Toners, Brazilian Waxing & Retinol: Your Skincare Questions Answered

Toners, Brazilian Waxing & Retinol: Your Skincare Questions Answered

How Do You Know What Kind of Toner to Buy?

A lot of people skip toner because they don't really know why they're using it. And the ones who do use it sometimes have a bad memory of those old alcohol-heavy formulas that just stripped the skin dry. Toners have changed a lot.

Modern toners — sometimes called treatment waters, refreshers, or essences — are meant to hydrate, lightly exfoliate, and most importantly balance the pH of your skin after cleansing. The type you need depends on your skin type.

If you have dry skin, you want a hydrating toner. Look for hyaluronic acid, glycerin, or aloe on the ingredient list. These draw moisture in and help your skin hold onto it.

If you have oily, combination, or acne-prone skin (like me), you want a clarifying toner. The ingredients to look for are salicylic acid, niacinamide, and green tea. These help manage oil, clear congestion in pores, and calm inflammation.

If you have sensitive skin, look for a calming toner — often you'll notice these have a slight pink hue because of the botanical ingredients inside. Chamomile, calendula, and panthenol (vitamin B5) are all soothing options that reduce redness without adding irritation.

If pigmentation is your main concern, a brightening toner is what you want. Look for lactic acid, mandelic acid, or licorice root — all of which help with discoloration and uneven skin tone. And you can mix and match: if you have oily skin with pigmentation concerns, look for a toner that addresses both.

For aging skin, you still want the hydrating base, but add peptides to the mix. Peptides signal your skin to produce more collagen, so a toner that combines hydration with peptides gives you a two-in-one effect.

If you're not sure what skin type you are, I have a quick skin type quiz. It'll tell you exactly what you're working with so you can shop with confidence.

Brazilian Waxing During Your Period — Do You Need to Cancel?

No, you do not need to cancel. As long as you're wearing a tampon, we can absolutely work around it. For me as the esthetician, it's completely manageable — we just tuck the string out of the way and proceed as normal.

That said, there are a few things to know going in. Your body is more sensitive during your period. Hormonal changes mean your skin is more reactive and your pain tolerance is lower, so a Brazilian — which isn't painless on a regular day — is going to feel a little more intense. You may also have more inflammation afterward than usual.

To help with that, take ibuprofen about 30 to 45 minutes before your appointment. It helps with both sensitivity and post-wax inflammation. If waxing is generally uncomfortable for you regardless of timing, you can also apply a 4% lidocaine gel directly to the area about half an hour before. You can find it over the counter at a CVS or pharmacy. Give it enough time to absorb before you come in.

Also: skip caffeine before your appointment. Caffeine increases skin sensitivity in ways most people don't realize. And if you exfoliate beforehand, do it at least 24 hours ahead of time — not the morning of, because you'll just be irritating the skin right before we wax.

For timing, if your schedule gives you flexibility, mid-cycle — about a week after your period ends — tends to be the sweet spot. Your skin isn't in its most reactive state and most people notice the discomfort is noticeably less than waxing right before or during their period.

On the tampon string question — I know you were wondering. I use a small amount of hard wax to press the end of the string against the inner thigh so it stays completely out of the way. It comes right off with the wax when I'm done and the string stays exactly where it should be the whole time.

My very first solo Brazilian — the very first one I ever did without my instructor in the room — my client came in and told me she was on her period. I ran out, got my instructor's guidance (without the client knowing), and got through it just fine. Now when clients mention it, it genuinely doesn't phase me. It's that normal.

What's the Difference Between an Exfoliating Mask and a Retinol Serum?

Both are exfoliating products — meaning both help with cellular turnover — but they work differently and at different depths in the skin. That's the key distinction.

An exfoliating mask is more of a manual, surface-level exfoliation. It typically has physical exfoliating grains or beads (often in a clay base) that work on the outer layer of your skin. It removes dead skin cells, helps with texture, can brighten dull skin, and helps clear congestion in pores, things like blackheads and whiteheads. It can also help with mild pigmentation on the surface. Because it's abrasive, you only use it one to two times a week. Over-using it is actually one of the most common ways people damage their skin barrier.

A retinol serum is different. It's not abrasive at all on the surface — instead, it penetrates deeper into the skin and works from the inside out. It increases cellular turnover, stimulates collagen production, and over time creates real, lasting changes in the skin.

It addresses deeper pigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles, acne, and aging — things the exfoliating mask can't get to. Because it's a serum and not a physical exfoliant, you use it nightly. Start every other night if you find you're getting redness or sensitivity, and build up to nightly use from there.

The most important thing: do not use both on the same day. They're both exfoliators and layering them is just too much. A good rhythm is your exfoliating mask on Sunday night, and your retinol serum the rest of the week. That way you're getting the surface benefits from the mask and the deeper long-term benefits from the retinol without overdoing either one.

If you want to go deeper on retinol — the different types, the strengths, how to introduce it — we have a full episode on that. I'll link it in the show notes.

Keep sending your questions! These Q&A episodes are some of my favorites to record because the questions are always things people genuinely want to know and just haven't had the right person to ask.

You can ask us questions in our Youtube Video above, or Instagram.