OMG! Witch hazel is a girls best friend. I've always had pretty good skin my entire life. Each state I moved to I had no problems (HI, TX, CA, LA, MD, VA, MA). When I moved to State College PA however, my skin was an absolute mess. Perhaps it was the water and whatever they put in it (Lord knows they put a rack of chemicals in our water but recently read they're taking out the fluoride), dry air or all of the trees and pollen but my skin got bad. Before the move, if I had a zit, I would drink a cup of water right before bed and in the morning that thing was gone! Now, all the chemicals in the world could not help. Alcohol only dried out my face and did not really get rid of my pimples. Noxzema only tingled and smelled really strong. I had something else that dried out my face to no end and Pro Activ? Well, let's not even go there. That stuff is way too harsh for my sensitive skin. After 2 days my skin was burning and hurt to the touch. I'm a chocolate chic and my face was turning red on this stuff. I tried it for a few more days with water as a dillutant (as directed by the Pro Activ folks) but nothing. For years I was screwed but noticed when I went back to Philly it cleared up considerably.

After college I began to travel every 6 months and noticed a huge difference in my skin when in these places. They all had one thing in common: humidity! Then it hit me! Duh! My skin was used to Hawaii temperatures and humidity. i felt less screwed and maintained a humidifier in my home which eased some of my skin woes. Then one day I tried witch hazel and OMG! I used a cotton swab and BOOM! Even after washing my face with regular soap and water the witch hazel picked up even more toxins and pollutants on my face. It seemed my skin even got a 1/2 shade lighter it was insane. And the best thing was there was no burning and my skin was left neither dry or oily. I did not even have to moisturize (but I would with an spf).

After all of these years, I finally figured out what worked for me. Skin problems can be daunting but I would say before you try harsh or expensive chemicals on your face try witch hazel. It's a naturally grown flower. Like baking soda it can be used for many things. I use banking soda in my refrigerator for keeping food fresh, in my laundry detergent as and additional cleaning aid, in my toothpaste and in my baths along with sea salts, oranges and natural oils. Try it and you just may be surprised.