December 23, 2013

A Spritz of Hydrosol



A hydrosol isn't just water. It's much more potent than that.

A hydrosol is the aromatic component of a plant extracted through steam distillation. Hydrosols contain all the beneficial qualities of essential oils, but are more mild and gentle.

I love using hydrosols, especially in the winter. They help body butters apply smoothly, and add slip to facial oils on dry days. The spritz is refreshing, calming, and an aromatherapy treat.

I've dabbled with several different hydrosols. Evan Healy's Immortelle hydrosol (pictured) is good for sensitive and blemish prone skin. It's made from helichrysum, a yellow wildflower that grows in the south of France and Italy. There are many anecdotal accounts of helichrysum's benefits for calming and regenerating inflamed tissue and healing eczema [1].

I've also fallen for Marie Veronique's hydrating Mist, whose scent I've gotten dozens of compliments on. It includes a host of beneficial ingredients like anti-inflammatory licorice. She has also included rose, which has emollient properties for moisturizing dry skin [2]. It also contains turmeric, which is fantastic for acneic and mature skin.

And of course I've also tried Tata Harper's Hydrating Floral Essence. I'm tempted to sample Josh Rosebrook's Hydrating Accelerator next. Anyone tried it?



___________ _ ___________



References

[1] Schnaubelt, Kurt (1999) Medical Aromatherapy: Healing with Essential Oils. Frog Ltd., Berkeley, California.
[2] Casetti, F (2011) Dermocosmetics for Dry Skin: A New Role for Botanical Extracts. Skin Pharmacol Physiol 24(6) 289-293.


Image courtesy of:
1. Me


I sought out these products, and was not compensated monetarily or otherwise for this post.

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous12/24/2013

    Loving hydrosol as well, especially rose flower water. Wrote a post about it on my blog :-)
    x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Rose hydrosol is lovely! 100% Pure has a fantastic one.

      Delete
  2. I've been wanting to try Evan Healy's hydrosol, it's a fave of so many bloggers! Currently I'm loving my Thayer's rose with aloe vera toner, it's been working well for my winter/blemish-prone skin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't tried that toner! When you're done, give Evan Healy a try. The smell is unusual, but the price point for the quality ingredients is amazing!

      Delete
  3. I've heard of this before

    ReplyDelete