Thayers Witch Hazel Vs Generic Witch Hazel

[Mr. Bonney]

I use Dickensons and generic, depending on which one the store has when I'm buying. (For some reason one is always sold out). Neither gives me a burn, unless I've nicked myself.
For those days that are the last use of a blade and I'm a bit raw, WH followed by some Superior 70 Bay Rum usually calms the irritation down. And the BR scent is usually gone within 30-40 minutes, so I can apply aftershave before heading out the door.

 

[HiPowerRon]

I've used Dickenson's Witch Hazel w/alcohol, but after trying the Thayers Cucumer I prefer the face feel that I get with Thayers. I think the Dickenson's witch hazel with alcohol is a good product, but I prefer the Thayers formula with Aloe Vera and other ingredients for an aftershave.

 

[Chandu]

Still stinks!

Lol. I get more of a woodsy smell from it I don't mind ot and the smell is gone as soon as it dries

 

[Bhugo]

Lol. I get more of a woodsy smell from it I don't mind ot and the smell is gone as soon as it dries

I agree. It goes very quickly. Cheers.

 

[Will DDH]

I've been using Dickenson's w/alcohol for about 4 months now and it works well for me. I use it more for an astringent. I'll apply a balm about 5 minutes after the Dickenson's. So far so good.

 

[emwolf]

I got some free samples of Brickell skin care line and one was called "toner" and it's just witchhazel but it's scented with cucumber. Depending on the full price, I mgiht be buying some of that in the future.

 

[Rafa1205]

I felt a difference between Thayers and a generic that I tried. Thayers is definitely a quality product.

 

[ike]

Thayer's witch hazel is not distilled and this apparently leaves more tannins in the witch hazel extract. The more tannins the better for skin repair from what I've read. Some other brands distill their witch hazel which reduces the tannin level. How big of a deal this is I am not sure, but this is one of the main differences between brands, prices, etc.

 

[Scaramouche]

I use witch hazel as a post-shave astringent before applying my aftershave.

Dickinson's has this: 100% distilled Witch Hazel

Thayers (Original) has this: Purified Water, SD Alcohol 40-B (Natural Grain) 10%, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Certified Organic Filet of Aloe Vera), Hamamelis Virgiana Extract (made from Certified Organic Witch Hazel), Glycerin (Vegetable), Fragrance (Natural Witch Hazel), Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Citric Acid.

Other Thayers products contain even more additives. As a stand-alone product, Thayers makes a good, soothing toner and aftershave. I don't, however, want to apply my aftershave on top of this dog's breakfast of other ingredients, particularly scented ingredients - I just want it to tone up my skin and disappear. Dickinson's does this.

 

[steveclarkus]

I have the Rose scented Thayers and it reminds me of my grandmother so I don’t use it. In any case, I prefer alcohol based AS - instant wake up!

 

[Bengal Tiger]

I've been using Thayers for years and will keep doing so. I use it as an aftershave splash and it's fantastic stored in the fridge and splashed on during these hot summer months. I like the alcohol-free toner, cucumber scent. I also keep a bottle of medicated that I use for pimples or bug bites, but not as an aftershave. I have a bunch of alcohol splashes but reach for Thayers more often.

If you like alcohol in your witch hazel, you can save even more money and get store brand witch hazels which are mostly made by Dickinsons anyway. You can add essential oils to scent it if desired.

 

[RayClem]

I've been using Thayers for years and will keep doing so. I use it as an aftershave splash and it's fantastic stored in the fridge and splashed on during these hot summer months. I like the alcohol-free toner, cucumber scent. I also keep a bottle of medicated that I use for pimples or bug bites, but not as an aftershave. I have a bunch of alcohol splashes but reach for Thayers more often.

If you like alcohol in your witch hazel, you can save even more money and get store brand witch hazels which are mostly made by Dickinsons anyway. You can add essential oils to scent it if desired.

I have used both generic witch hazel (Meijer brand) and Dickinsons. They may both be made in the same factory (or maybe not), but Dickinsons branded WH has a more concentrated scent than the generic. The Dickinsons seems to be "smokier", but I have no idea why.

 

[Cracker]

I tried some Thayers (with and without alcohol) due to high praises on YT. My face felt a bit sticky and I broke out eventualy. I now use Dickinson, and I am very happy with it.

 

[dmshaver]

I prefer Thayers & will continue using it.

 

[Clay S]

I mix Thayer's and generic at about 50/50 ratio. I'm frugal (cheap), what can I say.

 

[Basil]

I haven’t used a generic one before to be honest. I keep finding the theyers on sale so I just buy that. After a shave I just rub it on instead of any other splashes and I go on with my day.

 

[ackvil]

I use Thayers daily and have done so for about ten years. Before that, I used generic WH. I recently had a quest over who mixed ten parts Thayers with one part Clubman! He says he likes the Clubman scent although I could not smell it.

 

[BigJ]

Not all WH is created the same way. Nor do they all have the same ingredients. Some WH products are astringents and contain alcohol. As an illustration here is the reverse side of the Dickinson WH bottle.


WH can be a toner or an astringent. The main difference is that astringents are alcohol based and are used to remove the oil from your skin. Toners, on the other hand, contain ingredients such as glycerin, aloe vera, etc. which are meant to draw water into the skin and help repair it.

I happen to like Thayers Rose Petal WH, which is a toner. The ingredients are: Purified Water, Certified Organic Witch Hazel Ext Blend (Hamamelis Virginiana Extract (Witch Hazel), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Filet of Aloe Vera), Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Flower Water, Fragrance (Natural Rose), Citric Acid, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract. This is a toner and it feels wonderful on my skin.

Dickinson now makes what it calls an Enhanced Witch Hazel which is a toner rather than an astringent. However, it is not as readily available as Thayers and when I looked for it on Amazon, it was more expensive.

Great explanation!! It pays to read the labels!!

 

[HatMagnet]

I've never tried Thayers as it's not available in my area. Here it's Dickinson's or generic store brand.

I've been using the Dickinson's with a few drops of orange essential oil added. No reason for the EO other than I don't care much for the scent of straight witch hazel.

Anyway the Dickinson's (blue label) is very soothing especially when followed by a liberal amount of Lucky Tiger.

 

[Umma2gumma]

I like alcohol based WH. I actually added about half a bottle of Brut Splash On to my Dickinson's once I used about a quarter of it. I like the initial sting and then WH goes to work. I don't use an AS, though.