#hydrosols

“Herbal distillates, also known as floral waters, hydrosols, hydrolates, herbal waters, and essential waters, are aqueous products of hydrodistillation. They are colloidal suspensions of essential oils as well as water-soluble components obtained by steam distillation or hydrodistillation.” - [source]

Thank you, Wikipedia, for that terminologically complex explanation!

In layman’s terms, a hydrosol is simply the scented aromatic water that is left behind after distillation via steam or water. Rose Water is a common example of a hydrosol.

USES FOR HYDROSOLS:

Hydrosols can be used both externally and internally - the latter provided you are using non-toxic and safe-for-ingestion herbs. 

When it comes to using them externally, I don’t mean that you should tip your head back, yell “bottoms up!” and down it like a shot of vodka. What I mean, is that hydrosols can be worked into food! Their light flavour and aroma work wonderfully with baked goods like cakes, and cookies.

Externally, hydrosols can be worked into homemade skincare items, such as scrubs, moisturizers, creams, and toners. They can also be used to lightly spritz the skin as they tend to be excellent for hydration!

Hydrosols can be used to spritz areas and objects too.

FROM CRAFT, TO WITCHCRAFT:

MAKING YOUR HYDROSOLS MAGIC[K]

You can make a mundane hydrosol or you can make a bitchin’ witchin’ hydrosol. It all depends on you and what you’re looking to achieve with your floral water. 

If you want to add a little magic[k]al oomph to your concoction, you can do so like this:

Pick an intent.

Find herbs and plants that correspond with that intent.

Use them in your hydrosol.

Focus on your intent and what you want to achieve during the creation of your hydrosol.

SOME INTENT(S) & COMMON HERBS/PLANTS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM:

Love:

Rose.

Patchouli.

Lavender.

Carnation.

Forget-me-not.

Luck & Prosperity:

Cinnamon.

Basil.

Mint.

Clove.

Sweet Pea.

Sunflower.

Beauty:

Lavender.

Aloe Vera.

Marigold.

Chamomile.

Rose.

Confidence:

Peppermint.

Lemon Balm.

Valerian.

Gladiolus.

Cleansing:

Sage.

Sweet Grass.

Cedar.

Daisy.

Lily (white).

MAKING HYDROSOLS AT HOME:

Hydrosols are typically made using specialised equipment, but trust me when I tell you that that particular equipment is quite expensive and you can in fact make hydrosols at home with items you likely have in your kitchen!

EQUIPMENT/ITEMS YOU WILL NEED:

A pressure cooker or stock pot that is enameled or made from non-reactive metal.

A lid without a steam release hole.

A heat safe glass bowl that is small enough to sit in the centre of the bottom of your pot.

A bowl.

3 liters of spring water.

280g/10oz of fresh herbs.

Ice.

PRODUCTION METHOD:

Make sure all of your equipment is clean.

Place your small glass bowl into the centre of the base of your pot.

Pour the 3 liters of spring water into your pressure cooker/stock pot.

Add your herbs/plants and let it sit for about 4 hours.

Bring your water and herb/plant mixture to the boil.

Once the mixture begins to simmer, put your second bowl on top of the one sitting in the centre of the pot, then put the lid on the pot upside down.

Put your ice into a bag and place it onto the upside down lid.

Keep the water simmering on a medium heat and watch as the vapour from the boiling mixture condenses onto the lid and drip into the bowl.

Let the distillation happen for a few more hours or until you have the amount of hydrosol that you want.

Let the hydrosol cool and once it has, pour it into glass bottles. You can use light or dark glass bottles for this - it’s more of an aesthetic preference.

Keep your hydrosols capped tightly to prevent them from expiring and remember that they last a lot longer if kept refridgerated.

*Label your bottles with the name of the hydrosol and the date it was made.

Various flower waters are used in a variety of spells, most especially rose water. Although certain spells specifically demand flower water, these waters may also be substituted for regular water in many other spells and formulas, particularly those for romantic or healing purposes, and in magical ink or incense formulas, or for spells that involve dissolving gum resins such as gum acacia.

Rose water and orange blossom water are frequent additions to Indian, North African, and Middle Eastern cuisine and are very easily, and often inexpensively, purchased from specialist vendors. The quality of pre-packaged flower waters is erratic, however; some are excellent, others bear little if any trace of the flower. Fine hydrosols, once rare but becoming more popular by the day, may be the finest source of true flower waters. They may easily be made for oneself, providing one has fresh flowers. In general, depending upon what one wishes to do with the flower water, it’s wise to avoid florists’ flowers because they tend to be heavily laden with pesticides, which may then be concentrated in the flower water.

Agua Florida, Not Your Mother’s Swamp Water

Agua Florida, comes from the Spanish meaning: water full of flowers. A lot of people also know it as Florida Water, so I’m giving this translation straight off so you don’t think it’s gator juice or something.

Agua Florida is a perfume that’s been around for ages, and is used in several magical practices (folk magic, Brujeria, Curanderismo, Santeria, Hoodoo and Voodoo) as a ritual tool.

🦇🦇🦇As it’s tied so deeply to these cultures, please be respectful of them, and read responsibly. This post is a glimpse into my culture and my personal craft. It’s also an example of how to use the tutorials on distillation listed in the post!🦇🦇🦇

The scent is pleasing to spirits and is used to invite them to intercede on your behalf in some cases, or “set the mood” for your working. Used for cleansing and charging rooms, blessings, banishments and can be used for purification and offering similar to incense and protection as well. If there’s a situation you would burn incense, use water or herbs, usually it can be done with Florida Water as a catch all. It’s the quartz of scented tools.

Some ways to actually use:

Place in a bowl and let it evaporate as an offering.

Use it to dress candles (just let it dry before lighting because it’s flammable if it’s alcohol based)

Use as a floor wash.

Spray bottle

Place on pressure points or spray on clothes.

Pour over Epsom salts in a fire proof container and light it OUTSIDE as a spiritual bonfire.

This is the brand most people are familiar with, but this isn’t so much a post about just what you can use Florida Water for, but how to make it yourself.

There are two general methods to making it and for my recipe, I use the tincture method:

Water based, by making a hydrosol. (Hydrosol method takes an afternoon-quicker, but more work and less shelf stable)

Alcohol based, by making a tincture/extract (extract method takes several days to a couple weeks-easier, but takes more time, but more shelf stable)

Your more than welcome to combine the methods, infusing some in water and some in alcohol, but using alcohol will make the Agua Florida more stable.

Now there are tons of recipes for Agua Florida, just use your handy “google spell” if you don’t believe me.

Some common ingredients are roses, jasmine, marigold, orange blossom, cinnamon, allspice, clove, citrus peels, rosemary etc. find a recipe that works for you.

My recipe is a mix of “traditional” ingredients and stuff that connects to me/plants I’ve grown. Down below the break:

Passion flower

Potato vine

Jasmine

Roses (white and red)

Mexican mint/Cuban oregano

Lavender

Ivy

Pictured above is my floral mix, and here’s the photo of me gathering them.

Infuse the above first to isolate the floral notes for about a week, the alcohol will become a pinkish/yellow color and most of the fresh plants will become white.

Next, you’ll strain that and infuse the plants that have a stronger scent/dried herbs

Dried roses

Palo Santo

Elderflower

Allspice

Clove

Cinnamon

Rosemary

Lemon peel

Orange peel

This can be done in a separate container, and you can mix after infusion to get the potency you would like, or you could put the dried herbs in floral tincture and check the scent daily until it’s the mix you like.

You can add essential oils if you’d like, just make sure you shake your mix before use every time. I use a couple drops of the below:

Sandalwood

Cedarwood

Vanilla

Bergamot

Now, I don’t give measurements because it’s up to your preference. It’s ok if every batch is slightly different. You can add herbs that correspond more to your purpose or craft, and some people even put non-soluble crystals in the mix! It’s witchcraft, do what works for you. If you’re using water as part of the base, or to dilute it, you can use living waters like moon, river, snow etc, just distill it first.

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

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So, today was a looong ass day at work. I had CPR training this morning (which was intense), then the rest of the day was spent working in my library, assisting with I.T. Problems, meeting the students and parents, and trying to get things ready for school next week. Needless to say, it was exhausting.

When I got home this evening I had a little surprise waiting for me! Yay! Thanks to Saxxy over at @scentsfromthebunker my day just got a hell of a lot better! 😊

OH MY GOD! I’m sooo happy! The bottles are beautiful, and, holy shit, they all smell sooo good!

“Sam” is very sweet with a coffee undertone, “Dean” is musky in the BEST way, “Baby” is a strangely satisfying blend of the two with a smooth leather finish, “Rowena” is just badass with a mix of rose, musk, and citrus, and #AKF is just AMAZING, I don’t even have words for it!

I immediately sprayed these everywhere when I opened them. I’m now covered with Dean AND he’s on my bed (If only!). Tomorrow is the last day of professional development at work before the new year starts, and I totally plan on wearing #AKF on my collar. Also, Sammy may go live in my library for when I need a strong but soft pick me up.

P.S. Here’s an artistic photo with my ‘67 model Impala just for kicks, enjoy!

#youareenough #akf #samwinchester #lsatprep #birthdaygifts🎁 #hydrosols @scentsfromthebunker #thanks @natalie85martin @bamcrux @alexandani my mom and bestie who are not on IG #herestomyfuture🌟

A part of my witchy lifestyle series

By grooming, I mostly mean bathing, your skincare routine, and your make up routine. In my opinion, bathing and skincare should be done every day, for both hygiene reasons, but more importantly, mental health reasons. Having something to do regularly in a ritualistic way is definitely very helpful to my mental health. I personally don’t live in a place where make up is common, and am also too lazy to put on make up, but if you are someone who enjoys it, it is also a good way to prepare for the day.