Doesn't that dry out the shave area, which is a no-no? Or do you put on the WH after a shave, and then put on some Trumpers Skin Food or the like? thank you
Typically the latter - although some are more than happy to leave it just after the witch hazel and not bother with another product over the top.
I put witch hazel on my neck only, then I use some aftershave. Edit.. sorry I only use it after i shave.
why the neck only? is it because this is the area that suffers the most skin irrtation after a shave?
Yea for me it does my cheeks are fine, but thats not the same for everyone. i personally dont like how it tightens my cheeks and I like using some aftershave. Also it will evaporate quickly so it doesnt leave an odor or make you feel greasy.
Witch Hazel, like rubbing alcohol, is an astringent. It constricts body tissues - e.g. closes pores, helps heal stretch marks and other scars, etc. Astringents are used in the relief of such minor skin irritations as those resulting from superficial cuts, allergies, and insect bites. They also form a microscopic coating which helps to protect the skin. However, UNLIKE rubbing alcohol, 100% pure witch hazel does not sting/burn when applied to irritated skin and it doesn't dry your skin out. (FYI- if you get a bottle, make sure it's pure. Many producers mix in alcohol.) Since a little goes a long way, it's been quite a while since I've had to replace a bottle, but, if I recall correctly, a bottle of pure witch hazel goes for about $4-6 at the grocery/drug store. Of course, if you are using an aftershave splash or balm, odds are it already contains an astringent - very possibly even witch hazel - making having a bottle of pure witch hazel on hand unnecessary.
Second week shaving. I got a bottle that does have some alcohol (14%) in it. It doesn't burn too bad. And I kind of like the way it smells. A splash of that and some clubman talc power on the neck and I am good to go!
Welcome to The Shave Den Bobert. A great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving! I hope you enjoy your stay. While its not required, how about you hop over to the Newbies Section and give yourself a proper introduction thread, I'm sure you'll receive many warm welcomes from the friendly folks of this community.
Seriously spend the extra cash and buy Thayers, your face will thank you... I can understand why some use it as their aftershave and nothing else, it stops irritation and smooths out the face better than most balms/splashes.
Before I found out about Thayers, I bought Dickinson's Witch Hazel in my local CVS. The front of the package said 100% all natural witch hasel... but when I brought it home and actually read the ingredients (dohh!!) sure enough it contains 14% alcohol. I've been using it anyways and not sure if it actually helps or not, but I now wonder if alcohol-free Thayers would be better.
Yeah, but the witch hazel is 100% all natural. Just like fast food joints with their 100% Angus Beef hamburgers. Sure the beef is 100% Angus, but the filler isn't.
Put about 1/2 teaspoon glycrine into 2 ozs. of witch hazel pure not the 14 percent alcohol type and thre or four drops of your choice of oil like lavender The mixture should not be sicky if it is reduce amount o glycirne. The witch hazel isvery healing and will not sting your skin should have a good clean etch feeling to it John The Flatlands of Kansas
First off, Welcome to The Shave Den John! A great community of guys and gals that enjoy wet shaving, I hope you enjoy your stay! While its not required, how about you hop over to the Newbies Section and give yourself a proper introduction thread, I'm sure you'll receive many warm welcomes from the friendly folks of this community. I hope you don't mind that I touched up your post above just a bit and removed the large blank space. If you have any questions, feel free to ask away!
The Witch Hazel plant, Hamamelis Virginiana, is a small flowering bush. The plant doesn't produce a lot of essential oil and as a result 100% pure witch hazel is not available at the consumer level. There are two primary methods used to extract the oil from the plant. One is to use alcohol to leach out the oil which is essentially a distillation process. This is the cheaper alternative and results in most of the products for sale - certainly the ones in the drug stores. If you look carefully on most products called Witch Hazel, you will find that they in fact contain alcohol. A much older method of extracting the oil is a hydrosol process which essentially means removing the oil in a water (hydro) solution (sol). This method involves using a lot of plant material as it is not as effective as the alcohol method, but as it is dissolved in water, it is a very good quality product and not adulterated with alcohol. This is the method native americans used when procuring witch hazel for use as a medicine. Witch hazel from hydrosol, such as the Thayers alcohol free products, are excellent skin toners to use after shaving. It has long been used for this purpose and for treating acne, blistered dry skin, insect bites and all sorts of skin related conditions. However, when the alcohol distilled product is used, it can have the reverse effect and be a drying and irritating topical for some people. So, real Witch Hazel, is a bush!
Should Witch Hazel be applied while your face is still wet? I like to put it on before I go to bed at night as well as in the morning after I shave. It's soothing to my neck which is sometimes not happy with that third pass.
