the most effective astringents in nature. It is capable of healing minor skin infections. It works as a toner and even reduces acne.
Orange Blossom Water Orange peels
Soaked in water overnight orange peels can give you one of the mildest astringents ever. This natural skin toner is suitable for very sensitive skin.
Cucumber
Rubbing a slice of cucumber on the face after you scrub tones the skin. It minimizes skin pore size through a cooling effect.
Comfrey
It is important to note that while comfrey leaves have been utilized in teas, salves, and poultices for centuries, the US FDA has warned against repeated use. They say that comfrey taken internally causes liver damage. That said, it has been employed successfully for millennia for the following:
- Poison ivy rash
- Wound care as a compress along with turmeric
- Feeding small amounts to rabbits
- As a tea comfrey acts as a demulcent, soothing mucous membranes and also as an expectorant
Calendula Flowers
The calendula flowers have highly effective anti-inflammatory properties in addition to astringent properties also.
