Botanical Alchemy: Hydrosols

All about hydrosols

Distillate plant waters, while fairly overlooked in modern aromatherapy, have long been affiliated with healing and were in use far before essential oils as we know them today were. These plant waters are the product of a controlled distillation apparatus, the most classic, or well-known, of which would be a copper alembic still.

While hydrosols are probably best known as a byproduct of the production of essential oils, the technique of distillation is different when producing a hydrosol versus an essential oil. However, in both water is heated to create steam that passes through the plant material, softening the cells of the plant and capturing the water-based constituents and releasing the essential oils in their own vapor. This vapor mixes with the steam and then separates once again during the cooling phase of the distillation. The essential oil molecules rise to the top of the cooled water (previously the steam), leaving two layers of oil and water. The oil layer is the essential oils of the plant, while the water layer is the hydrosol. This process shows why hydrosols are often considered the homeopathy of aromatherapy, and appropriately the yin to the yang of essential oil therapy.

There are many names for plant waters, and thus they are often confused by many, even aromatherapists. You might see names like flower waters, plant waters, hydrosols, hydrolats, hydrolates, aromatic waters, floral waters, fragrant water, essential water, and medicated water. We prefer the nomenclature of either hydrosol or the anglicized pronunciation of the French “hydrolat”, technically the most correct of all the terms, as it will (should) always refer to the condensed steam from the distillation process.

We feel that these distinctions and clarifications are important to highlight because there still seems to be a decent amount of confusion around these beautiful botanical products. Similar to essential oils, but slightly more pronounced, hydrolats vary in quality depending on their “terroir.” Terroir is the soil, wind, rain, shade, and terrain of the plants during their growing cycles. Widely used centuries ago, today their uses are not common, but can be utilized in a myriad of ways: aromatherapy, ingestible herbal medicine, air fresheners, food complements, as a beverage, for pet health, and yes, of course, also for the care of the skin.

Just like carrier and essential oils, the hydrolats of different plants provide different benefits. And as we are talking about a water-based ingredient, the pH of each hydrolat will be different, thereby influencing the skin differently from plant to plant. The pH is important because hydrolats are remarkably stable for preservative-free water-based products. A change in PH can indicate contamination of bacteria, something we definitely want to avoid if we plan to ingest it or apply it to the skin. A change of more than 0.5 pH from the initial reading (hopefully after distillation) is a fairly good indication of contamination, which is why we test our hydrolats every 6-8 weeks. And, of course, if you see a bloom of bacterial growth, dispose of the hydrolat. In regards to shelf-life, a broad rule-of-thumb is that those hydrolats with a pH of 5.0 or below (more acidic) will last longer than those that have a pH above 5.0 (more alkaline). As a reference point, distilled (or de-ionized) water is usually at a pH of 7.0 and human skin ranges from 4.5 to 5.5. This also shows how many hydrolats show a close affinity to the skin.

The easiest way to use hydrolats for the skin is quite simple: cleanse the face with your preferred cleanser (ours are cleansing oils) and apply a few spritzes of your favorite hydrolat to the face like a toner. Of course, some hydrolats are better suited than others for the skin: lemon balm, german chamomile, geranium, lavender, and rosemary are some which all have regenerative benefits and suited for most skin types and skin needs. Others like bay laurel, cedarwood, and eucalyptus are more astringent and good for oily skin, while calendula, german chamomile, lavender, and linden blossom are more soothing and therefore great for sensitive skin.

While the above is the most common way to use hydrolats, it is certainly not the only way. Some formulators substitute hydrolats for the water phase in their moisturizers, creams, and lotions, looking to incorporate the benefits from hydrolats in their products rather than simply using de-ionized water. Similarly it can be used as a substitute for water or honey in masks, basically almost anywhere where a skincare product has water as an ingredient, a hydrosol would make an interesting, if not better, ingredient.

We love hydrolats not only for their wonderful effects on the skin, but also for the alchemic process of drawing out the potent powers of plants. There is a certain magic to bottling the inherent qualitative properties of the plant material, especially when you think about the fact that you’re capturing the water-soluble benefits that you don’t get in the seed oil or essential oil. We thoroughly believe in the therapeutic qualities of hydrosols and are working on providing our favorites for you in the near future. Stay tuned. 🙂