"If it good to ya, it got to be good for ya!"
--Jerome Aniton, 1974
--Jerome Aniton, 1974
Witch Hazel, particularly Thayer's, is the most misleading fraud on wet shavers
- Thread starter SGold
- Start date
This is the best burn I’ve read on here in a while. You’re technically right, which is the best kind of right
Btw, in my homemade mixture, my face feels very similar to just using speick minus the cool speick plant smell. Given the main ingredients are almost the same, it’s not surprising.
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I agree with you it’s overpriced. The drugstore version is ridiculously cheap. That said it does agree with my skin
I just picked up some Dickinsons yellow label
I use Witch Hazel Alcohol Free from Penny Lane organics.100% pure and natural.No other ingredients.
Witch Hazel - Alcohol FREE
Alcohol Free Witch Hazel is clear, colorless botanical extract made from twigs of the Hamamelis virginiana Linné plant. Alcohol Free Witch Hazel is excellent for applications that require a soothing natural astringent properties of Witch Hazel without the drying effect of alcohol. Applications...
pennylaneorganics.com
Never used Thayers, have mostly used Dickensons because I can pick it up in person at a local store.
That said - I don't use WH religiously, just once in a while. Right now I am out, have been for months. When I was younger, it was a staple in my war on acne, and it served me well. As an adult, I guess you could say I use it as an old-school skin toner and it's good for that.
I will get more in the future because it's always worked well for me.
That said - I don't use WH religiously, just once in a while. Right now I am out, have been for months. When I was younger, it was a staple in my war on acne, and it served me well. As an adult, I guess you could say I use it as an old-school skin toner and it's good for that.
I will get more in the future because it's always worked well for me.
My wife thinks I bathe in Thayers WH! It feels great on my 77-year old skin. 
Rose water is a nice change of pace if you like the scent. Supposed to have healing properties for the skin. Quality varies, so check the ingredients. Some of them only pretend to be rose water and don't have the essential oil. Rose water can also be useful as an ingredient in DIY aftershaves.
Has anyone experimenting with using just the generic version of witch hazel for several months and compared to thayers witch hazel. I do feel like my skin is clearer if I use the thayers.
Dickinson's WH, Dickinson's Hydrating Skin Toner (basically WH + Rose Water) and Thayer's w/Rose Water are all in The Den.
All three of them seem to work just fine.
Right now I'm on a Dickinson's Hydrating Skin Toner kick.
All three of them seem to work just fine.
Right now I'm on a Dickinson's Hydrating Skin Toner kick.
Which of the Thayer's, w/o alcohol or w/alcohol, etc.?
I prefer medicated
I have been using Dickinson’s WH for years, but after reading through the thread I bought a bottle of generic supermarket brand WH last week for $2. It seems to do the job as well as the more expensive stuff.
I switched to Dickinson's Original WH and have been using it for a few months. It has the same ingredients as the generic (WH extract and 14% alcohol). I haven't noticed much difference in my skin compared with Thayer's Original w/aloe, but everyone's a little different.
I looked up the ingredients on the Thayer's medicated and it has some camphor,, calendula extract and other ingredients to reduce irritation. Maybe that is why it's helping you more?
So I have been running this experiment for the last week. Previously I always used Thayers, but since last weekend I stared using this new blend that relies on the stronger drug store generic witch haze instead of thayers:
10 parts Witch Hazel USP (86% witch hazel, 14% alcohol)
6 parts Rose Water
1 part glycerine
I mixed it up thoroughly and put it in a glass spray bottle. If you use 1/4 oz per part you can make a little over 4 oz with this recipe, which fits perfect in a small glass bottle.
As for results: Using this stuff, I have can shave more frequently with more passes and not have the same redness my sensitive skin would display otherwise (my skin is just sensitive, as I don’t get feedback from aftershave or the alum).
I changed nothing else in my routine other than replacing thayers with this mixture. He is my routine for the last week:
Shower
Splash more water on my face after loading the brush with soap
Stirling preshave oil
Bowl lather
2 passes (wtg/Xtg or xtg/atg depending on if i shaved the day before or not; maybe buff a few spots if needed)
Tepid water rinse
Cold water rinse
Generous splash of Witch hazel blend (applied when skin not wet but still feels moist)
Aftershave (like Swiss pitralon, tabac, etc)
Nivea balm
Face lotion with spf
I let each post shave soak in before applying the next.
Hardware and software that were used every day over the last week:
Slim on 3 or 2
Polsilver
Various Simpson super or 2 band brushes
Tabac
So, i can confidently say that using this witch hazel blend, which has 50% witch hazel by volume, is more useful for healing my face and giving it a nice feel than Thayers.
In addition to the redness being reduced or eliminated, the mixture also gives my skin a better post shave feel that lasts throughout the day. This is not doubt in part due to the glycerine and rosewater in the mixture.
I highly recommend trying this blend, which I think could be called Bootleggers Witch Hazel.
I also think it might be amped up further by adding a few drops of pure tea tree oil and a little aloe, as long as the 50% witch hazel by volume is maintained in the recipe. I’ll probably try this once I kill the 4 oz bottle of the mixture in a few months.
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10 parts Witch Hazel USP (86% witch hazel, 14% alcohol)
6 parts Rose Water
1 part glycerine
I mixed it up thoroughly and put it in a glass spray bottle. If you use 1/4 oz per part you can make a little over 4 oz with this recipe, which fits perfect in a small glass bottle.
As for results: Using this stuff, I have can shave more frequently with more passes and not have the same redness my sensitive skin would display otherwise (my skin is just sensitive, as I don’t get feedback from aftershave or the alum).
I changed nothing else in my routine other than replacing thayers with this mixture. He is my routine for the last week:
Shower
Splash more water on my face after loading the brush with soap
Stirling preshave oil
Bowl lather
2 passes (wtg/Xtg or xtg/atg depending on if i shaved the day before or not; maybe buff a few spots if needed)
Tepid water rinse
Cold water rinse
Generous splash of Witch hazel blend (applied when skin not wet but still feels moist)
Aftershave (like Swiss pitralon, tabac, etc)
Nivea balm
Face lotion with spf
I let each post shave soak in before applying the next.
Hardware and software that were used every day over the last week:
Slim on 3 or 2
Polsilver
Various Simpson super or 2 band brushes
Tabac
So, i can confidently say that using this witch hazel blend, which has 50% witch hazel by volume, is more useful for healing my face and giving it a nice feel than Thayers.
In addition to the redness being reduced or eliminated, the mixture also gives my skin a better post shave feel that lasts throughout the day. This is not doubt in part due to the glycerine and rosewater in the mixture.
I highly recommend trying this blend, which I think could be called Bootleggers Witch Hazel.
I also think it might be amped up further by adding a few drops of pure tea tree oil and a little aloe, as long as the 50% witch hazel by volume is maintained in the recipe. I’ll probably try this once I kill the 4 oz bottle of the mixture in a few months.
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Thayers unscented alcohol free toner seems to work well for my face. Completely scentless and very calming. Not overly drying in the slightest. Witch hazel can exacerbate rosacea and this toner does not do that maybe since the WH concentration is not as high. I use Thayers twice a day after each face wash as well as after my shaves.
@Demaratus, according to my boss at work, the Process engineer, 5% (.8oz) glycerin in a 16oz bottle of store brand witch hazel (86/14) that we make is perfect for a post shave.
Monday morning before I left work, I asked him about it to confirm my math and that’s what he said.
This will maintain a better than 80% WH concentration. Technically, you also have to factor in the alcohol as well since it is mixed throughout and has astringent qualities as well. Because of this, if you add anything else, you have to account for the 6:1 ratio of WH to alcohol when doing your math to maintain the proper WH concentration.
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
Monday morning before I left work, I asked him about it to confirm my math and that’s what he said.
This will maintain a better than 80% WH concentration. Technically, you also have to factor in the alcohol as well since it is mixed throughout and has astringent qualities as well. Because of this, if you add anything else, you have to account for the 6:1 ratio of WH to alcohol when doing your math to maintain the proper WH concentration.
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
Thayer I do not use anyhow
But stirling witch hazel very regular instead of aftershave.
you can get it concentrated if needed and mix it up yourself (does smell)
But stirling witch hazel very regular instead of aftershave.
you can get it concentrated if needed and mix it up yourself (does smell)
I use Dickenson during my shave. I use Thayers unscented for making aftershaves so I don't have to deal with the witch hazel scent.
I like the non-alcoholic kind made by Reids of Chester here in Britain.
Great stuff that adds well to other products (Noxema pre-peri-post shave for example).
Great stuff that adds well to other products (Noxema pre-peri-post shave for example).
