Did you know witch hazel has more than one use? The plant is a natural beta-hydroxy acid that typically acts as an astringent and natural skin care toner. It’s been used for centuries by people with sensitive skin and rosacea because of its anti-inflammatory properties, which help soothe redness, itchiness, swelling, and other symptoms. Fortunately, thanks to the rise in DIY home remedies and natural skincare trends, witch hazel is becoming increasingly popular as a skincare product. And why not? The benefits of witch hazel are many: it tightens pores, balances oil production, treats blemishes or acne pimples and redness with antimicrobial properties to reduce the risk of infection.
What is Witch Hazel Toner?
A witch hazel toner is a soothing astringent that can be used on the face, neck, and chest to minimize pores, treat acne, and reduce redness and inflammation from breakouts. It's often used as a first step in the skincare routine (after cleansing) to prep the skin for more targeted serums and creams. A witch hazel toner is an alcohol-free liquid that is made from the extractions of the witch hazel shrub. This shrub grows in Asia and North America and is known for its skin-calming properties. The shrub has been used in traditional medicine for many years and has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and mild astringent properties.
How Does Witch Hazel Toner Work?
Witch hazel is a plant-based astringent with anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties that is also loaded with antioxidants. These three properties are what make witch hazel an excellent skincare product. Astringents like witch hazel cause the skin to shrink a bit and pores to close, helping to reduce the appearance of blemishes, blackheads, and whiteheads. Witch hazel is also a great product for oily skin since it can help to regulate the amount of oil that your skin produces. This is a result of witch hazel’s anti-bacterial properties which help to keep your pores clean and prevent acne breakouts from becoming infected.
5 Benefits of Using a Witch Hazel Toner
- Tightens pores - Witch hazel is an astringent that helps to close pores and reduce the appearance of blackheads and whiteheads. This makes witch hazel a great product for those who want to minimize the appearance of large pores. - Balances oil production - Witch hazel has anti-bacterial properties that help to keep pores clean and prevent acne breakouts. This makes it a great product for those who experience oily skin or large amounts of excess oil production. - Treats redness - Witch hazel has anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce redness in the skin. This makes it a great product for those who experience red marks from breakouts or other skin issues. - Soothes acne-related itching - Witch hazel has anti-microbial properties that help to treat blemishes and prevent infection. This makes it a great product for those who experience itching as a result of acne breakouts. - Treats sunburn - Witch hazel has anti-microbial properties that help to prevent infection. In addition to this, witch hazel also has astringent properties that help to soothe the skin. This makes it a great product for those who experience sunburn.
How to Use Witch Hazel Toner?
- Exfoliate: Exfoliating before cleansing can encourage your pores to open and make your skin ready for treatment. Choose a gentle exfoliant like a sugar or jojoba sugar scrub. - Tone: After removing your makeup and cleansing your skin, you want to make sure to follow up with a toner. Witch hazel is a great toner that can help to tighten pores, reduce redness, and regulate oil production. - Moisturize: After using your witch hazel toner, you want to make sure to moisturize your skin. Choose a moisturizer that is made for your skin type.
4 Tips for Choosing the Right Witch Hazel Toner
- Picking the right toner will depend on what you want from the product. If you want something that is going to be an effective acne treatment, then you want to look for ingredients that are strong enough to kill bacteria. Harsh ingredients like salicylic acid can help to dry out acne and reduce breakouts. - If your skin is oily, then you want something that is going to be a lightweight moisturizer. You don’t want to choose something that is going to cause your skin to become even more oily. - If your skin is dry, then you want to pick a toner that is going to be moisturizing enough to hydrate your skin. You don’t want to pick something that is going to dry out your skin even more. - If you have sensitive skin, then you want to pick a toner that is going to be gentle enough for your skin. You don’t want to pick something that is going to cause irritation in your skin.
Bottom line
Witch hazel is an excellent skincare product for all skin types. It's effective in natural acne treatment. It can help to tighten pores, reduce breakouts, and regulate oil production. It can also be used to treat redness, soothe acne-related itching, and treat sunburn. Witch hazel can be used as a toner or as a standalone product. We make sure to put it in our blissani Naturals Vegan Anti-Aging Serum along with botanical extracts like licorice root to improve skin tone while reducing wrinkles and blemishes.
