Aromatherapy -
Chapter
IX by Deborah Dolen Attars,
Compounds; Hydrosols by Deborah Dolen
Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright ©
Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on
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Kindle and
Barnes
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Once you learn the beauty of essential oils, you will learn
about more affordable 'by products' of the manufacturing
process. Run off water is known as a 'Hydrosol'. Examples are
Rose Water, Lavender Water, Neroli and my personal favorites
Roman Chamomile and Witch Hazel hydrosols. Hydrosols tend to run
10% the price of the actual oil, and a great way to experience
an oil--such as Neroli and Chamomile, that are ordinarily cost
prohibitive. I use hydrosols in componding skin toners, in some
perfume formulas, in lotion and witch hazel for medicinal
preparations.
Hydrosols are great to spritz on the skin as they are or used in
the water phase of lotion/soap making. Hydrosols can even be
used to wet clay for a facial mask. Here is NAHA’s definition of
a hydrosol which I find sufficient:
"Hydrosols or hydrolats are the isolated distillation condensate
waters, either intentionally produced or produced as a
by-product to essential oil production, where aromatic materials
are steam or hydro-distilled. Hydrosols are used by
aromatherapists and are used in nebulisers, cosmetics & shampoos
and to a limited extent in foodstuffs."
Popular hydrosols include Lavender Water, as discussed above,
Orange flower water [Neroli,] Kewda water etc. In India for
example, kewda water (produced from male spadices of Pandanus
odoratissmus flowers) is used for flavouring syrups, soft drinks
& Moghlai cuisine. Little chemical data exists on the chemical
make-up of many hydosols, but an interesting paper by Platto A.
& Roberts D. (2001) ["The Aroma Quality of Lavender Water: a
Comparative Study" Perf. & Flav. 26(3), 44-64] compared lavender
waters from several different origins & determined (amongst
other things) that genuine lavender water distillation
condensate could be differentiated from reconstituted water
(diluted essential oil in water) by the absence of acetate
esters.
Storing Hydrosols, Attars or Compounds
Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics Copyright ©
Deborah Dolen 2011 This e-book is available in full version on
Amazon
Kindle and
Barnes
and Noble Nook. By Deborah Dolen Mabel White
SOURCES
Platto A. & Roberts D. (2001) The Aroma Quality of Lavender
Water: a Comparative Study" Perf. & Flav. 26(3), 44-64]