Beauty Tips : Toning Vs Bleaching

Hi darlings,

Welcome back to my blog. Today’s post is going to be a rather long one but I promise to make it as interesting as possible. Whenever I mention toning to women who want to even out their skin tone and men too (you’ll be surprised how many men are beginning to take better care of their skin), they always go like ‘no o, I don’t want anything that will change my color’…haha. Then, I have to start explaining what toning means and the difference between toning and bleaching. As always, I like to share information that I know will be beneficial to you. So, after some research and trying to get a clear head to compose this post (trust me , it took me a while to finally put all this together),  here goes ;

Toning: This involves the use of skin toners or simply toners which are lotions or washes designed to cleanse the skin and shrink the appearance of pores, usually used on the face.Toning is an important second step that completes the cleansing process, yet many people choose to leave this step out. In reality, toning should be considered an important part of the cleansing process. A good toner will remove any remaining bits of oil, dirt and debris left behind by the cleanser. More importantly, toner will help soothe, nourish and hydrate the skin while restoring its delicate pH balance.

Skin Bleaching: This refers to the practice of using chemical substances in an attempt to lighten skin tone or provide an even skin complexion by reducing the melanin concentration in the skin. Several chemicals have been shown to be effective in skin whitening, while some have proven to be toxic or have questionable safety profiles, adding to the controversy surrounding their use and impacts on certain ethnic groups. This process which is also known as skin whitening or lightening can be done formally by a dermatologist or informally by non-doctors. There are several beauty websites that refer to these bleaching products as “skin brightening” products, and though in some ways they do brighten your complexion (ie: hyperpigmentation), these products do bleach your skin. Bleaching helps to lightens hyperpigmentation for a more even skin tone, reduces skin discolorations, lessens dark spots caused by sun damage. As with any product, there are downsides to bleaching your skin. Ingredients as well as maintaining your skin after treatments play crucial roles in how skin responds to bleaching products. Mercury is an ingredient in many skin bleaching products; overuse can cause mercury poisoning, skin aging prematurely; skin thinning, can cause or worsen acne and can also cause allergic reactions.

Today, skin bleaching is still common in popular culture. The market for skin bleaching products is wide and large. The most important thing to consider when shopping for skin bleaching products is to decide what reasons you are bleaching or lightening your skin.

This post is not in any way meant to help you decide whether to stick to toning rather than bleaching or vice versa. I’ve written it to help differentiate between toning and skin bleaching. You can decide if toning or bleaching is something you’d be interested in, taking all possible factors into consideration.

Okay guys, I’ll leave you to digest all this information and I’ll be back with a post about my favorite skin toners and more skincare topics. I hope you found this post helpful and informative. Kindly drop me a comment below about your thought(s) on today’s post and if you have any topic(s), you would want me to write about. Have a great week ahead, lovelies!

Hugs and Kisses,

Missglam.