Hydrosols are the aromatic waters that condense in a collecting vessel during the "steam distillation" process.
We use a still, just like the moonshiners did (or still do) in order to gently steam plant life, then cool the steam down with a cold-water coil into incredible floral (or any plant/herb/tree) water. Because they contain only minute amounts of essential oil, hydrosols are very safe and gentle. Hydrosols can be sprayed directly onto the skin (some even into the eyes), added to drinks, and have a diverse line of other uses.
As Suzanne Caty states in her comprehensive book Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy"Hydrosols are amazing liquids with taste and smell and chemical makeup and therapeutic properties. They are not the same as herb teas or tinctures; they are not decoctions, macerations, or infusions; they are distillates, and they are as unique a product as any of the others I have mentioned. But they are also water, and that fact gives them a range of applications more diverse than those of many phytotherapeutic substances. Hydrosols contain all of the plant in every drop... Here we have the water-soluble components, the essential-oil molecules, the very fluid that was flowing through the plant cells when the plant was collected."
We have been delighting in the Artisan process of discovering the distillation process and reaping each precious component of our organic plants. It's truly an adventure, getting to know about plant life in this way: How their cells break down, in what temperature, during what amount of time, even carefully studying the pH of the plant water along the way! It is a combination of science and intuition that creates a good hydrosol, and I'm humbly learning with every batch! But I'm offering my successes here... and using my not-so-successful batches to water my plants!
We use them in our soaps, body products, and now offer them to you as "body, home and linen mists" and blended splashes.
Because hydrosols are water-based products, they have a shorter shelf life than essential oils, and can be prone to spoilage. Store your hydrosols away from heat and light when not using. We add one drop of colloidal silver to each bottle to help protect the hydrosol from bacteria.
My personal gratitude is extended to Dabney Rose and Ann Harmon, who inspired my love of hydrosols, and taught me how to distill them!
