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WH vs alcohol

Well judging by my butt dyno ID say WH is gentle and has no burn. Leaves my face feeling refreshed with no tightening. Alcohol is the opposite. It burns and disinfects, tightens my face and is not gentle but rather harsh on my skin.

What's the difference between witch hazel and alcohol?
 
They perform different functions. Most aftershaves have alcohol, not as many have WH. Even fewer only have WH.

Since alcohol burns, the less a splash has, the less bracing it is. Some like the burn and toning. WH is soothing to some extent without the burn. I don't think it disinfects as well.

Throw in some aloe, glycerin or another humectant and you have a top notch aftershave.
 
WH is made from a plant and is a natural remedy for skin abrasions. It is often mixed with alcohol. Although alcohol may be a disinfectant, I don't know that it is otherwise good for skin; WH is.
 
My face is plenty clean by the time I'm done showering. It gets even cleaner after my prep and during lather because afterall we are using soap for lathering. Then if I happen to cut my face many times I will opt for alcohol to help disinfect the cuts. Otherwise Witch Hazel is fine on its own. I wish they had WH versions of popular aftershaves. Off the top of my head an alcohol free, witch hazel based version of the Pinaud line would be awesome.

Swan is ankther but personally I.notice better cleaning with Witch Hazel that has alcohol in it like Humprhey's.
 
Unless you buy the alcohol free versions of Thayer's Witch Hazel as I do.

The definition of Witch Hazel means it has alcohol in it.
Description: Witch Hazel is an alcoholic extract from the leaves, flowers and bark of the hamamelis tree. Contains a mixture of 85-86 % aqueous witch hazel extract and 14-15 % ethyl alcohol as a preservative.

Alcohol free products that include a witch hazel extract aren't technically "witch hazel".
 
The definition of Witch Hazel means it has alcohol in it.


Alcohol free products that include a witch hazel extract aren't technically "witch hazel".

I don't know where you got that definition but it is merely one definition. Witch hazel is a plant and not anything more. The witch hazel most people think of in regard to shaving is actually a tincture. Alcohol free witch hazel in solution would be a decoction.

My quick googling has netted many results without the mention of alcohol as an ingredient or as a means of extraction.

Further research indicated that native Americans created witch hazel merely by boiling. Alcohol use in witch hazel is a modern technique. As your definition clearly states it's merely a preservative and not necessary for witch hazel extraction.

To avoid the obvious pitfalls of Internet research I consulted my wife who is an herbalist. She told me that witch hazel extract can be made either by boiling or distilling an alcohol based extractive. Both methods are used and both produce a potent extact.

Alcohol use in extraction is used for resinous plants as those compounds are more easily dissolved by alcohol than water.

To avoid just taking my wife's word for it I looked through her books and the same information is found there.

Rather than typing out a citation I have taken some photos of my source material.
 

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Witch Hazel is a specific product that's made according to a specific formula, and is defined in scientific texts a specific way, while witch hazel is just a generic plant name.

Look up Clubman Rob's painfully long thread on the matter if you dare!
 
They perform different functions. Most aftershaves have alcohol, not as many have WH. Even fewer only have WH.

Since alcohol burns, the less a splash has, the less bracing it is. Some like the burn and toning. WH is soothing to some extent without the burn. I don't think it disinfects as well.

Throw in some aloe, glycerin or another humectant and you have a top notch aftershave.

Yes^
 
Witch Hazel is a specific product that's made according to a specific formula, and is defined in scientific texts a specific way, while witch hazel is just a generic plant name.

Look up Clubman Rob's painfully long thread on the matter if you dare!

Oh yeah I've wasted an entire evening with that thread :001_rolle

I find to not cause confusion it's safer to refer to either a product containing witch hazel plant extract (such as Thayers Toners), or the commonly known solution properly referred to as either Witch Hazel Water, or Distilled Witch Hazel.
 
Witch Hazel is a specific product that's made according to a specific formula, and is defined in scientific texts a specific way, while witch hazel is just a generic plant name.

Look up Clubman Rob's painfully long thread on the matter if you dare!
Great reading, thanks
 
Funny how a simple plant can be so good for our skin, and yet cause so much consternation on the inter webs.
 
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