Thayer's

I'm planning on enlarging my collection of aftershaves soon, and have seen Thayer's Witch Hazel touted on here by a good few SOTD-ites. I'm planning on buying myself some in the New Year (along with a coti and some other stuff I need, once my debts are cleared). I'm going to get their sampler off their site, possibly in conjunction with a bottle of their aftershave (if it's any good), but I have a couple of questions first.

Firstly, I know that witch hazel is an astringent. Am I correct in assuming one of the functions of an astringent is to tighten skin? I ask this more to check my assumptions, as I bought some cheap generic witch hazel from my local pharmacy, which did nothing to tighten my skin post-shave, as I expected it should.

Secondly, setting fragrance aside, are there any Thayer's products that are more or less effective than others? I'm particularly interested as to how their 'Original', 'Medicated Super'Hazel', 'Aftershave with Aloe', and "Alcohol-free Unscented Skin Toner' compare. Does one offer more moisturising than the others? Does one tighten more than the others (I LOVE a nice tight face post-shave, so the more tightening the better, IMHO)?

Thirdly, how does the skin toner differ from the regular witch hazel? I see a couple more ingredients but have no idea of the result of adding them, so any clarification would be useful here.

Fourthly (and finally), are any of them rubbish and not worth buying (again, ignoring the whole scent issue)? Particularly, does the aftershave differ markedly from the rest of their products to the point it's worth buying, or would I just be better off with the sampler?

Thanks for any and all info.
Cheers,
Tom

My advice is to go with the sampler because different folks have different thoughts about any given product. What works on my face may not on yours because of different chemistry, etc. Much of the evaluation of the "stuff" associated with our shaving hobby is totally subjective. Even when it come to something as basic as hones and honing there are differences of opinion. My philosophy is, over time, try them all. Good luck, and have fun!

I'm aware that they all differ depending on the user. I was hoping for more than one response, in order to be able to pick out general trends in the answers to the questions I asked above, however no more seem to be forthcoming. I was always going to get the sampler, now I'll just have to buy it with no idea as to how each item compares.

First, let me say that I am not a straight shaver. I use a double edge safety razor.

Anyway, I do not think Thayer's is going to have the "tightening" effect that you seek. Thayer's toners have a very subtle toning effect that is absolutely nothing like the tightening/burn you get from an mostly alcohol based aftershave splash. The one exception might be the Witch Hazel Aftershave. However, that only has 20% alcohol. If the 16% alcohol in the drugstore Witch Hazel didn't do the trick, I doubt 20% will give you what you want.

The reason I like Thayers (I use the alc. free rose scent, btw) is because of the soothing effect it has on my skin after a shave. The aloe vera and glycerin in it also help with healing and moisturizing, though they don't moisturizer as well as an aftershave balm or face moisturizer. In the winter, I definitely need to use a balm or moisturizer because my skin gets dry.

If you need that "tight" feeling my suggestion is to check out some aftershave splashes that contain a high percentage of alcohol. If you need moisturizing, try putting on some face moisturizer after the alc. based aftershave dries.

IMO witch hazel is mild in its mechanisms. However, it is effective. When applying it after I shave I feel it taking some of the "burn" out while soothing my skin at the same time. I use the Dickensons brand, but have used Thayers as well.

I feel Alum tightens the skin much better than witch hazel, so you might want to look into that

I've used the Thayers Alcohol free witch hazel with aloe every time I shave and have for a few years now. I've used both the unscented and the lavender. It's the last thing I use after the alum block. I also rub some on my nose and it does a great job of closing the pores.

Good stuff. The main reason I use it is for some areas of my neck that are prone to ingrown hairs. With alum then Thayers, ingrowns are virtually eliminated.

Chris L

Gentlemen,

I have used Thayer's Super Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera (blue label) for a number of years and find it delightful. It is unscented and refreshes the skin after the shave.

After the shave, the routine is this: warm rinse, cold rinse, witch hazel, balm, aftershave.

Regards,

Obie

I've tried virtually all of them, save for the medicated variety. I won't be without Thayer's. The Original, Lemon and Lavender are staples in my shave cabinet.

I've got an alum block on my list of stuff to buy from Leon now, so thanks to the above posters Q1 is answered.

Can someone who owns or has used the whole Thayer's range comment on 2 3 or 4?

Mosley, there is a world of difference between Thayer's and drugstore witch hazel. I actually like and use both types of witch hazel for different things.

I keep the drugstore stuff in my cabinet for when I've had a really rough shave as I feel the alcohol in the drugstore stuff will help disinfect my face. It doesn't feel nearly as good on the face as Thayer's and doesn't have the extra healing and moisturizing ingredients Thayer's has. Plus it doesn't smell as good as Thayer's. There also some technical aspects in the making of the witch hazel that are different that you can read about on the Thayer's website. Overall, I feel a bottle of Thayer's is well worth the $8 I have to spend at Whole Foods over the $2-3 drugstore stuff.

I probably would not buy the Thayer's Aftershave again though. It contains less ingredients and comes in a smaller bottle than the large bottles of Thayer's Toner, so you are paying more per ounce and getting less. At least that's the way I felt. YMMV.

One thing you could do, is make your own "homebrew" aftershave with the qualities you seek. I've no experience in this, but I would think it would allow you to play with the ingredients to get what you want. You could put in some alcohol and alum for face tightening and then add in other ingredients like aloe, witch hazel, jojoba oil, and glycerin, etc for moisturizing and healing qualities.