Just saying the words "witch hazel" stings just a little bit. "Historically, in its purest form, witch hazel is used as an astringent to contract the skin’s tissues to provide the looks of smaller pores and draw oil [from the skin]," says dermatologist Michelle Henry, MDa clinical instructor of dermatology on the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in Recent York City. That astringent effect sometimes worked just a little too well, as anyone who grew up within the ‘90s or early aughts might remember from splashing their skin red and flaky back within the day. "Its astringent effect implies that it really works by drawing water out of the skin," says Perry Romanowski, a cosmetic chemist and co-host of the Beauty...
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