HOW ARE HYDROSOLS MADE?

Hydrosols are made using the exact same process as essential oils: steam distillation. The process uses only the power of steam and heat to release the most powerful components locked inside plants. These are often called “botanical extracts” and contain many of the important ingredients we find in all sorts of healthy living items, from supplements to prescription drugs. They exist here, however, in much smaller doses, which makes it a little safer for residential and non-professional use.

Steam distillation starts by placing parts of a plant that are rich in botanical extracts, like leaves or buds, into a steam distillery. The steam distillery is then injected with piping hot steam, which causes the plants to degrade and open up. The steam then mixes with the materials inside the plants, forming hot herbal distillates that then rise to the top of the distillery. Once it reaches the top, the water condenses with the cool roof and runs down a tube into a completely different chamber, where the water is collected.

If essential oils are being made, the layers with the most concentrated amounts of the extracts are skimmed off and the rest is discarded. But if they’re making hydrosols, this essential water is kept and bottled as hydrosol. It contains just as much powerful plant materials as the essential oil, but in a much larger amount of water. The results are plant and floral waters that are mildly antiseptic, astringent, and lightly fragrant, and great for all kinds of personal use.

(Credit: Hydrosol world)