Witch Hazel

Witch Hazel benefits for skin

Witch Hazel is a plant with bright yellow flowers featuring fringe-like petals that has been used for centuries for a wide range of medicinal purposes. Witch Hazel can be beneficial to skin in myriad ways, but it is most effective at soothing inflamed skin, and may help reduce redness associated with razor burn or other irritants.

A natural astringent, witch Hazel helps tone and tighten skin while managing toxins that can damage skin, all without drying because it is a gentle, all-natural toner. Witch Hazel also helps support the skin’s ability to manage bacteria, making it a natural option to ease breakouts and other skin irritations.

Witch Hazel is rich in tannins, which are polyphenols that can help reduce the risk of skin damage due to exposure to UV rays.

Polyphenols are also powerful antioxidants that support the skin’s ability to manage damage from the environment and support against free radicals, protecting collagen and elastin – the skin’s most important proteins – and slowing down signs of aging including fine lines and wrinkles, dark spots, sagging skin and a sallow skin tone.

Witch Hazel is also believed to help support the recovery of broken skin and relieve itching.

Uses of Witch Hazel

In addition to helping skin recovery and toning, Witch Hazel has been used in products to treat insect bites, hemorrhoids, inflammation of the eyes and tooth discomfort.

Source and sustainability of Witch Hazel

East Hampton, Connecticut, is known as the Witch Hazel capital of the world, and the company responsible for the biggest output of Witch Hazel has long practiced sustainability as part of its business philosophy.

Some of the plants harvested by Dickinson’s Brands, a leader in Witch Hazel manufacture and distribution harvests plants that date back to the days when native Americans passed on tips about the benefits of Witch Hazel to the earliest European settlers. Dickinson’s rotates the plants on a seven-year cycle to ensure sustainability. Pulp leftover from the distilling process is recycled as garden mulch.