As the title says...wich one do you prefer? Dickinson's and Drug Store No-Name brands have about 14% alcohol in them. For those of you who have used both...Is there really a difference in that 14% of alcohol? I have fairly oily skin, and am really interested in the Thayers as the drug store brand dried my face out, but just slightly.
Thayers NO-Alcohol Toners VS. Drug Store Witch Hazel
- Thread starter AirForceMX
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Hey, buddy, how you doing? You must be back in the states now? My boy is in Kuwait with the Army at the moment.
I use Thayer's every day. I have used the one with and without alcohol, it is so slight I don't think it matters. Sometimes Merz has one and not the other, I grab what's there that is unscented.
The reason I like Thayer's is they de-stinkify it somehow. The one time I put Dickinson's on, I immediately washed it off, and flushed the rest of it down the toilet. It's horrible!
Some folks complain about the aloe and other ingredients in Thayer's but that's why I use it! I hate after shave balms, and don't have particularly sensitive skin, but I find the Thayer's toner with aloe really smooths things over before my favorite alcohol splash. Who cares if it's not 'pure' witch hazel? Aloe is natural, right? I love it.
My routine is to rinse, dry my face, then liberally apply the Thayer's just like a splash. Pour generously in the hand and rub in. Then I take a few minutes to rinse/dry the brush, clean the bowl, rinse the razor in an alcohol tub, put on deodorant. Then I put on the regular alcohol-based AS.
I highly recommend the Thayers, enthusiastically, even. Currently I have a bottle of the Original Witch Hazel alcohol-free toner. The other one I have used is the Original Witch Hazel which has only 10% alcohol. I have not tried any of the other varieties, and am not interested in the scented ones because I like the aftershave. Many men use the scented ones only and forgo the after shave.
I use Thayer's every day. I have used the one with and without alcohol, it is so slight I don't think it matters. Sometimes Merz has one and not the other, I grab what's there that is unscented.
The reason I like Thayer's is they de-stinkify it somehow. The one time I put Dickinson's on, I immediately washed it off, and flushed the rest of it down the toilet. It's horrible!
Some folks complain about the aloe and other ingredients in Thayer's but that's why I use it! I hate after shave balms, and don't have particularly sensitive skin, but I find the Thayer's toner with aloe really smooths things over before my favorite alcohol splash. Who cares if it's not 'pure' witch hazel? Aloe is natural, right? I love it.
My routine is to rinse, dry my face, then liberally apply the Thayer's just like a splash. Pour generously in the hand and rub in. Then I take a few minutes to rinse/dry the brush, clean the bowl, rinse the razor in an alcohol tub, put on deodorant. Then I put on the regular alcohol-based AS.
I highly recommend the Thayers, enthusiastically, even. Currently I have a bottle of the Original Witch Hazel alcohol-free toner. The other one I have used is the Original Witch Hazel which has only 10% alcohol. I have not tried any of the other varieties, and am not interested in the scented ones because I like the aftershave. Many men use the scented ones only and forgo the after shave.
I will always keep some Thayer's WH around. I've only tried the alcohol free version, but I would venture that the alcoholic version is pretty good too.
I like the non-alcoholic Thayer's. The Dickinson I tried was kind of sticky..and smelled horrible. Oh, and Thayer's has a WH with some alcohol if you really want the extra astringent/toning.
I have used many different WHs and Thayers is the best IMO. I have the alcohol free unscented, lavender, and the Medicated SuperHazel (my favorite). It is worth the extra $ IMO.
I alternate between the Dickinson's brand, the Thayer's Unscented, and the Thayer's Rose (went a little overboard with purchases when I found a stash of Thayer's at a local brick and mortar)
I like the rose scent much more than I thought I would (and obviously WAY better than the Dickinson's smell...yuck), but the Unscented is the way to go. The aloe vera is a great ingredient.
General question though...if you have an oily complexion, wouldn't you want the inclusion of alcohol to help the WH be more of an astringent?
I know you said that it dries your skin out, but I don't understand why that's a huge problem if you have oily skin...
I haven't used the alcohol-based Thayer's yet, but I think they have slightly less alcohol than the Dickinson's...10% vs 14%, IIRC.
I like the rose scent much more than I thought I would (and obviously WAY better than the Dickinson's smell...yuck), but the Unscented is the way to go. The aloe vera is a great ingredient.
General question though...if you have an oily complexion, wouldn't you want the inclusion of alcohol to help the WH be more of an astringent?
I know you said that it dries your skin out, but I don't understand why that's a huge problem if you have oily skin...I haven't used the alcohol-based Thayer's yet, but I think they have slightly less alcohol than the Dickinson's...10% vs 14%, IIRC.
- Thread starter
- #7
I am back! Glad to hear your son has made it over and is ok! I'm going to get some Thayer's ASAP. The drug store brand works pretty good actually, but the smell is funky, that is for sure!
I use and prefer the Thayers non alcohol but usually keep a bottle of the drug store stuff around also. I recently had about 1/8 of a bottle left of the plain drugstore Witch Hazel and added a few parts Pinaud VIBR and a few parts Masters Bay Rum to it; now filled about half way.
But like I said, I like the Thayers. It has added aloe also which is good.
But like I said, I like the Thayers. It has added aloe also which is good.
Well some of the posts didn't really help the OP with regard to the difference, other than the typical B&B "Oh it's good, I have it and you should get it". Ok, but WHY???? Let me offer some of my input. I have both Dickinsons and Thayer's cucumber (non-alcohol) and yes, there IS a big difference between them.
Dickinson's has a great astringent (aka skin-tightening) effect that gives you the impression that it closes up nicks (if any) and really closes up your pores. The result is that your skin looks much smoother and stops bleeding somewhat like a stypic pencil. I would say it enhances a BBS shave greater. The only downside is that with the alcohol it is drying and even with oily skin my face does get dried up. Not to mention that the smell is horrid (I have gotten used to it but the normal person would be repulsed by the smell). Despite what people say the smell does not fade within 10 mins. I can still detect traces of it on my hands 20 mins after application.
Thayer's on the other hand gives a cool and smooth sensation which leaves your face smooth and nice, though I miss the astringent effect of Dickinson's. It does moisturise and heal razor burn but do not expect it from a normal aftershave. It is cooling and does have a slight pore-closing effect, but quite subtle. Does not leave your face oily or dried so I prefer this to normal aftershaves.
That being said I'm sticking to Thayer's as it suits my needs. Does not dry out my face, cools and moisturises adequately and comes in a bigger bottle than Dickinson's (so don't be put off by the higher price). Smell is not as strong and fades after a while.
Dickinson's has a great astringent (aka skin-tightening) effect that gives you the impression that it closes up nicks (if any) and really closes up your pores. The result is that your skin looks much smoother and stops bleeding somewhat like a stypic pencil. I would say it enhances a BBS shave greater. The only downside is that with the alcohol it is drying and even with oily skin my face does get dried up. Not to mention that the smell is horrid (I have gotten used to it but the normal person would be repulsed by the smell). Despite what people say the smell does not fade within 10 mins. I can still detect traces of it on my hands 20 mins after application.
Thayer's on the other hand gives a cool and smooth sensation which leaves your face smooth and nice, though I miss the astringent effect of Dickinson's. It does moisturise and heal razor burn but do not expect it from a normal aftershave. It is cooling and does have a slight pore-closing effect, but quite subtle. Does not leave your face oily or dried so I prefer this to normal aftershaves.
That being said I'm sticking to Thayer's as it suits my needs. Does not dry out my face, cools and moisturises adequately and comes in a bigger bottle than Dickinson's (so don't be put off by the higher price). Smell is not as strong and fades after a while.
I definitely can tell a difference in alcohol based witch hazel and Thayers non-alcohol. The alcohol burns.
I love the many scents of Thayers from Rose to Lavender to Peach and on and on. I mix Thayers non-alcohol witch hazel with alcohol splash to get the best of both worlds and no sting. If I want the sting, I put on the splash first followed by the Thayers.
The extra astringency you're getting in the alcohol W.H. is coming from the alcohol.
If you want a just right astringency product that doesn't overly tighten your face like an alum block, try EarthScience Aloe/Herbal AFter Shave Skin Soother Alcohol-Free. It has a bit of alum, as well as glycerin, menthol, comfrey, lactic acid. All good for the face. My skin feels smooth and tight enough and moisturized with a matte finish....and it takes care of nicks.
I love the many scents of Thayers from Rose to Lavender to Peach and on and on. I mix Thayers non-alcohol witch hazel with alcohol splash to get the best of both worlds and no sting. If I want the sting, I put on the splash first followed by the Thayers.
The extra astringency you're getting in the alcohol W.H. is coming from the alcohol.
If you want a just right astringency product that doesn't overly tighten your face like an alum block, try EarthScience Aloe/Herbal AFter Shave Skin Soother Alcohol-Free. It has a bit of alum, as well as glycerin, menthol, comfrey, lactic acid. All good for the face. My skin feels smooth and tight enough and moisturized with a matte finish....and it takes care of nicks.
| Water (Aqua), Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Panthenol, Oleth-20, Glycerin, Allantoin, Menthol, Bixa Orellana (Annatto) Extract, Sodium PCA, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Potassium Alum, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Peg-10 Soya Sterol, Sodium Hyaluronate, Symphtyum Officinale (Comfrey) Leaf Extract, Ascorbic Acid, Lactic Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Phenoxyethanol, Fragrance (Parfum). |
I plan on jumping on the Thayer's train soon. But I currently use drug store WH and like you I couldn't take the stench. I have to admit I kinda got used to it, but that may be because I put a few drops of glycerin in my hand first and mix it up together. Dunno if glycerin is good or bad for very oily skin, though.
BTW, I have never felt a burn from the alcohol WH--but I don't go for a BBS.
Thanks for your continuing service, too.
Great post aside from the first few sentences. I'm no moderator but I found your post a bit dis-respectful.
I use Thayers Witch Hazel with Aloe. It is non alcoholic. I find this to be the absolute best aftershave product I have tried. It is very cooling and refreshing. I find it does a great job at closing my pores and makes my face feel great after a shave. I tried the dickinson's first as it was available locally and could not get past the smell. It's performance is irrelevant to me because my shaves are enjoyable and I'm not going to use a product that lessens the experience.
Thayers alcohol free ftw.
Thayer's Original with aloe, it has almost no smell to interfere with cologne or aftershave, use it by itself for the healing and moisturizing effects of the aloe and the anti-oxidant and astringent properties of the witch hazel. The cheap drugstore witch hazel still has the anti-oxidant and astringent properties but has a stronger scent and alcohol.
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