Thread: Lookin' for witch hazel aftershave

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Witch hazel is a plant and they use the extract from it mixed with alcohol and sometimes other things to make aftershaves and such. Whether it has alcohol or not that does not affect it being witch hazel.

I'd say. Witch hazel is witch hazel. Alcohol is alcohol. Put them together, and you get... Witch hazel with alcohol. It's magic!

Man, this kid is sharp!

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

Witch hazel is a plant and they use the extract from it mixed with alcohol and sometimes other things to make aftershaves and such. Whether it has alcohol or not that does not affect it being witch hazel.

It's been made clear that this isn't necessarily a discussion that is really welcome here, so I'll say this and it will be my final word on the subject. There is a witch hazel plant from which Witch Hazel Water is derived.

Now, the specifications, as officially laid out by the FDA, are

Specific Gravity 0.979-0.983
pH 3.0-5.0
Alcohol Content 14.0-15.0%
Nonvolatile Residue 0.025%
Tannins To pass test

Shipping Information:
Ethanol solution, 3, UN1170, PG III

Storage Information:
HEAT SENSITIVE: Keep tightly closed.

Again, as was stated before the astringent quality of witch hazel water (which is commonly referred to as witch hazel) is due to the fact that it has an alcohol content similar to that of red wine. If you were a chemist working in a lab and asked to buy witch hazel, and you bought something that didn't meet the above criteria, it wouldn't be acceptable.

Like I said, I'm not interested in a major back and forth on this, and I'll not argue the point any further.

Aww. But I want to discuss it *biology student* Excuse me. Your response made me do some research.

You're right. Witch Hazel Water, as stated by the FDA apparentely, contains alcohol. This is because of the distillation process. They take twigs of the plant, soak it in warm water, and add alcohol to the distillate. The plant itself does not contain any form of ethanol. Attributing the astringent properties of witch hazel to ethanol (a chemical not found in witch hazel) would also directly mean that witch hazel is nothing more than a marketing trick. However, the leaves and the bark of the witch hazel plant contain tannins, astringent polyphenols found in plants, so there is no need to worry. It does in fact have astringent properties.

The typical astringent properties of red wine are to be primarily attributed to the phenols from the skins and seeds of the grapes.There are phenols that give wine it's colour, other phenols that give it it's taste, and yet other polyphenols (tannins) that are responsible for astringency.

What does this mean in the end? It probably means that when you're buying witch hazel aftershave, that there's alcohol in it. I wasn't trying to disprove alcohol, as it's quite an effective antiseptic that definitely has it's uses. I was trying to make the difference between alcohol and (pure) witch hazel clear, mainly that witch hazel's astringent properties are not to be attributed to alcohol, but to the tannins that are found in the leaves and the bark.

Originally Posted by JJMononoetoe

Aww. But I want to discuss it *biology student* Excuse me. Your response made me do some research.

You're right. Witch Hazel Water, as stated by the FDA apparentely, contains alcohol. This is because of the distillation process. They take twigs of the plant, soak it in warm water, and add alcohol to the distillate. The plant itself does not contain any form of ethanol. Attributing the astringent properties of witch hazel to ethanol (a chemical not found in witch hazel) would also directly mean that witch hazel is nothing more than a marketing trick. However, the leaves and the bark of the witch hazel plant contain tannins, astringent polyphenols found in plants, so there is no need to worry. It does in fact have astringent properties.

The typical astringent properties of red wine are to be primarily attributed to the phenols from the skins and seeds of the grapes.There are phenols that give wine it's colour, other phenols that give it it's taste, and yet other polyphenols (tannins) that are responsible for astringency.

What does this mean in the end? It probably means that when you're buying witch hazel aftershave, that there's alcohol in it. I wasn't trying to disprove alcohol, as it's quite an effective antiseptic that definitely has it's uses. I was trying to make the difference between alcohol and (pure) witch hazel clear, mainly that witch hazel's astringent properties are not to be attributed to alcohol, but to the tannins that are found in the leaves and the bark.

As I said, I'm not going to argue the point. It isn't fruitful. However, if you want to dispute it, I'd really appreciate you setting these people straight on it if they are wrong: Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

This is what they have to say on the matter:

In the United States, there is another controversy about the remedial benefit of witch hazel. Hamamelis water, when distilled, contains no tannin. Distilled witch hazel consists of a mixture of 14% of alcohol in water with a trace of volatile oil. The astringent effect of witch hazel is due to an alcohol content similar to that of red wine. But the unstudied volatile oils exert some effects similar to topical tannin, and are also antimicrobial.

If you want to buy $10 extract of witch hazel peach tea to rub on your face buy Thayers, no law against it.

If you want a good enough witch hazel for 3 bucks, Dickinson's at Walmart.

If you want a .90 cent el cheapo witch hazel that works just like any other try Delon.

If you want a superb witch hazel based aftershave with a nice Bay rum fragrance try budget priced, Ogallala.

If you want a nice trick someone suggested that was used by barbers, mix Bay Rum or another kind of aftershave in your hand WITH witch hazel and use it that way.

I think I will try the Ogallala next. What does bay rum smell like anyway?

Originally Posted by richmondesi

As I said, I'm not going to argue the point. It isn't fruitful. However, if you want to dispute it, I'd really appreciate you setting these people straight on it if they are wrong: Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine

This is what they have to say on the matter:

Nah, I know. It often results in flame wars and such. Quite ugly Your post just kind of inspired me to look further into the matter. That's also why I find your "counter"-responses to be just as educational.

That's a really interesting quote there, too! I didn't know it the distilled hamamelis water didn't contain tannin. Hmm, that's very interesting. In that case, the astringent effect would indeed primarily be attributed to the alcohol. It's a shame those volatile oils aren't studied yet, I would love to read more about that.

Originally Posted by Hanzo

If you want to buy $10 extract of witch hazel peach tea to rub on your face buy Thayers, no law against it.

If you want a good enough witch hazel for 3 bucks, Dickinson's at Walmart.

If you want a .90 cent el cheapo witch hazel that works just like any other try Delon.

If you want a superb witch hazel based aftershave with a nice Bay rum fragrance try budget priced, Ogallala.

If you want a nice trick someone suggested that was used by barbers, mix Bay Rum or another kind of aftershave in your hand WITH witch hazel and use it that way.

My $.99 witch hazel mixed with AV works very well too. I love that cheap combo!

Originally Posted by richmondesi

My .$99 cent witch hazel mixed with AV works very well too. I love that cheap combo!

99 Cent? Dang. You know, I'm not even going to buy it from eBay anymore. I'm just going to look around here (it has proven to be very hard to find though). The shipping costs are too high *cough* much higher than for guitar hardware *cough*. Jeez, I'm not going to pay €11 shipping costs for something that costs €2! That's madness!

(That, in total, would be about $18.5)