Sometimes the natural beauty community is frowned upon. People often look down on natural products or view them with a heavy dose of skepticism, believing that the products are less effective simply because they are natural. When it comes to witch hazel, however, that’s just not the case. Among popular natural skincare ingredients like tea tree and rose, witch hazel has a fairly well-known reputation as a soothing ingredient for skin and skin irritations. The various skin benefits of witch hazel go far beyond a simple anti-inflammatory. Witch Hazel Toner is a great way to introduce this beautiful ingredient to the skin. Stay tuned for the full breakdown on why, when, and how to use witch hazel skin toner.
What is witch hazel?
We know that for some, witch hazel can be as familiar as rose water; but for many, witch hazel may as well be a paint color. Witch hazel is a flowering plant native to China, Japan and North America. The fringed yellow flower with a brown bulbous core blooms in winter and witch hazel toner has been documented for use in skin care as early as the 1800s. The astringent which is extracted from the buds of the plants has popularized by Native Americans for the treatment of various inflammatory skin conditions – from mouth sores to menopause.
How does witch hazel work?
Once used as a general treatment for all sorts of irritated skin conditions, many healing ointments and creams may still contain witch hazel. Astringent witch hazel contains a component called tannins, which many may be familiar with when it comes to wine. In the popular drink, tannins give wine a more complex flavor and texture, helping to create “legs” that indicate a quality vintage. When it comes to witch hazel, however, we can consider tannins to be emergency responders for inflamed skin.
The tannins in witch hazel help decrease swelling, redness, and irritation by neutralizing inflammation-causing free radicals and removing impurities from the skin. One of, if not the biggest, benefit of witch hazel toner, this soothing quality allows this ingredient to be so diversely compatible with different skin types and skin conditions.
Who should use witch hazel?
Although we love witch hazel as a natural skincare ingredient, it’s always important to make sure the ingredients and formulas work for our skin before adopting them into our skincare routine. Witch hazel is great for oily, combination, and oily skin because it can really balance the skin. mildly dry skin can also see the calming and balancing effects of using witch hazel toner. It’s a great remedy for calming a rash or skin reaction, but may not be the best for recurring skin problems or dry skin conditions like psoriasis. For those looking to treat acne, redness, and rosacea, it may be best to try a patch test first to determine how the skin will react.
Skin Benefits of Witch Hazel
We’ve talked a bit about how witch hazel is incredibly soothing to the skin, but those aren’t the only benefits of witch hazel for the skin. Witch hazel actually helps to positively influence the protein in our skin cells. This process results in smoother and firmer skin, reduces puffiness and tightens pores.
We also mentioned that witch hazel contains antioxidants that can help reduce the environmental damage our skin faces. Witch hazel helps heal complexion issues like sunburn, sunspots, dark spots, and melasma. It also helps prevent our skin from environmental damage, and this preventative and recovery dual benefit makes witch hazel toner a particularly good ingredient for day and night skincare routines.
Finally, because witch hazel is a calming and balancing ingredient, witch hazel as a toner is a popular favorite for acne-prone, oily, and combination skin types. For those with active rashes, Witch Hazel Antimicrobial Toner can help decrease the redness and swollen feeling of a rash or pimple, as well as help fight the bacteria that cause it. acne for lasting soothing results. And for those with excess oil or battling an oily T-zone, witch hazel can have a mattifying and neutralizing effect.
Best Witch Hazel Toner Products
It will come as no surprise that we have a list of witch hazel toner favorites to recommend because honestly, this star ingredient is just plain good.
Lavender Niacinamide Pore Minimizing Toner
First up, our lovely new Lavender & Witch Hazel Toner. Ideal for all skin types, this hydrating toner has a base of calming aloe and lavender extract that helps soothe active breakouts, dryness, and skin imbalances. Witch hazel water does an amazing job of balancing and tightening tired, puffy fall and winter skin.
Skin types in need of attention, look no further. The main function of this toner is everything in the name – restorative. Formulated with healing butternut holly and our favorite ingredient of the day, witch hazel, this toner is designed to reduce redness, puffiness and puffiness. A great option for that time of the month or for skin going through a tough seasonal transition, this thoughtful blend of aloe, rosewater, and witch hazel is like a shortcut to happier skin.
Jasmine Green Tea Balancing Tonic
Those who are into brightening and anti-aging will love this spa-like toner experience. Formulated with antibacterial invigorating jasmine along with invigorating and balancing green tea, this toner is stacked to fight age-inducing free radicals and create luminous, tight, smooth, ageless skin.
Tea Tree & Willow Clarifying Astringent
Friends of oily and combination skin, say hello to this beauty. Formulated with acne-fighting heavyweights like neem, rosemary, and tea tree—not to mention witch hazel, of course—this star-studded list of ingredients is a breakout’s worst nightmare. Antimicrobial and antibacterial, they work together to fight acne-causing bacteria as well as active skin inflammation for faster recovery and less scarring, all in one step of care.
Need something stronger to fight acne, or just want an extra layer of witch hazel for even happier skin? Try a witch hazel infused face mask to add that extra hydration with the healing and soothing benefits of soothing flowers and anti-acne herbs.
Tips on Using Witch Hazel
As mentioned, witch hazel made its way into skincare as early as the 1800s. One of the first documented cases was the production of distilled witch hazel by Thomas Newton Dickinson. With its wide availability today, witch hazel is most often incorporated into hydration products like serums, toners, and moisturizers. Even so, witch hazel toner is currently the most popular and beneficial way to get the skin benefits of witch hazel.
We recommend applying Witch Hazel Toner between the cleansing and serum steps of a beauty routine; for those who choose not to use a serum, this toner application would be after cleansing and before moisturizing. Depending on the thickness or viscosity of the toner, it can be sprayed directly onto the skin via a mist, or applied with the hands or a cotton ball. Ideally, apply the toner to a clean cotton ball so that it is damp but not dripping, then spread the toner evenly over the surface of the skin. Wait a minute or two for the product to be absorbed before continuing with the skin routine.
Toner is the first step in replenishing skin’s moisture after it has been removed or depleted during cleansing. For this reason, it is important that the toner we use is effective, for example in ensuring that our first meal of the day is hot and filling. A witch hazel toner provides all of these soothing, healing, and balancing benefits while deeply hydrating the skin. Lightweight, it acts as the perfect priming base to layer over a hyaluronic acid or vitamin C serum to achieve clear, luminous and plumped youthful skin.
In terms of crafting an overall skincare routine, it’s important to remember that harsh, potent, and astringent products may not be the best for everyday use. While it’s necessary to consider all ingredients in a product, we recommend increasing daily (or nearly daily) use of witch hazel toner over time. Start with once or twice a week and limit the introduction of other new skincare products during this phase to determine the best frequency of witch hazel toner use for you.
