Of all the acne prevention products I look forward to trying, facial toners are what get me the most excited. Why? Because they get to bond with my facial skin far longer than any other product. The same reason applies for when I search around local personal care shops and online skincare sections for products that adhere to my skin type. Luckily for me, there are tons of products on the market today that cater to sensitive combination skin (oily yet dry skin prone to acne). During one of my online searches, I discovered a highly-rated facial toner that's known very well around the acne self-help corners of the internet: Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner. And today, I'll tell you all about my experience with this acne prevention superstar!
Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner comes in different varieties and scents: Rose Petal, Lavender, Lavender Mint, Lemon, Cucumber, Original (Astringent), Unscented, Medicated (Topical Pain Reliever), and Peach. At first, I was confused on which scent to purchase first. 355 ml is a lot for 1 bottle of toner and I wasn't going to buy tons of scent varieties at first try without knowing if it was a good fit or not. So towards the end of my search, I opted to purchase the Rose Petal scent instead. A Buzzfeed writer tried and reviewed the Rose Petal variant, so I thought, why not? Plus, I didn't have much to choose from during my Shopee search where sellers were also retailing this toner in smaller portion bottles.
Disclaimer: Before I start discussing my personal experience with the Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner I would like to make it clear that I am by no means a licensed medical or dermatological practitioner, nor am I a manufacturer of these products. I am simply a blogger who buys, reviews, informs, and tries to market these products in the best and most creative way I can.
Witch hazel is a known natural remedy for combatting the negative effects of acne including enlargened pores, as well as red, itchy, and dull skin.
✖ It can't promise to dry out any active acne either.
✖ It won't be a perfect match to everyone with skin. Because like any product, this toner is compatible with some people and not with others. Fortunately for me, I got my money's worth and found that it worked fine with mine.
✖ It won't give that stinging feeling that some people find very satisfactory with common astringents.
✖ They're not sold in smaller bottles. I've looked through the Thayers website and saw smaller bottles, but they weren't toners, but face mists. I'm not sure if they'll ever come up with smaller bottles though. But then again, like I've said, it's more expensive than other toners, but you still get what you pay for.
✖ It won't magically remove whiteheads or blackheads.
✖ It won't give you rosy skin, but only one that's moisturized and clean (Wow, that rhymed!)
✖ It won't shrink ALL of your pores.
✖ It won't lighten scars or dark spots on your facial skin.
✖ It's not the type of toner that covers everything to the point where you don't have to wash off your makeup or your skin in general. Washing your face is still key to making the product work for you.
Q1: Where do I buy this toner?
A1: It depends. For people in the US or countries with Amazon services, it won't be hard for you to get this. You may find this at your local drugstores, Walgreens, or on Amazon itself. But for people like me in the PH who have no Amazon service, you can either try Lazada, Shopee, or through my online store! 100% guaranteed! ✓
Q2: Do I need to ask my dermatologist before I try this toner?
A2: It's always best to ask your dermatologist first before you try out anything outside of his/her initial recommendations.
Q3: Can I use this product together with acne prevention medicines or creams?
A3: I'm actually using this toner together with my The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Cleanser, BIOAQUA Acne Rejuvenation Cream, AcneCare Acne Drying Lotion, and my Puritan's Pride Zinc for Acne tablets. But of course, I've researched all of these before trying to use them all together, so maybe seek professional help first or do your research before you do/use the same things/products I did.
Q4: Does this product help eliminate acne?
A4: Unfortunately, for me it didn't. I feel like my acne drying lotion and my Zinc for Acne pills are doing more of the heavy lifting here. I still got acne breakouts here and there, but this toner definitely helped minimize the inflammation and the redness that came with them.
I often feel guilty whenever I post new products I'll be reviewing on my Instagram and Facebook feeds. This is because I know how so many of these products are on a queue and are still waiting to be photographed, used, and reviewed. I know I've said this over and over again on every single one of my reviews' final notes section, but I'll really try my best to post and review stuff as much as I can. I'll probably be able to post more during the holidays since I have more time for myself (I'm off work for 2 weeks courtesy of the best boss ever!).
Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Is this post borderline TL;DR? (I tried to cut this to a 500-word post, I promise! 'Tried' being the operative word in this sentence). I would love to hear from you guys! Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments section below and I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. As always, thank you so much for all the support and for reading (or skimming) through my content!
How are everyone's holidays going? Happy and filled with food, gifts, and warm hugs, I hope? Merry holidays and a fantastic New Year to all of you!
Until the next blog! Thank you for reading!
Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner comes in different varieties and scents: Rose Petal, Lavender, Lavender Mint, Lemon, Cucumber, Original (Astringent), Unscented, Medicated (Topical Pain Reliever), and Peach. At first, I was confused on which scent to purchase first. 355 ml is a lot for 1 bottle of toner and I wasn't going to buy tons of scent varieties at first try without knowing if it was a good fit or not. So towards the end of my search, I opted to purchase the Rose Petal scent instead. A Buzzfeed writer tried and reviewed the Rose Petal variant, so I thought, why not? Plus, I didn't have much to choose from during my Shopee search where sellers were also retailing this toner in smaller portion bottles.
Disclaimer: Before I start discussing my personal experience with the Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner I would like to make it clear that I am by no means a licensed medical or dermatological practitioner, nor am I a manufacturer of these products. I am simply a blogger who buys, reviews, informs, and tries to market these products in the best and most creative way I can.
Quick Overview
The Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner is a gentle skin toner has been around since 1989. This natural US-made product has been used by several generations as an alternative for astringent (alcohol-based) facial toners as alcohol can trigger some acne breakouts. Among its many uses include pore tightening, skin smoothening, acne prevention, and the elimination of itchiness, oiliness, puffiness, and redness of the facial skin.Witch hazel is a known natural remedy for combatting the negative effects of acne including enlargened pores, as well as red, itchy, and dull skin.
Highlights
Here are the Thayers Witch Hazel Alcohol-Free Toner's listed ingredients:- Organic and undistilled witch hazel and aloe vera
- Vitamin E and Thayers' proprietary Witch Hazel extract
- Purified Water
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Certified Organic Filet Of Aloe Vera)
- Glycerin (Vegetable)
- Fragrance (Natural Rose)
- Hamamelis Virginiana Extract (made from Certified Organic Witch Hazel)
- Rosa Centifolia (Rose) Flower Water
- Citric Acid
- Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract
- Natural rose fragrance
Before & After
Week 1
As you can see, there's still a few tiny active acne and redness caused by my previous acne breakouts. After a week of using the Thayers toner, I still experienced a few acne breakouts now and then.
Week 2
During my 2nd week, my skin was less oily and I've had noticeably fewer breakouts. And I've only noticed while I was writing this blog, but it seems that I was wearing the same color shirt on the first 2 weeks that these before and after pics were taken! Just to clear the confusion, these photos were definitely taken on two different weeks. Scout's Honor! :)
Week 3
By week 3, a portion of my bigger active acne breakouts has calmed down. However, there were still a few that remained active but weren't too visible on my camera. I also gained a few more tiny breakouts.
Pros & Cons
What you'll love about it
✓ It doesn't dry your skin out like most alcohol-based toners.
✓ In addition to its non-Gobi Desert transforming capabilities, it doesn't sting even if you've freshly pricked a few active acne. It's just like water, but better!
✓ The tiny nozzle tip helps you save as much product as you can without limiting your usage
✓ The rose petal essence smells great and there are tons of other scents to choose from.
✓ It cleans up makeup residues that I failed to scrub off after washing my face, too! Imagine my relief when I ran out of micellar water!
✓ You get what you pay for. Sure this toner is way more expensive than all the other acne prevention toners in the market, but the effects and the amount of product you get definitely makes up for the price.
✓ It gives you the "clean" feeling that most non-alcohol-based toners can't give.
✓ You can use it as many times as you want every day just as long as it suits your skin type.
✓ It blends with other products without giving you a side effect or a new problem. I use my Thayers toner together with my The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Cleanser, BIOAQUA Acne Rejuvenation Cream, as well as my AcneCare Acne Drying Lotion (both of which I have yet to review).
✓ It calms the redness due to acne or simple allergies that cause itching.
✓ It's not sticky at all!
✓ In addition to its non-Gobi Desert transforming capabilities, it doesn't sting even if you've freshly pricked a few active acne. It's just like water, but better!
✓ The tiny nozzle tip helps you save as much product as you can without limiting your usage
✓ The rose petal essence smells great and there are tons of other scents to choose from.
✓ It cleans up makeup residues that I failed to scrub off after washing my face, too! Imagine my relief when I ran out of micellar water!
✓ You get what you pay for. Sure this toner is way more expensive than all the other acne prevention toners in the market, but the effects and the amount of product you get definitely makes up for the price.
✓ It gives you the "clean" feeling that most non-alcohol-based toners can't give.
✓ You can use it as many times as you want every day just as long as it suits your skin type.
✓ It blends with other products without giving you a side effect or a new problem. I use my Thayers toner together with my The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Cleanser, BIOAQUA Acne Rejuvenation Cream, as well as my AcneCare Acne Drying Lotion (both of which I have yet to review).
✓ It calms the redness due to acne or simple allergies that cause itching.
✓ It's not sticky at all!
What you won't be a fan of
✖ It helps control redness, but unfortunately, it doesn't prevent acne breakouts at all.✖ It can't promise to dry out any active acne either.
✖ It won't be a perfect match to everyone with skin. Because like any product, this toner is compatible with some people and not with others. Fortunately for me, I got my money's worth and found that it worked fine with mine.
✖ It won't give that stinging feeling that some people find very satisfactory with common astringents.
✖ They're not sold in smaller bottles. I've looked through the Thayers website and saw smaller bottles, but they weren't toners, but face mists. I'm not sure if they'll ever come up with smaller bottles though. But then again, like I've said, it's more expensive than other toners, but you still get what you pay for.
✖ It won't magically remove whiteheads or blackheads.
✖ It won't give you rosy skin, but only one that's moisturized and clean (Wow, that rhymed!)
✖ It won't shrink ALL of your pores.
✖ It won't lighten scars or dark spots on your facial skin.
✖ It's not the type of toner that covers everything to the point where you don't have to wash off your makeup or your skin in general. Washing your face is still key to making the product work for you.
Q&A
Q1: Where do I buy this toner?
A1: It depends. For people in the US or countries with Amazon services, it won't be hard for you to get this. You may find this at your local drugstores, Walgreens, or on Amazon itself. But for people like me in the PH who have no Amazon service, you can either try Lazada, Shopee, or through my online store! 100% guaranteed! ✓
Q2: Do I need to ask my dermatologist before I try this toner?
A2: It's always best to ask your dermatologist first before you try out anything outside of his/her initial recommendations.
Q3: Can I use this product together with acne prevention medicines or creams?
A3: I'm actually using this toner together with my The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Cleanser, BIOAQUA Acne Rejuvenation Cream, AcneCare Acne Drying Lotion, and my Puritan's Pride Zinc for Acne tablets. But of course, I've researched all of these before trying to use them all together, so maybe seek professional help first or do your research before you do/use the same things/products I did.
Q4: Does this product help eliminate acne?
A4: Unfortunately, for me it didn't. I feel like my acne drying lotion and my Zinc for Acne pills are doing more of the heavy lifting here. I still got acne breakouts here and there, but this toner definitely helped minimize the inflammation and the redness that came with them.
Final Notes
I often feel guilty whenever I post new products I'll be reviewing on my Instagram and Facebook feeds. This is because I know how so many of these products are on a queue and are still waiting to be photographed, used, and reviewed. I know I've said this over and over again on every single one of my reviews' final notes section, but I'll really try my best to post and review stuff as much as I can. I'll probably be able to post more during the holidays since I have more time for myself (I'm off work for 2 weeks courtesy of the best boss ever!).
Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Is this post borderline TL;DR? (I tried to cut this to a 500-word post, I promise! 'Tried' being the operative word in this sentence). I would love to hear from you guys! Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments section below and I'll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can. As always, thank you so much for all the support and for reading (or skimming) through my content!
How are everyone's holidays going? Happy and filled with food, gifts, and warm hugs, I hope? Merry holidays and a fantastic New Year to all of you!
Until the next blog! Thank you for reading!