Historically called Flower water, Hydrosols are a “water solution” that is traditionally extracted through the steam distillation process of botanicals that is used to create essential oils. In the realm of aromatherapy, hydrosols are also known as hydrolates, hydrolats, floral waters and plant waters. In French, the term hydro, means “water” and late, is from the French lait, or “milk.” When hydrolates first come out of the still it often has a slightly milky appearance.
In the process of steam-distillation, water is boiled which creates steam that rises through a large amount of fresh botanical biomass. This steam is recondensed back into liquid with a cold-water coil, as this liquid gathers in what is called a Florentine flask, the essential oil, and recondensed water vapor separate, which results in two different substances. Just as in the case of essential oil production, differing methods and time of botanical harvest, produce varied amounts of hydrosol.
Unlike essential oils, hydrosols are not concentrated in volatile terpenes, and are therefore not flammable. The resulting fluid ranges in pH depending on the botanical being extracted, and carries more of an aromatic “imprint” of the original plant, than concentrated constituents. However, this does not remove them from therapeutic consideration.
The term “flower water” appears in U.S. Pharmacopeia of 1926, referencing Orange Flower Water as “Aqua Aurantum Fleur,” other botanical waters were simply referred to as: Rose Water, Fennel Water, etc., as well as “Aromatic Waters,” which were presented as distillates with an added small volume of the original volatile oil. One might ask, “what are flower waters doing in the USP of the past?” Flower waters were used in formulations of various remedies. While these substances have all but been removed from modern western medicine, their therapeutic value is beginning to be revived.
Most often seen in skin care ingredients, hydrosols offer a tonifying benefit for the skin. Many companies pair floral hydrosols such as rose and lavender, with other tonifying astringents and soothing ingredients, such as witch hazel extract and aloe vera juice to create skin toners. I myself, use them as a water portion when I make my small batch creams, which can be found here: Pain Be Gone; Lavender; Calendula; custom scents are available.
I find that when I use hydrosols in my body care products I don’t need to use as much essential oil to scent them, which allows for a more affordable product for my customer, that also smells “more-true” to the plant. For instance, in my Lavender Lotion, which is made with organic infused lavender oil, organic lavender hydrosol, distilled water, emulsifying wax, and organic lavender essential oil, and a small bit of rosemary antioxidant as a preservative, I use a quarter less of essential oil than what is called for in a traditional batch, without losing any body of the scent.
Hydrosols have also been historically used to flavor pastries, to wash oneself, and the home with, bathed in, used on pets, poured into champagne, and diluted into water as a beverage. Hydrosols use is also beginning to be revived as a therapeutic when diluted in water (15-30ml- 1 L), and sipped on for three weeks, similar to ingesting therapeutic teas.
I will be offering a small workshop at the Good Medicine Confluence in Durango, in late July, showing people the basics of essential oil steam distillation, as well as how to create their own hydrosols with simple kitchen equipment. You can learn more about the confluence and the workshops I’ll be teaching here.
Roots of Alchemy 