It's probably a good guess to say that most, if not all, of you have heard of witch hazel. It's an inexpensive remedy for many ailments, including bruises, acne, eczema, poison ivy, and more. The clear, bottled liquid most commonly thought of when mentioning witch hazel is the steam-distilled product from the plants leaves and bark.Info: Witch hazel contains high levels of tannins, which help to dry and tighten skin, making it great for acne treatments and soothing varicose veins. The procyanadins, resin, and flavonoids in witch hazel add to its soothing and anti-inflammatory abilities. Many skin care products and hemorrhoid products rely on witch hazel for its healing and soothing properties.
Note: Distilled witch hazel, which is what we buy at the pharmacy, contains no tannins, but does contain alcohol, which might cause minor stinging when applied to irritated skin.
More Witch Hazel Info
- How Stuff Works: Witch Hazel: Herbal Remedies
- Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine: Witch Hazel
- Herbs2000: Witch Hazel
Be sure to come back tomorrow for Part 3 of Herbal Skin Care Relief.
This post was written by Stefanie.
August 13th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
This post reminds me of my grandmother. I can remember spraining my ankle really badly playing basketball in high school, and she used witch hazel to soothe it. I really like your blog, I will bookmark it and return, thanks!
Quote This CommentAugust 14th, 2008 at 10:14 am
This is a great post. Where can someone acquire the actual Witch hazel with tannis, as to the pharmacy product that doesn't include it?
Quote This CommentAugust 15th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Thank you Patrick! When I think of treatments from my grandmother, I think of being pink spotted from the calamine lotion she put on me. She had 5 outdoor/indoor cats which frequently brought home fleas... and fleas thought me to be juicy, apparently!
Kevin, Thayers has a bottle of witch hazel with tannis, Amazon sells it. GNCs also carry it, and you can look up other stores that might have it in your area on the Thayers site.
Quote This CommentAugust 19th, 2008 at 2:05 am
Thank you for visiting my site and for the comment too!..
best regards,
nikolai
Quote This CommentAugust 26th, 2008 at 11:06 am
I was going to ask the same question as Kevin about where to find witch hazel with tannins, so thank you Stefanie for your reply. Yesterday I took engagement pictures with my fiance, and I all I could think about the day before was how to get rid of the acne on my forehead. Thanks for the tip. Great Blog!
Quote This CommentAugust 28th, 2008 at 11:41 pm
organic skin care, let me know if it works! I use it on my face, and it's no miracle cure, but it definitely helps!
Quote This CommentSeptember 2nd, 2008 at 7:05 am
Very informative and amazing.!! Thanks for sharing this great article, will definitely benefit from this
Quote This CommentSeptember 4th, 2008 at 2:20 am
Fioricet, thank you for reading!
Quote This CommentSeptember 11th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Witch hazel is a great product that is naturally available. Nicely written article about it. Thanks.
Quote This CommentSeptember 13th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
Hmm never actually tried Witch Hazel, but it sounds like it might just do the trick. I do alot of poison ivy research, will try it to see if it helps next time I get it (which hopefully won't be soon).
Quote This CommentSeptember 15th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Poison Ivy Cure said:
Luckily, I've never had poison ivy!
Quote This CommentOctober 13th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
Great post Stephanie. Witch Hazel is used in a lot of natural cures that I recommend to others that have skin issues. Thanks for the extra links too!
Quote This CommentDecember 18th, 2008 at 5:43 am
Hi,
I also personally prefer natural treatments. So, I would like to share my thought that witch hazel can be used as creams in order to get relief from Hemorrhoids.
Thanks,
Quote This CommentLucy
December 18th, 2008 at 10:57 am
Great tip, Lucy!
Quote This CommentJanuary 3rd, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Interesting post. I have a question though... If you can't get witch hazel with tannins at pharmacy, where's the best place to get it then?
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