Skincare Update: Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Pore Perfecting Toner

All the toners I had gone thru always leaves me with a feeling of disappointment — broken promises of oil control and pore minimizing actions. Out of all my friends who, like me, have an oily and sensitive skin, there’s only one I know who swears by Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Toner Pore Perfecting Toner and has several bottles stocked up in her medicine cabinet. As I was perusing the aisles of Healthy Options in Rockwell, I spotted this high up in the shelves. I thought twice about picking it up but curiosity won so I bought the travel size bottle  (2fl. oz./59ml) because I wanted to test it out.

It’s been a month since I started using Dickinson’s Original Witch Hazel Toner (it’s tiresome to type the whole name, sorry). I figured a month is long enough to test this skincare product before reviewing it. So let’s take a look.

The Promise:

Its 100% Natural Witch Hazel Formula tightens and refines pores, gently removing excess oil, dirt, and makeup residue without over drying — for evenly toned and beautifully smooth skin everyday. 

What is Witch Hazel anyway?

Witch Hazel is a naturally effective herbal extract with exceptional cleansing, soothing, and healing properties. The twigs and bark of the Witch Hazel plant contain therapeutic constituents that when extracted and distilled create the clear, fragrant, natural astringent that has been known for generations as the most gentle natural skin care solution.

The Review:

Where do I begin? First thing I love about this product is that it leaves my skin baby-smooth and soft unlike the previous toners I’ve used which leaves a somewhat tacky feeling, like after you’ve just washed your face with soap. (Do you get what I mean?) But really, I swear! The first few days I can’t help but run my hands over and over my face because it’s so smooth! Then, over time I noticed that I have less breakouts (well, lesser than usual). Don’t get me wrong. I still have my occasional “breakout season” during a certain time of the month but those pimples actually dry up faster, a day or two earlier than usual. I also noticed that my face is less oily in the mornings (major points!!). And somehow I think it has managed to control the oil production of my skin because now I only blot out the excess oil on my face once or twice for the whole day.

One thing I’m not keen about is the smell. I can’t describe it exactly. The best I can come up with is a mixture of an oil and alcohol. I’m not totally averse to the scent, I just hold my breath on days I can’t tolerate it but for some who are sensitive, you might have to think twice before picking up a bottle.

Now for my pores. They’re still there, distracting and obvious as always. I don’t believe there was any pore-refinement that went on but hey, it was just a month. Maybe it’ll  take a little bit longer for the effect to show. By the way, what do you think they meant by “refines pores“? (Am I deluding myself into thinking it can minimize pores as well?)

The travel sized bottle retails at Healthy Options here in the Philippines for Php 69.00 only. After I finish this bottle, I”m going to get the bigger one and perhaps try the Dickinson’s Oil Controlling Astringent.

For more info about Dickinson’s other products and a whole slew of skin care tips by skin type and beauty secrets, visit their site here.