Applying witch hazel cream seems to relieve mild skin irritation, but not as well as hydrocortisone. To be safe, discuss witch hazel with your healthcare provider before adding it to your medicine cabinet.

This preliminary study done in Petri dishes, but it shows that witch hazel has a promising future and needs more studies.

After a restless night, apply a soaked cloth to the swollen bags under your eyes and let it sit for five minutes. For this reason, witch hazel is commonly added to many over-the-counter acne products and is especially useful for individuals with oily skin. A healthcare professional, such as a registered dietitian, pharmacist, or healthcare provider, should individualize and vet supplement use. North American Virginian Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana): Based Scalp Care and Protection for Sensitive Scalp, Red Scalp, and Scalp Burn-Out. It is initially drying on the skin when using alcohol preparations, but in time moisturizes the skin and helps it heal.

Perhaps you experience dandruff or dryness of the scalp—but even if you don't, massaging a bit of witch hazel into that skin will pump it with nutritious antioxidants that keep hair healthy. Witch hazel contains many compounds with potent anti-inflammatory properties, including gallic acid and tannins.It acts as an astringent, causing your tissues to contract to help shrink pores, while also soothing your skin and relieving inflammation ( 5). Most often applied to the skin and scalp, witch hazel is widely known for its ability to ease inflammation and soothe sensitive skin. We have put together this list to help you learn more about witch hazel uses for health, beauty, pets, and around the house.

Though there is little evidence to prove it works, healthcare providers still advise patients with minor hemorrhoid problems to try it. Witch hazel can be safely applied to your skin several times per day, and small amounts can be ingested orally with minimal risk of side effects. Dual inhibitory activities of tannins from Hamamelis virginiana and related polyphenols on 5-lipoxygenase and lyso-PAF: acetyl-CoA acetyltransferase. S. Though it's a plant, you shouldn't eat it because it does contain some ingredients that may be toxic to the liver or kidneys. If you know of one that we have left out, please add it below and share this article about witch hazel on social media so that more people can learn about the uses and benefits of this amazing natural healer.

The authors concluded that applying witch hazel to sunburned skin eases inflammation because it contains antioxidant polyphenols. You should always speak with your doctor or health care professional before you start, stop, or change any prescribed part of your health care plan or treatment and to determine what course of therapy is right for you. It has antimicrobial properties that kill surface bacteria and reduces oil while it tightens the skin.

In a study of topical witch hazel for minor skin irritations in children, for instance, only two children out of 231 experienced side effects. Witch hazel, as we know it, is an extract of the North American witch-hazel tree, Hamamelis virginiana.Apply witch hazel to a cotton ball and gently apply to baby’s skin, or put witch hazel in a spray bottle and spritz the affected areas.