Dickenson's smells like sweaty gym socks to me. I couldn't get past that smell so I tried mixing in some TOBS sandalwood cologne and made it even worse. It smelled so bad I poured the witch hazel down the sink and couldn't stand the smell of TOBS sandalwood cologne for about a year. I did eventually get some Thayers unscented witch hazel and love it.
How do you get past the smell of witch hazel?
- Thread starter packerfan
- Start date
Has anyone ever tried the Dickinson's enhanced ones? Looks like they have an acohol free, a menthol eucalyptus, and a aloe and vitamin E one.
Looks a few bucks cheaper than thayers.
If it doesn't smell I might get one and drop some menthol crystals in there.
Looks a few bucks cheaper than thayers.
If it doesn't smell I might get one and drop some menthol crystals in there.
I walked into my local, small shop, non-big brand pharmacy and asked for non-alcohol witch hazel (I was trying to avoid the alcohol out of fear that it would be dehydrating post shave). I was looked at sideways by the "old man" and told that there is no such thing as witch hazel without alcohol; that, if the alcohol is removed, the resulting product is no longer witch hazel. I know this has been a topic of debate, and I am certainly no chemist. I bought the yellow Dickinsons, and it works very well for me; contrary to my concern, it actually seems to tighten, smooth and hydrate my post shave face, all without even a hint of alcohol sting. I don't understand the issue with the smell; it disappears in about all of two seconds.
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I don't notice the alcohol sting either and I have stopped caring about the smell since my last post in this thread. I agree that it's not a big deal because realistically, the smell really does only last seconds. I apply a splash or a balm afterwards so even if the smell were to linger, it would be completely masked by one of the aforementioned products.
If you can't stand the smell initially, give it a week or two. It's easy to acclimate to the scent and it doesn't project so the only way that anyone else around you is going to be bothered is if they put their nose up against your skin within 10 seconds of you applying witch hazel.
If you can't stand the smell initially, give it a week or two. It's easy to acclimate to the scent and it doesn't project so the only way that anyone else around you is going to be bothered is if they put their nose up against your skin within 10 seconds of you applying witch hazel.
I actually don't mind the smell of it either. It reminds me of my youth as my mum and nan always had some around the house
I use Dickinson's witch hazel, unscented, and have never had a problem with it. It smells, well, like witch hazel. Pretty innocuous to me.
