What does witch hazel do for your skin?

Witch hazel is an excellent natural plant-based ingredient and a natural astringent with anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. These combined factors make witch hazel a multi-functional active ingredient for skin-care products. Here are some of the multi-functional ways that witch hazel can be used as a skin toner to improve your skin's overall complexion.

It's a natural antioxidant containing tannins, a type of polyphenol antioxidant that has been shown in studies to reduce inflammation and work as an anti-aging property. It helps to fight free radicals from causing damage to skin cells. It also works as a natural anti-aging solution contributing to the skin's youthful appearance.

They help protect your skin from daily environmental and biological stressors that damage skin cells. A primary source of external skin damage that induces premature signs of aging comes from the sun and its harmful UV rays. Antioxidants are necessary components of your skin-care regimen as they can combat the effects of photo-damage and premature signs of aging. It works by protecting your skin cells from harmful free radicals that otherwise would attach themselves to healthy cells and cause them to break down. When healthy skin cells get damaged by free radicals, it leads to early signs of aging, attributing to the formation of wrinkles, loss of collagen, and loss of elasticity in the skin.

Chemical products found on store shelves can irritate the skin by increasing dryness and altering oil production. However, witch hazel helps protect collagen and skin elasticity. By combining witch hazel with other useful ingredients and oils, it can create a toner that's packed with essential vitamins and antioxidants that will help to nourish your skin instead of irritating overly dry or sensitive compromised skin.

The anti-inflammatory properties in witch hazel help to reduce inflammation that contributes to acne breakouts and premature signs of aging. Witch hazel reduces swelling and flare-ups, and its antibacterial properties discourage bacteria from continuing forming on the surface of the skin, where it's more likely to penetrate deep into pores and cause future breakouts. Therefore, witch hazel's antiseptic and antibacterial properties contribute to the prevention of acne-related inflammation of the skin from occurring in the first place.

Witch hazel's astringent properties work to gently and efficiently help tighten pores and reduce excess oil production. By tightening pores, it makes it more difficult for oil, debris, and bacteria to get trapped inside. Particularly in hot weather, your pores tend to expand and open to excrete excess sebum (oil) and sweat, which your body produces to adjust for the extra heat in the temperature. Open pores, excess sebum, and sweat, along with sunscreen and makeup, can contribute to pores appearing enlarged and more congested. Washing your face twice daily and after exercising or doing activities that may cause you to excessively sweat is critical in keeping your skin and pores looking healthy and acne-free. To lessen the risk of clogged pores, blackheads, skin inflammation, and breakouts from occurring, your skin should be thoroughly washed at night before going to bed and also in the morning when your skin has extra oil that has accumulated overnight while sleeping. Taking the proper active measures in your skin-care regimen makes a huge difference in your skin's quality.

A toner with witch hazel functions well as a makeup remover. It's highly efficient at removing traces of any residual heavy makeup and sunscreen from your skin. Witch hazel is highly effective in removing both oil and water-based makeup and sunscreen, with just a swipe of toner on a cotton pad across the surface of your skin. It's a great natural aftershave skin toner. By applying witch hazel toner after shaving with its astringent and antibacterial properties makes your pores tighten and less likely to have bacteria, cut hair, and other particles to clog pores and irritate the skin.

Toners can help close pores and tighten cell pores after cleansing and shaving, to reduce the penetration of impurities. By shaving your skin, you are also exfoliating your skin and leaving it more vulnerable to ingrown hairs and clogged pores. It's crucial to remove residue and debris from penetrating skin cells and possibly irritating skin and forming ingrown hairs and acne after shaving. Witch hazel's antibacterial and antiseptic properties work to clear away any of the leftover debris from after shaving that leaves your skin vulnerable to ingrown hairs, irritation, and acne breakouts that can form due to possible clogged pores.

Applying witch hazel after cleansing your skin twice a day, especially after sweating, is necessary to maintain calm skin with less possibility for breakouts. Witch hazel's ability to soothe inflammation, redness, and irritation by keeping skin hydrated and refreshed helps to make skin look radiant and keep pores de-congested and contribute to preventing premature signs of aging from harmful UV radiation.

Applying witch hazel by spritzing it or using it to swipe over your skin with a cotton pad throughout the day with a gentle formula product which includes witch hazel can keep skin hydrated and refreshed. It also reduces inflammation, while working as an antioxidant that helps sunscreen work more effectively when applied before your sunscreen as another layer to stop free radicals from harming healthy skin cells.

I hope this helps!