This past year I’ve been focusing on how to incorporate herbs into our daily life. We have been using herbal infusions for the past several weeks (check out my post on what infusions are here).
Another way I’ve been adding herbal products into regular use has been herbal hydrosol. We’ve been using them as a cleansing spray when out at the stores to replace commercial sanitizers, gentle sprays for treating sun burns, and even mild cuts and scrapes!
The more I look into hydrosols and learn about their wide range of uses, I’m surprised they aren’t used more!
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What is a hydrosol?
Hydrosols are a distilled herbal water (or floral water). They are very diluted (especially in comparison with essential oils) and are a gentle way to use directly on the skin, in products, and in the kitchen. Most are safe to use on children and pets in small amounts.
If using internally, the general rule of thumb is 2 TBSP of water to 1 quart of water. Make sure to research your hydrosol before consumption to rule out any contraindications.
The process of distillation allows the hydrophilic properties (water loving) of the herbs as with teas. They make a lovely addition to your skincare routine, addition to a nasal flush, or into a warm bath.
The most common two hydrosols on the market are rose water and witch hazel.
Some simple hydrosols and their uses include:
Witch hazel, rose water, lavender, and lemon thyme are great choices for a facial toner.
Peppermint as a soothing spray after a long day in the sun.
Lemon balm spritzed onto the face in the morning to start your day off fresh.
How hydrosols differ from essential oils
As stated preciously, hydrosols incorporate the water loving benefits of the plant materials. In an essential oil, only the lipophilic (fat loving, or fat soluble) nutrients are extracted into the oils.
A hydrosol produces much more product than an essential oil. For example, 3 lbs of lavender is needed to create 15ml of essential oil. Whereas the still isn’t packed as tightly when the desired end result is a hydrosol, the aromatic compounds evaporate into the steam and produces a much larger amount (albeit more diluted) product.
You may read online that hydrosols are they byproducts of making essential oils. That’s not exactly true. If the intent is to make essential oils, a large amount of plant matter is used and the water is heated high and quickly to produce oils. This is then refined further for purification. But when the intent is to make a hydrosol, less plant material is used, and it’s heated slowly for a longer period of time. At the end of making a hydrosol, a small amount of essential oils will have pooled together ontop of the water.
As an aspiring herbalist, it is important to remember that all parts of the plant used, serve a purpose. So focusing on just the fat soluble OR just the water soluble portions of the herb may not gain the desired results. Essential oils and hydrosols may act and smell similarly, but can have some key differences. (Aside from oils being much more potent.)
Hydrosols will contain some amount of essential oils (a light sheen of oil can usually be seen floating on top of the water). It is important to remember this as well, when using them.
We do use essential oils for certain cases, as we use hydrosols for certain occasions. But remembering that both of these products will only contain certain properties of the plant. Understanding which active ingredients are incorporated into oils and water will allow you to decide which will benefit you for each situation.
*Please Note* I know the debate on essential oils can be pretty heated. To all my essential oil friends reading this, please don’t crucify me! I’m not bashing essential oils, I think they serve a purpose. That being said, I do think that their use should be limited and carefully monitored. They are incredibly potent and require an immense amount of plant material to make a tiny amount of oil.
How are they made?
Hydrosols are made from distilling herbs. Both fragrant and non-fragrant herbs can be used.
Traditionally they are made with a copper alembic still. We decided to invest in our own still after using an inefficient method to produce a small amount utilizing a large kitchen pot and several bowls. Our still was made in Portugal and we decided to go with a 5 liter still that has a flip top column.
- Herbal material is placed in the still’s pot and covered with filtered water. (We use a reverse osmosis filtration system you can find here!)
- The swan neck is place on top as a lid and connected to the condenser.
- Traditionally a paste of water and rye flour is applied onto the joints of the still to avoid any leaking of the steam during the distillation process. To make the paste, mix in just enough water to the rye flour to form a putty. Mold this onto all the seams, applying more if needed.
- The still is placed ontop of a burner and heated to a low boil. This is where the cell walls of the plant will begin to burst and evaporate into steam.
- The cooling tubes for the condenser are attached and lead to a larger container of cool water (it is important to keep the water inside the condenser cool to allow the steam moving through the swan neck to revert back to a liquid). We use a small fish tank pump to constantly flow cool water into the condenser.
- The hydrosol drains out of the condenser and through a coffee filter to a sterilized quart jar.
- Once the process is finished, the hydrosol is stored in the fridge until ready to be bottled in spray jars for use.
The still we use has a flip top column that herbs can be placed in for the distillation process. This allows for the pot to only contain water and reduces the chances of burning your herbs. The steam from the pot passes up through the column causing the plant cells to burst and carries the plant constituents with it.
If stored properly, the hyrosols made with an alembic still should last roughly 6 months.
Our current favorites
I have been practicing using our alembic still by making hydrosols for home use. I’m still learning the art of distillation, but hope to soon offer them at our roadside stand along with some of our herbal tea blends and bulk dried herbs we grow on the homestead.
I look forward to our roses blooming so I can make some of our own luxurious rose water! (And lavender, and chamomile, and elderflower, and… well, you get the point!)
My current favorites are:
- Peppermint hydrosol for after sun care.
- Witch hazel for a facial toner (Note: Most commercially bought witch hazel contains more alcohol than actual witch hazel!)
- Comfrey and yarrow hydrosol for minor cuts and scrapes.
- Lemon Thyme hydrosol for a general household cleaner.
