Making your own witch hazel is super easy. Whether you forage twigs or purchase some the process is simple. Hamamelis virginiana is native to much of the United States
and is often planted as landscape plants for their beautiful spring blooms and unique foliage.
Planting some of your own will save you money if you plan on continuing making witch hazel for yourself in the future. You can make gallons of witchhazel at a time at a fraction of the cost of buying in store. Also if you get organic ingredients you will have the additional satisfaction of not having any awful chemicals leached in to your beauty products. Here is how to do it!
How to Make Witch Hazel Tonic
Ingredients
½ pound witch hazel bark (amazon might have it or my preferred herbal supplier is Mountain Rose Herbs.
distilled water or filtered to cover 1-2 inches above bark
vodka or pure grain alcohol (I use Prairie Brand organic vodka)
A gallon container to store it in. Recycled plastic gallon jug is fine or you can get gallon mason jars which are my favorite from Ace Hardware or a country store with canning supplies.
Directions
Add the first two ingredients (water and herbs) to a stockpot on the stove. Bring the water to a boil and then turn down the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 20 minutes, covered.
Remove from heat and keep the stockpot covered until your tea is completely cooled.
Strain and add half the total volume of tea in vodka or pure grain alcohol. (If you have 18 ounces of tea, add 9 ounces of alcohol.) If you prefer to leave out the alcohol to minimize any drying on very sensitive skin that is fine, but you will need to store your tonic in the refrigerator for up to a week. Otherwise, this tonic has a shelf life of 1-2 years. Store it in a cool place away from direct sunlight.
Hope you enjoyed & feel free to reach out with any questions!
Much Love and Good Karma!
- Kitchen Witch Renee
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