I realize how much I have come to rely on Witch Hazel as a way to cap off my shave. Indeed I apply it to my face and neck and even behind my ears...and my skin has never looked and felt so good. I have all the Thayers flavours, but it seems I rely on Dickinsons WH that I buy from Walmart as my daily splash. I even put some in a small spray bottle and use a few squirts as my deodorant. This is one of those wonder products that serves many purposes. I can't imagine a shave without my trusted WH. I did some reading and it turns out the WH has been around as a herbal remedy for a long time.
Witch hazel has been a savior for me as well. I make my own splash with witch hazel as the main ingredient.
I use about 3/4 of a container worth of witchel hazel, 1/8 aloe Vera juice or gel, a tiny splash of vodka and maybe a few drops of essential oil or fragrance depending. Just shake very well to evenly distribute.
When I discovered the stinging heat feedback and skin tightening effect of an alum block I set my WH aside. Just recently brought out a small bottle with added lime & patchouli EO. It's got a good dose of alcohol so substitutes as aftershave. Not sure about the long term effects. Yet!
I LOVE WITCH HAZEL...Thayers is my current go to, but I've used many and loved them all... Fuzzy hipped me to just using a generous splash of WH for your 'clean-up' pass, instead of lather...Now I have to do that or I feel I've left something out.... My Dad used to pour about a gram or 1/2 gram of alum powder into his bottle of WH, and the each day he would shake and then splash...He told me that would keep you from ever getting loose face skin or 'chicken neck'..He had no wrinkles when he passed in his mid 80's, ...I should have listened to him...Hoping now it will get rid of "chicken neck" retro-actively...
I'm very happy with T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel Astringent because Thayers Witch Hazel cost a lot more and it's a waste of money for example in AUD$ 1. T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel Astringent (240ml) $6.50 AUD 2. Thayers Witch Hazel (355ml) $23.00 AUD I can buy 3 bottles of T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel Astringent (720ml in total) for almost the same price for 1 bottle of Thayers Witch Hazel, stop wasting your money on Thayers and get yourself some T.N. Dickinson Witch Hazel.
I used to mix WH with aloe Vera, but I stopped that after I discovered just plain WH did the trick for me. I believe most recipes I've seen for DIY AS splash all seem to use a mix of WH, isopropyl alcohol and somekind of drinking alcohol.
TN Dickinsons here as well every day! It's just one of the many great suggestions I've gotten from this forum! Thanks everyone!!
Big fan of WH myself. I've never tasted any, so I'm not aware of how they are flavored. I do know WH comes in various scents.
I've been using the generic store brand witch hazel now for about a year. I use it after every shave and I feel that it helps soothe my skin.
I have 4 versions of witch hazel, three of them Thayers: generic storebrand usp which I use mainly for insect bites, etc., and Thayers Witch Hazel Original Non-Alcoholic Tonic, Thayers Witch Hazel Original Astringent Tonic (10% alcohol) and Thayers Witch Hazel Astringent Aftershave (20% alcohol and no glycerin). The tonics have glycerin and the aftershave doesn't. Other than that, the only difference between the three is the amount of alcohol. I bounce between them depending on the level of burn and drying effect I want with my WH soothing.
I use witch hazel after every shave and go with the cheap drug store variety. I used to mix in some aftershave to make a compound splash. I would follow with balm, but have now switched to witch hazel followed by aftershave a couple of minutes later. I've been going without the balm for a while now and am enjoying it.
thayers original and thayers lemon.from local drug store.i use it every shave and the alum once a week .i still use aftershave but the balms less and less.i don t like the greasy skin feel after a shave.will use nivea men face cream once in a while.huge skin improvement.
