Amazing Benefits of using Witch Hazel

Do you know the amazing benefits of using Witch Hazel is astonishing? It has so many benefits from treating baby’s cradle crap to a summer’s sunburn relief. It is greatly known for treating hemorrhoids and skin infections.

Witch hazel can also be used for removing makeup naturally to soothing a dog’s skin after a tick is removed. Read more to find out how amazing witch hazel truly is!

Medicinal properties of witch hazel have been researched for fun facts-we do not take internally, (even though you can make a tea)! You may, however, make a tea using only the witch hazel barks and leaves (never the witch hazel with alcohol in it). Again, we have never taken witch hazel internally in any form.

Uses for Witch Hazel

• External Use – Treats skins cracked or damaged by sun, cold or wind; reduces and soothes bruises. Also, it treats hemorrhoids and skin infections such as eczema, disinfectant, decongestant, and healing!
• Usual Therapeutic Indications – Witch hazel is generally recommended to treat hemorrhoids.
• Other Therapeutic Indications Demonstrated – The witch hazel has disinfectant properties and effectively heals small wounds, bedsores and works effectively to treat rosacea.

Read more at Wikipedia HERE for more facts and awesome color pictures of the Witch Hazel plant.

Witch Hazel for Scalp Problems

Since witch hazel has powerful inflammation relief, using it on your scalp can help with itch and dandruff. When my son was a baby, he had “cradle crap” which is a baby’s dandruff.

I would wash his scalp and dip a cotton ball in witch hazel along with one drop of tea tree oil and rubbed the affected area, it worked like a charm and he didn’t seem to mind at all. If you want to read more about the amazing healing properties of tea tree oil, you may find that HERE.

I have oily hair and I make a 50/50 (filtered water & witch hazel) solution in a spray bottle and spray my hairline and dab dry once a week in between hair washings. Add a few drops of tea tree essential oil helps also with itching.

Witch Hazel History 

Witch hazel has been used since the beginning of time by doctors of the Indian peoples of North America. They used it to treat many inflammatory problems and for its ability to stop bleeding.

Europeans discovered witch hazel during colonization and imported it to their continent in the course of the 18th century. They used it mainly for its astringent virtues, and today we find this shrub everywhere on the Old Continent. Our home uses witch hazel for so many things over the last 30 plus years.

Botanical Description of Witch Hazel

Witch hazel is a shrub of the family Hamamelis Virginia’s. As a tree, it can grow 20-30 feet tall. As a shrub, it usually does not grow more than 12-15 feet tall. Its slightly downy leaves are oval and dark green in color.

In autumn, its leaves turn bright yellow. Its small flowers usually form in autumn, just before its leaves fall. They are of yellow color and emit a rather pleasant perfume. Its petals are rather wavy. The seeds of witch hazel are edible, just ask a squirrel!

Growing Witch Hazel

If you live in zone 3-9 in the USA, you can grow your own witch hazel! Deer don’t really bother it much and a squirrel may nibble on the seeds. The biggest offender to this plant is the weevil, it feeds on the flowers and the leaves during most of its life. See the information from USDA Forest Division HERE if witch hazel will grow in your area.

If you purchase a 2-year old plant, don’t expect to see any flowers for another 4 years. The yearly growth rate is slow, usually less than 4-12 inches a year. If you want to be adventurous, try growing one from seed. Plan on waiting, it can take up to 2 years just to sprout. It’s quite complicated and best to forgo seeding planting and buy a 2-year-old plant!

I suggest buying your plants from a reputable nursery and asking for their suggestions. Witch hazel plants need to have a good layer of mulch such as pine needles or wood chips because witch hazel likes slightly acidic soil and the soil to be consistently moist.

We bought a two-year-old witch hazel bush in May 2019. I am so excited to see it grow!

PRECAUTIONS FOR USE OF WITCH HAZEL

If you do make a tea, use no more than 2 grams of dried leaves and bark and limit to 2-3 times a day.

Before using witch hazel on your skin, ensure you do not have a reaction to it. Always take a small amount and test on a small area of your hand or arm and watch for irritation over the next 24 hours before using it. If it does not turn red or itchy, most likely it is safe to use. If in doubt, consult your doctor or veterinarian before using it.

Drug Interactions of Witch Hazel

No known interactions between witch hazel and drugs.

Witch hazel is a plant that does not present itself as a health hazard. However, if you use it on your own, never exceed the recommended daily doses.

It is always better to seek advice from your doctor or pharmacist before using a dietary supplement, whatever the purpose of it or the problems to treat.

Benefits of Witch Hazel

TONER: I actually make different facial masks and follow-up with witch hazel. One particular one I make with DE can be found HERE. I follow up with a witch hazel splash! I never use a commercial face wash or toner filled with toxins.

ASTRINGENT: First, I wash with one of my natural handmade soaps. Second, I follow up with a cotton ball or cotton make-up remover dipped in witch hazel and scrub with it. This removes so much grease and grime from my face naturally. I love to splash it on my face and pat dry after taking a hot shower to tighten and tone my skin.

ACNE: Fighting acne is easy using witch hazel because of its astringent qualities. It can be applied directly to the face and provides anti-inflammatory properties that are great in fighting and preventing acne. This also works if you have Psoriasis and Eczema. Witch hazel relieves the itching and irritated skin.

SOOTHE HEMORRHOIDS: To treat hemorrhoids more specifically, it is recommended to use witch hazel if you want a natural remedy. You may make your own form of “Tucks” so much cheaper. Take a sterilized container, add cotton face pads and soak with witch hazel. Only use a few at a time as they may disintegrate. Cotton balls dipped in witch hazel is also convenient. I’m sure you get the idea how to apply 🙂

OTHER BENEFITS TO USE WITCH HAZEL

• Razor burn soother
• Reduce bags under the eyes
• After waxing, apply with a splash
• Remove commercial dye from the face and neck areas using a cotton ball saturated in witch hazel
• Heal cold sores, mix with unrefined coconut oil and a drop of tea tree oil, make a paste
• Diaper rash area soother
• Sunburns-it works like Aloe Vera for soothing sunburn
• Bug Bites, use a cotton ball dipped in witch hazel and apply to the affected area, follow with ice if needed
• Poison Oak and Poison ivy relief, we wash with our handmade Jewel Weed soap and follow up 3 times a day with applying witch hazel to the affected areas. Use a spray bottle so as not to dip or rub on the affected area

Animals can Benefit from Witch Hazel

• Tick Removal: after removing a tick, apply on a cotton ball to the affected area
• Cleaning Ears: Use on a cotton ball, not dripping, and gently clean the parts of the ears you can actually see. DO NOT put it into the canal.

MAKE YOUR OWN ROOM FRESHENER

It’s best to use amber or blue glass bottles (see shop below), then fill half with witch hazel and a half with filtered water. I add several drops of the purest essential oils you have. Spray in the room to eliminate bad odors or just freshen the air naturally.

WITCH HAZEL SOOTHING GEL

• Witch Hazel-5 TBSP
• Aloe Vera Gel 2 TBS
• Glycerin 2 TBSP
• Carrier Oil 1 TBS (Example Argon)

Anti-itch

• 7-ounce non-alcohol witch hazel
• 1-ounce neem oil is used for medicinal and therapeutic uses, witch hazel fights bacteria
• A few drops of Tea Tree essential oil

Acne

• 1/4 cup witch hazel
• 1/4 cup filtered water
• 4 drops tea tree oil, tea tree oil is great for acne since its oil has antiseptic and antimicrobial qualities that soothe and treat acne
• 6 drops pure lavender essential oil the lavender is healing

If you want to make your own witch hazel: Make it fresh and freeze

• 4 ounces Hamamelis Virginia bark and leaves
• Boil, reduce for 15 minutes
• Shelf life: if in the refrigerator, 1 week or freeze up to a year

Jewelweed infusion using witch hazel (no oils)

This is a cooling “splash” that can be made and put in the refrigerator for helping with itchy poison ivy rash or other plant irritants as well as bug bites.

• Add chopped, fresh jewelweed mostly stems and then leaves to one inch from the top (less is ok too).
• Fill the jar with a good quality witch hazel (I use UV jars for this) if not, store in a dark, cool place
• Once a day, give it a little shake to mix up the jar contents
• After 7-10 days, put in smaller containers to carry while hiking, camping or biking
• Use a cotton ball to soak, apply to the affected area
• I like to store the whole canning jar in the refrigerator and just fill a travel container as needed

I use jewelweed for many other things, you can read all about that HERE.

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