My Favorite Witch

Witch Hazel

With all the pricey face products on the market, I was curious what most contained.  Today I will focus on toners, sometimes called: cleansers.

I spent countless hours reading the ingredients of the popular toners on the market.  I knew there would be many with names that I could not pronounce, but I was surprised that some even contain acid!  When I have used toners in the past, I have been pretty unimpressed with the additional services they provide.  I used to be of the mindset: what ever happened to good 'ol soap and water with a washcloth?

I have come leaps and bounds from using soap and a washcloth, but I still wonder what makes expensive products better than Dove bar soap.  Upon research, I was disgusted with what goes into a toning product.  Did you know some of the big brand name companies put coloring in their products?  Yeah, who doesn't need a little Blue #1 and some Red #33 or maybe a bit of Yellow #5? Ugh. Gross.

My research changed, and I began searching for something that would remove the excess dirt and grime, but not leave my face completely crusty and dry.  I was always impressed with the amount of dirt alcohol pulled off my skin - even after washing.  However, it was too harsh and most often caused my skin to get very dry.  Of course I never thought the wintergreen version of rubbing alcohol was a smart choice in a household with children. I also wanted a product that was inexpensive AND without ingredients that were impossible to pronounce.

So I decided to purchase a bottle of witch hazel.  You would think I was looking for uranium when I asked the store clerk at Kroger for a bottle.  She said, "I guess it would be by the rubbing alcohol.  But I don't think we have any."  I also had to search behind a few bottles of alcohol to finally find the witch hazel bottle at CVS.  You'd think I was looking for something gone the way of the dinosaurs.  And then I thought, well maybe people like buying astringents with food coloring and ingredients they cannot pronounce - just because the bottle is pretty and/or because it is from a company with great marketing.

So now, each evening I use witch hazel to clean the dirt from my pores, and I am very happy with its astringent characteristics.  I apply it with cotton balls to my dirty face, rather than washing with soap and water.  I apply it again to tighten my skin.  Of course I always moisturize afterward.

But I definitely feel that for a small price: $4.69 for a 16oz bottle, one cannot beat witch hazel for its benefits as a toner.  It is definitely Stuff That Really Works.