Witch Hazel

This is a great tip for all you combination/oily skin types that sometimes battle pimples that seem to pop up out of nowhere. Whenever I feel a pimple coming up I’ll quickly call for action and use my Witch Blemish Stick. I got this thanks to a late night shopping spree at Superdrug during last visit to London because there was a three for two skin care special running across almost all lines, including Witch. I hadn’t really meant to pick it up, but I’m quite happy I did! I like how it doesn’t pretend to actually fight the pimple itself, it treats the causes of pimples instead. The stick itself is a bright blue but transfers on your skin as a clear gel. So no worries about looking like a martian (well, a blue one at least) while cuddling up to your boyfriend. 

About the ingredients. There’s alcohol (denat) in there, so careful if your skin is known to get overly dry or irritated from it. The working ingredient is a witch hazel extract, which is a natural disinfectant that is known for being great to treat acne. Witch hazel will reduce the inflammation of a pimple, or in this case try to prevent the pimple from breaking out and getting all nasty. And what exactly is witch hazel, you ask? Witch hazel  is/are a few different types of shrubs. The Hamamelis Virginiana shrub grows in North America and its bark and leaves are used to produce the witch hazel extract. The extract is also used to reduce the swelling under the eyes or to reduce bruises. Not tested by me on those two things, though. 

I really like this stick, especially since it’s such a bargain: it costs a little less than three pounds. Applying it on time is key though, as a pimple that has broken through will just need its time to heal. This stick is great for preventing pimples in the starting line. My skin loves it and does not react to it in a bad way, however you might be careful if you’ve got dry skin. Although three pounds isn’t a horrible price to pay to just check how well you like it yourself. Find it at Boots or Superdrug in the UK & even all of the UK supermarkets for a limited selection. Not available outside of the UK as far as I know, but you could check out the availability of witch hazel extract where you live or ask someone to bring the stick with them from a UK trip.