Interesting thread, thank you, gentlemen, for your answers. Have any of you that use Dickenson or other brands, not Thayers, added glycerin to the WH? What are your thoughts to adding glycerin?
Pure witch hazel question
- Thread starter Nicholas
- Start date
Yes, Thayers has multiple formulations, too numerous to list. The point being, they generally have about 10-15 ingredients listed other than witch hazel, and I have never been able to decipher from the list what percentage or how much witch hazel is actually in it. I do note that generally witch hazel is at or near the bottom of the list, and at least in US convention that means the least amount of product, the most being the first listed.
- Thread starter
- #23
Just look at the ingredients list in post #17. They updated it in the newer packaging.
First is purified water. Second is 10% alcohol. Witch hazel comes fourth. So, it's pretty easy to guess the percentage.
I would add aloe vera rather than glycerin (did it for a while actually).
- Thread starter
- #25
I agree. Aloe vera is a much better ingredient.
I have added glycerin, aloe and menthol to Dickinson toner. I had to add a lot of aloe and glycerin to make it like Superhazel. It was on the order of tablespoons of aloe and a tablespoon of glycerine. It never mixed well and had to be shaken before use. It works great though. I happen to like superhazel much better for the scent but the price is high.
I think it will be impossible to compare how much witch hazel is in each brand. Water is the biggest component by far in any of the products regardless of whether it’s included in the distillate or listed separately.
I think it will be impossible to compare how much witch hazel is in each brand. Water is the biggest component by far in any of the products regardless of whether it’s included in the distillate or listed separately.
- Thread starter
- #27
Isn't it interesting that not a single artisan made a post in this thread? This is one of the two forums that I started this thread. The same on the other. No artisans. Just members and I thank them. I also bet they saw it. It would be nice to read their thoughts, maybe a few suggestions like don't use much aloe if you don't want your toner to be sticky, or what kind of water to use. I wonder why! [emoji2] I guess they only participate to promote their products.
Gents, it's too easy to make your own toner. I made one and it turned out as I hoped. And it was my first attempt. I am sure these artisans started like me. They didn't know anything, but read and experimented a lot to start their brand. I am certainly not going to start selling toners or such products, I am not an expert and still have a lot of things to learn. I made a 1000ml toner that will last me for years and cost me only 19 euros. The ingredients I used are pure and of high quality. It would have cost me a LOT less, if I had bought larger quantities. I now know first hand the huge profit margins of the artisans.
Gents, it's too easy to make your own toner. I made one and it turned out as I hoped. And it was my first attempt. I am sure these artisans started like me. They didn't know anything, but read and experimented a lot to start their brand. I am certainly not going to start selling toners or such products, I am not an expert and still have a lot of things to learn. I made a 1000ml toner that will last me for years and cost me only 19 euros. The ingredients I used are pure and of high quality. It would have cost me a LOT less, if I had bought larger quantities. I now know first hand the huge profit margins of the artisans.
Yes, you could probably accurately state from the 9 ingredients listed that hamamelis virginiana extract is somewhere between .01% and 69.99% (Purified Water being assumed to be 10% or greater, and Barbadensis Leaf Juice being 10% or less), depending on the concentration of the other 6 ingredients and how many decimal points you wanted to carry it.
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- Thread starter
- #29
No, it does not work that way. You fail to understand what I'm talking about.
Purified water is the first ingredient. It means there is a very high proportion of water in the mix (usually such toners contain 60-70% of purified water). Second is alcohol (10%). Fourth is witch hazel. Which means WHAT? The proportion of witch hazel is =<10%! It simply CAN'T be more than 10%.
I'm trying to tell you in my last posts how ingredients lists work, but you just don't seem to understand it. Ingredients are listed in descending order in their "newer", not that new actually, packaging. You just can't throw ingredients in a list.
Believe what you want to believe, really.
It could be more than 10%, because according to the way USP labeling works, purified water could be 10%. It likely isn't, but the manufacturers don't say. But it could be. The operant rule being that the quantity or concentration of a listed ingredient cannot be greater than the previous ingredient listed. I gave a range. It's actually more complicated than that, because witch hazel "extract" is an alcohol distillate containing about 14% alcohol. Always. The rest is mostly water, with some other stuff. That water, and that alcohol, contributes to the percentage of alcohol and water. So yes, you could "guess" that the percentage of witch hazel extract is less than 10%. Or less than 20%. But not more than 70%. Which actually is in the ballpark of the extract percent range of witch hazel solutions with no other additives, the "pure" extract, with water, being about 86%.
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And I've just contradicted myself - apologies and I stand corrected!
10% or less it is. I hate reading Federal guidelines.... I'ts interesting though, that being the case, the relatively low percentage of WH "extract" in Thayers formulations.
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- Thread starter
- #32
Man I was insisting because I read a lot about toners, ingredients and proportions the last days, before making my own.And I've just contradicted myself - apologies and I stand corrected!
Like I said, Thayers are mostly purified water. If it works is another story. Most cosmetics contain water in high proportions.
You can make your own and it's very easy. That was my point. If I made it, then everyone can. Really.
Maybe they don't have any insight into WH compositions. Thayers isn't a vender here, and I don't know of any artisan offerings of WH.
- Thread starter
- #35
That could be true, but I don't really believe they don't know how to make a toner or at least make a suggestion. It would be a nice touch, that's what I meant.
As long as we have members willing to help and Google, we don't need them! [emoji39]
Chandu
I Waxed The Badger.
I jinxed myself. I'm using my Thayer's today. I have the lavender scent and I do like it except for the damnable sticky feel, which today as I said, is easy to overlook because of how well it brings me out of razor burn.
