How do you get past the smell of witch hazel?

I have Thayer's Cucumber with Aloe and really enjoy the smell. You might want to try a scented Witch Hazel from Thayer's.

My experience with the smell is that it is very fleeting. It only sticks around for 30 seconds. By that time, I'm already putting on the aftershave.

DJSneak said:

I have Thayer's Cucumber with Aloe and really enjoy the smell.

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+1 on the Cucumber...if you don't like the straight smell, this smells of nothing but cucumber to me.

taffy said:

I often wonder if thayers smells like the stuff we buy over here in the uk, which although is not great but not that bad and does not seem to stick around for long.

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It most certainly doesn't - even the "plain" smells mostly of rubbing alcohol.

NoFair said:

iHerb.com ships to Europe for about $4 and stocks Thayers

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They do indeed - and often include samples in with your order.

Can witch hazel be used as an after shave alone?

Absolutely. It's an ideal fragrance-free aftershave.

To the original question I would say 30 seconds to get over it

Maybe it's an acquired taste..

I love the smell, but I come from an era when barbershops reeked of Witch Hazel and Clubman, so it just feels like comin' home.

When i first tried witch hazel a few weeks ago i thought it was unpleasant, although at least it was a natural unpleasant-ness and not something like a plastic smell. It was also reminiscent of some smell from my childhood, probably some medicinal product.

Anyway now i bloody love the smell, because since the first time i used it, my mind associates the smell with soothed skin (quite the remedy for the inexperienced straight shaver). i actually like the smell now.

To me witch hazel epitomises the whole wet shaving philosophy of taking it back to the basics. It cost $7 for 100mL, and it's possibly the best after shave you can get!

.

kingfisher said:

I've tried two things. One was very successful.

1) Peppermint EO. This works beautifully. Doesn't take much. For some reason the smells work well together and it becomes quite pleasant.

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I do the same thing except that I use Lavender EO. I use Thayers w/o alcohol and decant some into a 4oz bottle and add three drops of lavender EO. I much prefer this to the Thayers lavender witchhazel, too flowery for me.

I've not tried this with the medicinal witchhazels.

Anyone else think that Thayers lavender is to "old lady perfume" smelling? I usually like lavender especially lavender shave creams, but I just couldnt stand the scent of this stuff.

fsatsil said:

Anyone else think that Thayers lavender is to "old lady perfume" smelling? I usually like lavender especially lavender shave creams, but I just couldnt stand the scent of this stuff.

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Lavender: thumbs down
Rose: thumbs up

I'm half old lady.

I buy the scented versions - rose and lemon - so the scent of witch hazel itself is masked and doesnt bother me.

Mark3d.... dunno where you buy your Witch Hazel... But i can get it for $9 355ml and thats for the Superhazel... Hmmmm.

The first time I tried witch hazel it made me think of . . . Smoked Bacon!

Smoked bacon.

I get that. To me it smells like an earthy, herbal mixture of vetiver, patchouli and alcohol.

I apply it with a few shakes of aftershave. The A/S scent stays, the Dickenson scent fades after a few minutes.

many an aftershave is witch hazel with 14% alcohol, and the essential oils of the desired fragrance, plus aloe, vitamin E, and some oil, like jojoba or glycerin. give it a try! the WH odor goes away in a NY instant.

About every three years I go on ebay and find a couple of bottles of Thayer's unscented w/aloe for around $18 w/free shipping. I use it every day and the two bottles last over three years. At this price I would never use the cheap, stinky stuff.

There are flavored witch hazels out there. Even with the unflavored ones, the smell fades pretty quickly, IME. And it's great for the skin.

The Mick said:

To the original question I would say 30 seconds to get over it

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+1