You may have heard of butterfly pea tea. It’s got a slew of health benefits worthy of another post but honestly what caught my eye was the color one single bud can turn a liquid. The purply blue is magical and come to find out, butterfly pea is beneficial when used topically. I am having lots of ideas on how to use it in the future, hoping we may be able to have a purple/blue balm coming or at least a face oil or serum but for today let’s just make a simple butterfly pea toner!
Is Toner Necessary?
Well wouldn’t you know I wrote a whole post on that very question! Toners are a needed addition to your skincare routine if you are using a face oil. Toners typically contain witch hazel which is a fantastic skin beautifying tool. Witch hazel has been known to restore skin firmness and repair UV damaged skin.
Moist skin is more permeable meaning, your serums and oils will soak into your skin faster and hopefully deeper when applied to damp skin. Toners main job is to restore the pH balance of your skin. They can also pick up any gunk your cleanser didn’t catch. Depending on the toner ingredients, toners can also help exfoliate, soothe, de-flame and even clear the skin. My advice is to be careful your serum and toner aren’t redundant, meaning they have too many of the same ingredients or are meant to serve the same function.
Related Post: Witch Hazel Skin Benefits
Skin Benefits of Butterfly Pea and Witch Hazel:
Using butterfly pea topically can be helpful to the skin thanks to it’s makeup of anthocyanin, epigallocatechin gallate (one of the main catechins found in green tea), p-Coumaric acid, quercetin and other antioxidants.
Butterfly pea helps break down collagenase which is an enzyme that damages collagen. There is also research showing that butterfly pea helps with the production of collagen and elastin. Using a butterfly pea infused skincare product may help skin appear smoother and more supple.
Butterfly pea also hydrates the skin. It has been shown to increase hydration by 70% after only an hour of it being introduced to the skin! It contains compounds that form a hydrogen bond with the water in our skin, which slows down water loss.
Butterfly pea also helps soothe irritated or sensitive skin.
Related Post: How to Properly Infuse Herbs Into Oils
What You Need To Make Butterfly Pea Toner:
How to Infuse Witch Hazel w/ Butterfly Pea:
Honestly, there’s never been an infusion as easy as this one. Simply pour 1/2 a cup of witch hazel in a glass bottle, drop 1 butterfly pea flower into the witch hazel and let it sit for 24 hours. That’s it.
To make the toner, add glycerin and essential oils to a glass spray bottle and then top off with your infused witch hazel. So easy! In fact, if you don’t want to use glycerin or essential oils, don’t! This infusion is a great toner all on it’s own.
Materials
- 1/2 cup witch hazel
- 1 butterfly pea flower/bud
- 1/4 tsp. glycerin (optional)
- 3 drops lavender essential oil
- 2 drops helichrysum essential oil
Tools
- glass spray bottle
- small funnel
- measuring spoons and cups
- extra glass bottle for infusion and storage
Instructions
- Using a glass bottle, add 1/2 cup of witch hazel.
- Add 1 butterfly pea flower/bud to the witch hazel.
- Replace the cap and let infuse for 24 hours.
- Add glycerin and essential oils to a spray bottle.
- Top off with butterfly pea infused witch hazel.
- Store excess witch hazel in the fridge.
Notes
You can use a 4 ounce bottle or make a 2 ounce toner and store the rest in the fridge. This will insure freshness but isn’t absolutely necessary.
Recipe Notes:
- I recommend storing your toner in a dark glass bottle or in a cabinet. The toner can be sensitive to light and become less beneficial.
- The shelf life on this DIY toner is around 4-6 months. You don’t need to store it in the fridge but this would be a great product for those beauty fridges. Cold skincare can be great in the warmer months to reduce puffiness and beat the heat!
Related Post: How to Make Coffee Infused Oil
How To Use Butterfly Pea Toner:
Always cleanse your skin first. After cleansing is when a toner should be used. You can spray this toner (or any toner) on a cotton round for added exfoliation and cleansing or simple spritz on your skin. After toning, use a serum then face oil.
My entire household has been oohing and awwing over the color of this toner and thinking I’m saying butterfly pee rather than pea. Quite funny honestly. Butterflies are such magical creatures that perhaps their pee is this pretty hue-lol.
Two questions-Have you tried butterfly pea tea and can you think of more creative DIYs we could use this lovely flower in? I will experiment to see how it tints oils very soon!
xx, Jenni
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