In an earlier post, I shared the basics about what a hydrosol is and how it is produced. In this post I’ll share ways to use them, where to learn more and where to buy the best!
Practical and Creative Ways to Use Hydrosols:
- Wound Care: Wash open wounds and tender, infected areas with hydrosols. Helichrysum hydrosol is my favorite for this application.
- Skin Soothing: Because of their gentle, delicate nature, hydrosols offer a kind of soothing “water balm” for hot skin. Try Lavender, Frankincense or Yarrow Hydrosol on sunburn, rashes or poison ivy.
- General Skin Care: If you’ve got skin and it has a condition, there is sure to be a hydrosol to treat it! Hydrosols have a wonderful affinity with just about every skin condition from acne to diaper rash to dry, mature skin. Rose makes a fabulous skin toner as well as Frankincense.Â
- Mouthwash:Â Peppermint or Spearmint Hydrosol is fantastic for mouth care.
- Hot Flashes: Mist your face and neck with a cooling hydrosol like Peppermint, Geranium, Lime or Clary Sage hydrosol.
- Digestion: Many people add 1 drop of Peppermint essential oil to their water bottles, but given how concentrated essential oils are, that will be too intense for many and it’s easy to add too much. Peppermint hydrosol, on the other hand, is perfect to add to drinking water!  Just add a couple of tablespoons of Peppermint hydrosol to a liter of water and you’ve got a great digestive aid. It will give you a refreshing lift, too!
- Bath: Add 1/2 C of your favorite hydrosol for a relaxing bath. My favorites are the flower hydrosols like Rose, Lavender, Clary Sage
- Humidifier:Â Add to your humidifier water to a lovely aroma.
- Hair Rinse: After you’ve washed your hair and rinsed the products out, give your hair a final rinse with hydrosol to leave your hair smelling clean and lovely. Your scalp will thank you, too.
- Energetically: You can make an energetic spray with any of the hydrosols to help balance your chakras and energy field and give you an emotional lift. Sweetgrass hydrosol is my favorite for this.
- Feet: Soak your feet in a cool foot bath with Peppermint or Spearmint hydrosol. Or add to a spray bottle and just give them a cooling mist whenever you want to refresh your “dogs”.
- Animal Care: I could do an entire blog post just on the uses of hydrosols for animals. Suffice it to say that where I would never use essential oils on my pets, I wouldn’t hesitate to use hydrosols. You can use hydrosols for hot spots, for washing infected ears, for rinsing fur that has mange (which is a fungal condition), for rinsing wounds and even just cleaning their little faces. My pug Sassy frequently found herself getting cleaned with hydrosols and a washcloth. Pugs have those charming face wrinkles, but they really hold the dirt! I liked to wipe her face with chamomile hydrosol. It is even gentle enough to go over her bulging eyes.
- Recipes:Â Whether you’re cooking or making soap, replace the water in your recipe with hydrosol!
- Yoga Mats and Massage Tables: Spray and let dry! Better than essential oils as they can breakdown their covering.
- Ironing: Use instead of distilled water. This chore might even become fun!
- House Cleaning: Use in place of water to clean everything! Countertops, windows, tile, glass. The air will smell amazing.
- Car Cleaning:Â Again, spray the whole vehicle down and wipe steering wheels, dashboard, everywhere.
- Classroom: Wipe down the desks after students go home. One kindergarten teacher does this and her class has the lowest illness absenteeism in the school
If you’re ready to learn more about hydrosols and how to use them,
check out my online course:
Click Here>>Hydrosols for Health: Explore the Benefits and Uses of Aromatic Waters
Would you like to make your own hydrosols at home? It’s easier than you think!
You can buy premium handcrafted copper still at Copperstills.com and make your own hydrosols!
Below are three books on Hydrosols
Understanding Hydrolats
375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols
Where Can You Buy Quality Hydrosols?
There are a lot of products sold out there that call themselves floral water, but they are just essential oils mixed with water. Before you make your purchase, ask the vendor to explain how the product is made.  The highest quality hydrosols come from the artisan distillers who steam the floral and plant material strictly to produce a hydrosol.
My Supplier of Choice: NaturesGift.com
This woman-owned company has run a successful essential oil business for over 25 years. The owner, Marge Clark, buys only the highest quality hydrosols from organic distillers. Her stock is growing and if she doesn’t carry a hydrosol you want, just ask and she will most likely be able to obtain it for you. Because Marge and I have known each other for over 20 years, she offers a special discount on hydrosols, essential oils, and other aromatherapy supplies.  If you’re interested, just email me at liz@aromaticwisdom.com for details.
Okay, now it’s your turn.
Leave a comment below and share with me how YOU use hydrosols!
Liz I LOVE using hydrosols. I have 3 really active kids and started using hydrosols for all of their bumps and bruises. I’m especially impressed by how well a cold compress of helichrysum and chamomile roman (or lavender) hydrosols can ease the pain and swelling of a bruise. I also use them for compressing sore joints and muscles. Different blends of hydrosols depending on what’s causing the pain. My favorite thing? That I’m working in harmony with the wisdom of nature by using the hydrosols 🙂
Great article, Liz!
Tracie
tracienichols.com
I couldn’t agree more, Tracie! You are most definitely working in harmoney with nature! And they are also wonderful energetic tools, as well. Love your newsletter and read every issue! Thanks for stopping by.
Just an FYI, mange is a mite that digs itself under the skin of dogs/cats. Hydrosols would of course treat the itching, any infection as a result of their intrusion, and repel them, maybe even kill the buggers. All of this would of course would help reduce scaring (from all the scratching) of the skin, and allow the animal to heal faster as well. 🙂
Valuable information! Love using essential oils! Thanks!
Thanks for going all out to explain and how to use this hydrosol oil….thanks Liz!
Thanks for sharing such great tips 🙂
I’m thrilled to read about the uses for dogs. My dogs love to get their faces wiped off as it’s very dusty where we live.
I had no idea hydrosols could benefit us in so many ways! Thank you for this list. I’m going to try some of these!
Thnaks for sharing how to use oils fro natural healing. Great tips.
Great tips on hydrosols! Will make sure to use them. Thanks.
I didn’t realize that hydrosols can be used in so many ways. Informative article Liz! Looking forward for more! =)
This is one of my favorite Blogs. The postings are very unique and also outstanding with the new creativity and knowledge and with the new different ideas and concepts. I am waiting for some more new posts from you.
Hello Liz, I was sent here from Andrea Butje’s webinar a couple of days ago. I am interested in using hydrosols on my two little ones who are too young to use EO’s. We suffer from eczema/digestion/liver problems. You mentioned ingestion of hydrodrols. Is this safe on small children? Thank you for your help.
Hi Wendy, Usually ingestion of hydrosols is okay IF you are using pure, organic hydrosols without preservatives and you dilute the hydrsol in water. I usually advise 1:2 ratio – 1 part hydrosol, 2 parts water. I can’t speak to the safety for your children without knowing their ages and the exact hydrosol you’d like to use. Tell me more and I’ll be happy to help!
I am really enjoying the experience of using Hydrosols in my facial care routine. I mist a mixture of 1/2 German Chamomile and 1/2 Helichrysum on my face after I cleanse in the morning and evening and before I moisturize. It really seems to minimize the redness of rosacea and helps my skin stay more moisturized. I also use this same mixture and mist my face during the day. I wear a very light tinted moisturizer and it seems to refresh and hydrate my skin.
I have also used German Chamomile and Lavender hydrosols in a spray deodorant in place of water. The hydrosols seem to enhance the scent of the product.
Wow – that’s a gorgeous combination of hydrosols, Heather! I too have rosacea and find the hydrosols help cool the redness and heat in my cheeks. Thanks for sharing! Liz
Hi Liz! Thanks for the info about hydrosols! Your class is on my to-do list! I’m still planning my spring schedule! I bought some of Stillpoint’s hydrosols and they are lovely! I’m glad you mentioned to put them in the ‘fridge! I just ran and did that! thanks, Kathy
I’m so glad you bought hydrosols and Stillpoint’s products are wonderful! I know this is a good choice for you with your sensitivities. Thanks for staying in touch! Liz
Hi Liz,
I am just hearing about hydrosols for the first time. I would like to try them on my dogs but I am not sure what to use. My dog Ace has a sore ear and my other dog Jinxie has sores from itching herself. I think from allergies? They are both labs. What would be your recommendations?
Thanks,
Kristi
Hi Kristi, I’m SO glad you’re turning to hydrosols for your dog, rather than essential oils. Your dog will thank you 🙂 Without knowing more about what kind of sore ear you mean, or Jinxie’s itching, I’d say you would be safe using hydrosol of helichrysum or german chamomile. I would put some on a cotton pad and hold it against the dog’s ear. For the itching, I suggest a spray directly on the spots that are itching. These are both cooling, soothing hydrosols for skin problems. Good luck and let me know how it goes. You can purchase hydrosols at PompeiiOrganics.com.
Hi,
I’m doing some research on hydrosols as my husband and I inadvertently made a lemon balm hydrosol this past weekend! We were trying to extract the essential oils but I guess there was so little essential oil that it wasn’t even detectable except for what clung to the insides of the glass. But I supposed the steam distilled water we got is indeed hydrosol! Have you ever done this? Do you know if it’s feasible to try to extract the essential oils with a home distiller?
Hi Goldie! I love your story, and yes, I have made lemon balm hydrosol as recently as two weeks ago. It is divine! You learned a valuable lesson in that the Melissa officinalis plant, though abundant, doesn’t produce much essential oil which is why it is so expensive. BUT it does produce a gorgeous hydrosol as you discovered. I like to drink my Lemon Balm hydrosol in water or add some to a cup of tea as it is very relaxing. As far as extracting essential oils with a home distiller, it IS possible but takes a lot of plant material to produce even a small amount of essential oil, even from the high-yielding plants like peppermint. But I say, go for it! If nothing else, you’ll produce some wonderful hydrosols that have a lot of applications as you learned from this blog post! Thanks so much for sharing your experience!
Liz, I’ve recently been investigating the various hydrosols that are available. I’m curious as to whether the same principles apply to combining them as applies to essential oils. Or are the better used singly?
One more comment…..don’t know if it’s your site or my iPad,…..but 1/4 of the posts are covered up by the pics or other symbols……sometimes you miss out on something pertinent that some one says. Have you heard from anyone else about this issue?
I bought myself a diffuser, and a variety of essential oils that can be used with it, but then I discovered that most of the oils I bought are not safe for cats. I have a cat that lives in my room all the time. So I kept reading and chasing information and someone said use hydrosols instead of essential oils for diffusing with pets. So I am trying to find out how to do that, and where to buy some hydrosols for my diffuser. Can you help me?
Hi Dana, Actually, no essential oils are very safe for cats. However, you can diffuse your essential oils happily for yourself and make sure to give your cat an egress. Just leave the door open so they can get out when it begins to bother them. If you would like to purchase really good hydrosols, I recommend PompeiiOrganics.com. If you use the code “liz” when you checkout you’ll get a 15% discount!
Hi Dana, Actually, no essential oils are very safe for cats. However, you can diffuse your essential oils happily for yourself and make sure to give your cat an egress. Just leave the door open so they can get out when it begins to bother them. If you would like to purchase really good hydrosols, I recommend PompeiiOrganics.com. If you use the code “liz” when you checkout you’ll get a 15% discount! I appreciate the responsibility you’re showing for your fur babies! Liz
My daughter has a diffuser she uses, and she uses some essential oils, such as Lavander and tea tree oil. I don’t know how much she knows about the safe and unsafe ways to use these oils, she has a dog, and she is about 8 weeks or so pregnant. I am a little worried about her using a diffuser with certain EOs while she is pregnant, and I don’t want her to hurt her dog either. Can you give me some advice concerning which oils are safe, or even benefitial during pregnance, and dogs, or should she change and use hydrosols too. Please help me if you can.
Thanks! My company just came out with rose hydrosol so I appreciate this post.
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