5 Ways to Use Witch Hazel for Your Skin
Witch hazel can be a versatile addition to your skincare routine. While it’s commonly used alone as a natural astringent, blending it with other ingredients allows you to create a range of customized skin care products to suit your skin type. Use these simple tips to get healthy, glowing skin with simple, natural ingredients!
Cleansing and Toning
Witch hazel is a pore-tightening toner and a natural cleanser that can be applied directly to your skin with a cotton ball. For the best astringent and toning benefits, let your skin dry naturally after applying witch hazel.
Witch hazel can also be used to remove makeup, heal dry skin and eliminate excess oil. If you have sensitive skin, witch hazel is an excellent occasional replacement for your normal cleanser. You can rinse your face after cleansing it with witch hazel, or you can let your face air dry to tone your skin. Witch hazel is also a natural option to heal acne and reduce the occurrence of breakouts.
Naturally Clear Skin
Witch hazel is a safer alternative to commercial acne treatments, and you can boost its blemish busting power by adding 10 to 15 drops of tea tree essential oil to three ounces of witch hazel. Apply a small amount of the mixture to blemishes with a facial pad or cotton ball. I like to mix the witch hazel and tea tree in a glass spray bottle and spritz on my skin after I wash my face. This mixture is safe to use on your face, but can also be used for treating acne on other areas of your body, such as your back.
If you experience irritation and redness that commonly accompanies blemishes, you can try storing the mixture in your refrigerator for soothing relief. You can substitute the tea tree oil for lavender essential oil if you prefer a milder, sweeter scent, but avoid using undiluted essential oils on your skin.
Age-Fighting Antioxidant Blends
Witch hazel’s toning properties make it the perfect base for anti-aging products. To make a gentle anti-aging toner to replace commercial vitamin C serums, add a teaspoon of powdered vitamin C to a half-cup of witch hazel. To give the anti-aging toner soothing properties, try adding a teaspoon of aloe vera to the mixture.
Soothing Irritation and Sunburn
To make a treatment for sunburn and minor skin irritations, you can use witch hazel and aloe vera. To cool and soothe sunburns, mix two parts witch hazel with one part aloe vera into a spray bottle. Shake the mixture well before each use, and spray sunburned skin with the mixture as often as needed. You can store the spray bottle in the refrigerator to make the sunburn treatment more soothing.
Witch hazel provides nearly instant relief from skin irritation caused by poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Try pouring witch hazel directly onto the rash to reduce symptoms like swelling, itching, and redness. Repeat the treatment twice a day until the rash is gone.
Managing Chronic Conditions
Witch hazel can be used to manage the symptoms of eczema or psoriasis. To treat the symptoms of eczema, combine one part neem oil and seven parts witch hazel, and apply the mixture twice daily for symptom relief. A blend of equal parts vegetable glycerin, aloe vera, and witch hazel is ideal for managing the dry, flaky skin that is associated with psoriasis. Apply the mixture to the affected areas twice a day, or use the mixture more often if your symptoms are bothersome.
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