Hydrosols are regularly used here in my home for myself and my kids. If you have younger children and do not want to use essential oils on them for example during a sore throat issue, then this is where a hydrosol would come in with a throat spray.
I personally use hydrosols in skin care products for my face everyday instead of a toner.
Even if you do not start venturing out into making your own hydrosols, I’d encourage you to maybe look into having one around so you can start to familiarize yourself with it. In this article I wanted to share some simple ways to use a hydrosol and what exactly is it.
Down below you will find some helpful resources for either purchasing from a reputable source or making your own.
What is it?
Hydrosols, in a nutshell, is the water that is the product of essential oils being produced. When essential oils are made, there is the left over water and this water is what a hydrosol is.
The essential oils are steam distilled, water which that takes the form of condensed steam is used to release the parts of the plant which produce the essential oil.
The essential oil part is taken off the top leaving behind the watery part with traces of the essential oil with part of the plant which are not normally present in the essential oil.
Even though essential oils and hydrosols essentially come from the same plant, they have components not present in the other making hydrosols different than essential oils with different uses for hydrosols than oils.
Hydrosols have been used throughout the centuries with some countries using steam distillation to produce fragrant waters like rose water in Lebanon with it still being used in Turkey for Turkish delights, and in countries like India where rose water is also used for desserts.
Nowadays the waters are still valuable with peppermint, thyme and oregano being sold in grocery stores.
But these products are not all created equal.
It’s wise to see if you are getting an actual hydrosol when purchasing your products which does have traces of the essential oil, or an herbal distillate.
Many times companies now create products advertised as a rose water or hydrosol but what they did was just add rose to the water. They boil the plant material like a tea and filter it rather than doing the distillation process.
Another method is to add essential oils in the water along with a base that breaks up the essential oil allowing it to be dissolved in water.
When looking at hydrosols make sure you know your supplier or make one yourself to ensure quality.
Uses
There are many ways to use hydrosols as I’ve stated before, it is easy to incorporate it into your beauty routine or cleaning routine if you are looking to live a more natural toxic free life.
Some uses include:
- Room spray
- Compresses
- Face wipes
- Sitz baths
- Food
- Skin care
- Baby care
I wanted to give you some examples of the plant and the uses for the hydrosol and also some recipes that you can implement in your life as well down below.
Basil hydrosol – when taken as a tea it may aid digestion. Used as toner for the skin, awakens lifeless skin and stimulates it. Used for room sprays and cooking as well.
Calendula hydrosol – anti inflammatory and soothing to many skin conditions such as rashes. Works well on skin when combined with lavender. Most don’t use this in food or as a room spray because the hydrosol smells very different than the oil.
Chamomile hydrosol – used for skin issues such as eczema, psoriasis, sore eyes and rinses with pink eye. Has been used as a calming tea and in diffusers
Eucalyptus hydrosol – great for coughs and respiratory conditions as it is soothing and cooling. Great for skin issues like acne and oily skin. Used as tea for respiratory issues mixed with honey and lemon.
Geranium hydrosol – used for swelling where you need to move circulation in one area as it balances and refreshes. Has been used in baking and sorbets as well as room sprays and skin care products for anti aging.
Lavender hydrosol – apply this hydrosol to a cotton pad over closed eyelids and see it work its magic. It is great for all skin types and used as room sprays as well as in cooking fish.
There are many more hydrosols we can discuss but the ones mentioned above are fairly common and easy to get as well from a reputable supplier like Plant Therapy. If you are making your own oil then make sure to save the water and find a use for the hydrosol as most can be used medicinally in a tea for coughs, in cooking or skin care products.
Essential Oil Waters
Now you might hear of this term “essential oil water” used in an ingredient on a product and let’s be clear that it is not the same thing as a hydrosol as it does not contain the plant compound that become infused in water during the distillation process.
Essential oil water can be used in ways of compresses, baths and beauty products.
One advantage of making your own essential oil waters is that you can combine any oils together in a mix and follow this process of making the water. For example if you want to make a beauty product and need a combination of lavender, frankincense and sandalwood, you can do that.
As you see the process of making a hydrosol looks very different.
DIY Essential Oil Water
Choose essential oil (or mix of oils) take about 10-30 drops per 7 oz of boiling water.
Add oils into the boiling water and put lid on pot to keep steam in.
Continue the boil for about 1-2 minutes and then turn heat off keeping the lid on the whole time.
Move pot and allow to cool.
Let stand for 24hrs without taking lid off.
After 24hrs strain liquid through a coffee filter (which will remove any oils) leaving you with the water to be used in different ways.
Recipes with Hydrosols
Acne prone skin toner
1/4 cup witch hazel
1 tsp vegetable glycerin
2 tsp aloe vera
5 drops lavender
2 drops cedarwood
Chamomile or calendula hydrosol
Add all ingredients together in 4oz spray bottle and use as you would a regular toner after cleansing face. This will keep in a dark cool place for about 6 months.
Antibacterial Wipes
1 tbsp coconut oil
4 drops lavender
3 drops tea tree
1/2 cup lavender hydrosol
Melt the coconut oil in a small pan and add the essential oils. Take off heat once completely melted and whisk together with the hydrosol.
Cut up about 12 paper towels in half and place in glass container that has a lid (mason jars work well and yes you can use cotton material if you do not want to use paper towels)
The paper towels should soak up all the liquid once you pour the liquid over them.
Cover with lid.
Use as you would use a wipe. Most of the time I make these for women that have bacterial vaginosis or are prone to UTIs.
No Fuss Pedialyte Replacement
3 cups filtered water
1 cup peppermint hydrosol
Juice of 1/2 of organic lemon
1/4 tsp Himalayan salt
Maple syrup to taste
Mix all the ingredients together until the salt and maple syrup dissolve.
I use this with kids that have either been throwing up with about 1 tsp at a time or small sips or with kids that have diarrhea which need electrolyte replenishment.
Resources
If you want to see where you can purchase some good quality hydrosols yourself to start working with them or make your own, here are a few resources to get you started.
Where to buy
Making a DIY
Making Hydrofoil without a Distiller
Equipment
Books
Hydrosols: Aromatherapy’s Emerging Star: Includes recipes for health, home and beauty by Donna Gibbs
Tabletop Distilling: How to Make Spirits, Essences, and Essential Oils with Small Stills by Kai Moller
Final Thoughts
When thinking about a more natural and toxic free life, hydrosols are a great item to start incorporating into your life. They are safe to use with infants as and on sensitive skin areas such as cesarean scars and postpartum episiotomies.
Because they are so safe to use, you can also use them as part of your skincare routine and in cleaning products.
I hope these recipes will get you started in the direction of incorporating them in your home or products and some resources you can check out if you feel like venturing out on your own in making them.
Much love to you on the journey!
Krystina
