No it isn’t. We only bottle private label store brands such as Walgreens, Walmart and the like.
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
Witch Hazel, particularly Thayer's, is the most misleading fraud on wet shavers
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No it isn’t. We only bottle private label store brands such as Walgreens, Walmart and the like.
AoM; B.O.S.S.;Knight of the Veg Table;MFR2019
Does it smell like stale socks?
You must have oily skin. I couldn't endure that kind of routine... too many astringents. Alum in particular is extremely harsh.
Dickenson's has a witch hazel toner out that's alcohol free and has rosewater and hyaralonic acid. It's only about 6 bucks for a 16 ounce bottle (you can probably find it in the ladies section of a drugstore, but I found it on Amazon). Despite the rosewater, it doesn't really smell like roses, it has more of an herbal type smell. It does make my skin feel great, though. I put some in a spray atomizer and use it as a mist on my face.
I've been having a bit of brush burn from an evil German badger so I've developed sensitive skin, and I can't use my usual aftershave. I think I'm going to start using witch hazel instead, along with Nivea balm.
I tried googling about Witch Hazel and it got weird....
I don't know about a placebo effect, but Dickenson's never did it for me. Not sure why. Thayers smells much more pleasant and has saved me on using moisturizers and aftershave balms after getting out the shower to re-hydrate my dry skin after a hot shower.
Do you splash on witch hazel then aftershave?
When I use witch hazel I either splash it on before aftershave or mix it with the aftershave.
I wonder if adding some glycerin would improve it more.
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We’ll find out, I’m going to mix some up on the following proportions:
4 parts witch hazel usp
3 parts rose water (Manetti Roberts)
1 part glycerine
Same recipe as above but reducing the rose water to add some glycerine. We’ll see if that’s enough glycerine to be noticeable or if I’ll need to add more or less in the next batch.
Should provide the medical effects of the real witch hazel but with some glycerine to offset the alcohol and the rose water to offset the smell.
If the ingredients were listed in order of volume of the total (bringing this back to the OP’s point), they’d be:
Witch hazel
Rose water
Glycerine
Alcohol
Thayers also has aloe as a main ingredient, so if we wanted to be more like that we could drop the rose water and/or glycerine a tad and add some aloe. Might try that next after seeing how this goes.
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So I mixed this up and tried it out. Felt good, but think it was a little too much glycerine and not enough water to cling to it (since glycerine is a humectant it draws moisture from your deeper skin layers if you use too much)
So, before proceeding further I consulted the women of the natural cosmetics hobby (it’s like looking in a mirror, gents!), and the proper ratio of rose water to glycerine is 6 to 1 for creating a moisturizing rose water toner (what I had before was the maximum you can do with glycerine, but given the witch hazel seems like you want extra moisture for the same amount of glycerine).
So, with this R&D in mind, here’s the new, official Bootleggers Witch Hazel recipe:
7 parts witch hazel usp
6 parts rose water
1 part glycerine
To be honest, now that I think about this as I write this, when I remixed and dilutes the glycerine I think what I’m actually using is 8:6:1 now, but that’s only 3.3% difference in the amount of witch hazel versus the intended recipe, so shouldn’t matter much they I’m off slightly
I will continue to use for several days and post the results.
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So I mixed this up and tried it out. Felt good, but think it was a little too much glycerine and not enough water to cling to it (since glycerine is a humectant it draws moisture from your deeper skin layers if you use too much)
So, before proceeding further I consulted the women of the natural cosmetics hobby (it’s like looking in a mirror, gents!), and the proper ratio of rose water to glycerine is 6 to 1 for creating a moisturizing rose water toner (what I had before was the maximum you can do with glycerine, but given the witch hazel seems like you want extra moisture for the same amount of glycerine).
So, with this R&D in mind, here’s the new, official Bootleggers Witch Hazel recipe:
7 parts witch hazel usp
6 parts rose water
1 part glycerine
To be honest, now that I think about this as I write this, when I remixed and dilutes the glycerine I think what I’m actually using is 8:6:1 now, but that’s only 3.3% difference in the amount of witch hazel versus the intended recipe, so shouldn’t matter much they I’m off slightly
I will continue to use for several days and post the results.
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I won’t reformulate yet, but here’s the ratios that get the witch hazel over 50% concentration (taking into account that the witch hazel usp is 86% concentrate to start), which is what the FDA says is medical level doses:
10 parts witch hazel usp
6 parts rose water
1 part glycerine
That puts the witch hazel just over 50%, and 4.8% greater than the 8:6:1 ratio I’m using right now.
When I run out of the test batch I’ll switch to using this ratio going forward for more testing.
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Thanks @Demaratus !
The early 1900s generalization for converting toilet water to a vegetal was to add 1-2% glycerine to the total volume of finished toilette water. The actual water to glycerine ratio would have been dependent on the composition of the main ingredients, and that is lost to time. As always, personal preference will be the guide, but in my own experiences of making several aftershaves, EDTs and skin serums, I have found that the concept of 'less is more' applies.
I like the grocery outlet brand of witch hazel. High ratio and $1.50 lol.
I'm pretty sure that Brian C has either seen or touched my witch hazel.
I'm pretty sure that Brian C has either seen or touched my witch hazel.
thayers said:
Heh. You're not getting any extraction if you're not distilling.
From the blog "Living Naturally"
"Non-distilled witch hazel products—tinctures and infusions—capture more of the plant’s natural astringent compounds (called tannins), most of which don’t survive the distillation process. Herbalists say the plant has other beneficial compounds, too.
You can make these yourself if you have access to witch hazel trees in neighboring woods. (Use the native species, Hamamelis virginiana, rather than the ornamental varieties sold in plant nurseries.) Here’s how:
Prune a few handfuls of twigs and small branches (please prune with care* so you don’t injure the tree). Then cut the twigs into small pieces, after peeling and scraping as much of the bark as possible from the twigs into your container with a sharp tool. The bark, especially the inner bark, contains the highest concentration of healing compounds.
"Non-distilled witch hazel products—tinctures and infusions—capture more of the plant’s natural astringent compounds (called tannins), most of which don’t survive the distillation process. Herbalists say the plant has other beneficial compounds, too.
You can make these yourself if you have access to witch hazel trees in neighboring woods. (Use the native species, Hamamelis virginiana, rather than the ornamental varieties sold in plant nurseries.) Here’s how:
Prune a few handfuls of twigs and small branches (please prune with care* so you don’t injure the tree). Then cut the twigs into small pieces, after peeling and scraping as much of the bark as possible from the twigs into your container with a sharp tool. The bark, especially the inner bark, contains the highest concentration of healing compounds.
- For a water-based witch hazel decoction, place the chopped twigs and scraped bark into a stainless-steel pot; cover completely with water (use distilled water if you have heavily treated water), bring the contents to a boil, then cover the pot and reduce heat and simmer for at least half an hour. Keep the twigs covered with water. Set in a cool place overnight, then strain into glass jar. Refrigerate and use within a few days.
- To make a long-lasting alcohol tincture, place chopped bark and twigs in a large glass jar and cover with vodka. Let it sit in a dark, cool place for six weeks, then strain and store, covered, in a glass jar, also in a cool, dark place. To use, dilute a couple of tablespoons in half a cup of water, soak clean gauze, washcloth, or cotton balls in the mixture, and apply.
You can always make an alcohol tincture quite easily, but if you're avoiding alcohol AND distillation like Thayer's claims, they're loosing out on 3/4 of the plant.
Thayers has quite a following. I’m sure they have some proprietary method of extracting the active ingredients. I’m also sure they won’t tell people what it is regardless of how well it does/doesn’t work. Claims as to the effectiveness of their potions would surely be anecdotal just like any other brand.
If you like it, it’s great!
If you like it, it’s great!
Good to know. Based on the 8:6:1 mixture I’m using currently the glycerine level is at 6.7% of total volume (what the organic makeup ladies recommended).
So far I’m liking the results (my face feels amazing, so moist and no irritation at all, way better than before), but I live in dry Front Range Colorado and have dryer skin consequently. In a moister clime and/or moister skin, I could see 2-3% being better. So in that case 16 to 20:12:1 on the proportions would deliver 3 percent glycerine.
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