AROMATHERAPY HYDROSOLS are also known as hydrolates, or herbal and floral waters.

They are gentle, water-based plant extracts that expand the healing, cosmetic, and culinary applications of aromatherapy.

Hydrosols are considered to be the homeopathic (diluted) form of Aromatherapy.

They are pure water-based solutions which we create by steam distillation of plants from our own organic garden.

Hydrosols can be applied directly on the skin or taken internally to treat medical conditions or just to cool down the body (Peppermint HY) or to wake or freshen up (Kaffir Lime). 

The organic plants we use share their wonderful aromas which can linger on your skin and make you feel greatly energised or deeply relaxed. 

Our organic Hydrosols offer many therapeutic benefits, and we specifically distill some plants for their resulting hydrosols instead of the hydrosols just being a byproduct of the distillation.

Unlike essential oils that should be diluted prior to application to the skin, hydrosols are water soluble, and are much more gentle than their essential oil counterparts. 

They can be used directly on the skin without further dilution.

How are the Hydrosols made?

Hydrosols are the wonderful by-products of the process of making essential oils. During this process, the herbs and flowers are steam distilled with water. The water is heated and presses itself slowly through the plants as vapour, which collects the essential oils and other ingredients.

The essential oils - which float on the surface of the essential water - are removed, leaving the hydrosols, which still contains a small quantity of essential oil and the other water-soluble agents from the plant.

The distillation is usually slow and under low pressure over a sustained period with pure water to preserve all the therapeutic components of the plant material.

This will result in therapeutic products ready for use, without further processing.

If you combine water with essential oils, it does not mean you already have a hydrosol.

No, If you are not distilling the plant in a still, you're not making a hydrosol.

A true hydrosol contains both essential oils and water but that is only fraction of what is in it.

You can't extract all the ingredients.

We add nothing else to our pure, undiluted hydrosols/floral waters.

Be aware that some companies today sell so-called flower waters by using a whisking method to ‘solubilise’ essential oils into plain water.

We believe that the true hydrosols are best for therapeutic reasons and we only make true hydrosols.

You will also find a lot of hydrosols with high contents of various kinds of alcohol.

We don’t think that this necessary. Unfortunately, some producers are also tempted to use preservatives in hydrosols to keep them fresh. We do not do this. 

Our genuine, undiluted hydrosols of Ginger and Artemisia argiye (moxa) and Artermisia annua, Bamboo leaf, Lemongrass, Citronella, Guava, Patchouli, Pandan, Plai, Siam Rosewood, Turmeric, Vetiver,... are all produced naturally by steam distillation.

Usage : These floral waters can be used as they are :

as skin toners, facial cleansers, hair rinses, for aromatic baths, baby baths, on compresses or in sprays for freshening up the skin.

Hydrosols are easily used on their own or added to other products as simple skin care!

They can be used on their own as a light cologne or body spray.

Hydrosol can be added to finger bowls for elegant, romantic dinners.

I love to add a few drops of Ginger, Lemongrass or Kaffir Lime to a 1.5 liter bottle of water and drink it throughout the day. So greattttt.

Examples of commonly available hydrosols are Rose, Roman Chamomile, Neroli and Lavender, Kaffir Lime, Ginger, Lemograss, Citronella ...

They can also be used to replace water in cosmetic skin care products along with other ingredients, in e.g. skin toners/spritzers, facial cleansers, face masks, creams, lotions or shampoos.

Our hydrosols make lovely gifts, for yourself, or someone special.

Please remember to store your precious hydrosols as cool as possible because our true, natural hydrosols contain no preservatives. So they should be treated as perishable.

We maintain sterility while rebottling to bring you the best quality product.

If you plan to use these healing waters internally, you could pasteurize them first. (I don't). Filtering through a fine filter (a coffee filter works beautifully) or slowly heating just to a very slow boil to insure sterility without damaging the healing elements. 

AROMATHERAPY HYDROSOLS ?  BY QUINESSENCE 2021

If you have been interested in aromatherapy, you will have probably heard about hydrosols and perhaps already tried these amazing healing waters in aromatherapy sessions.If you are one of these people then you will know how valuable they can be, and why author Jeanne Rose refers to hydrosols as the ‘homeopathy of aromatherapy’.If you’ve yet to discover their healing powers, then this article is just for you. Hydrosols are safe, ‘ready to use’ aromatherapy products that can be used to care for the skin, revive and refresh flagging energy levels, as well as soothe and calm emotions. All at the same time!How are hydrosols made?A hydrosol is really a by-product that is left over after the process of obtaining an essential oil through steam distillation, although sometimes they are distilled specifically for the hydrosol, rather than for the essential oil. Normally when essential oils are extracted from plants by steam distillation not all of their aromatic and healing principles are carried over to the distilled oil. Certain constituents in plants are hydrophilic, which means they dissolve in water and so they can’t be captured by the steam-distillation process.Instead, these hydrophilic constituents are absorbed into the steam that is used to distil the essential oil, and this steam later condenses back into water which is called distillate or condensate water.

This water is now made up of small quantities of essential oil plus many of the water-soluble parts of the plant, which means it actually contains a wider-range of therapeutic properties than the essential oil. In aromatherapy, we call this a hydrosol, hydrolate or flower water.History of hydrosols

This combination of essential oil and water-soluble botanical extracts is what makes hydrosols so effective, since they are packed with more active principles than the essential oil alone, plus they offer a safe and convenient way to deliver a wide range of therapeutic and cosmetic benefits. Many people are surprised to learn they have been used for their healing powers since ancient times, actually pre-dating the use of essential oils.

The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used hydrosols for their therapeutic and aesthetic benefits along with their infusions and unguents for health and beauty. They made them by simply soaking plant material in boiling water to absorb their healing properties – simple but effective.After the art of distillation was developed it was used specifically for the purpose of producing these aromatic waters with less attention on the precious essential oil extracted in the process.

Precisely when distilled essential oils first became popular in Europe is not clear, but a renowned publication called ‘Liber De Arte Distillandi’ written by Hieronymus Brunschwig in Strassburg 1507 AD refers to only 4 essential oils. Unfortunately, over time essential oils slowly became more popular and the use of hydrosols fell out of favour.

Using hydrosols in aromatherapy

The great thing about hydrosols is their versatility and ease of use, plus their wonderful uplifting boost.

When included in your skin care products, Lavender, Rose and Orange blossom (neroli) hydrosols are fantastic for skin hydration since they can be sprayed with an atomiser directly on to the skin.

Lavender hydrosol will cool hot and sensitised skin after too much exposure to the sun, as well as delivering a soothing, comforting and healing treatment. Hydrosols can be used after shampooing to condition and add shine to hair, and Rosemary hydrosol is perfect for this.

If you suffer from puffy, under-eye circles then there is no better remedy than Roman chamomile hydrosol. Soak two cotton wool pads with the hydrosol and cover each closed eye for around 5 minutes while they work their magic. During the treatment you may feel your skin tingling but this is normal. Remove the eye pad’s after 5 minutes and rinse off the hydrosol completely. Your eyes will feel revived, refreshed and alert, and you should see an impressive reduction in puffiness.

In fact, regular use of this hydrosol can help diminish those dreaded dark circles that sometimes develop over the years too.

However, a word of warning; some hydrosols such as Roman and German Chamomile do not have a pleasant smell! They both possess an earthy, musty fragrance that is unlike the essential oil, and newbie’s often ask whether these hydrosols have gone ‘off’!

In fact, true hydrosols hardly ever smell like the equivalent essential oil, because the characteristic smell of the plant is what was distilled to produce the essential oil.Only a small amount of essential oil was left behind in the hydrosol with the major part of its aroma being made up of water-soluble components that smell quite different to the oil. But once you have experienced the amazing benefits of hydrosols you will soon learn to accept their different aroma! Fortunately, Frankincense, Lavender, geranium, peppermint and Rosemary hydrosols all smell much more as you would expect them to be, with Orange flower and Rose being almost the same as their essential oil counterparts.

Cooling, soothing and calming Hydrosols

Hydrosols can be used anytime as a cooling body mist, and they really come into their own during the hot summer weather.

The most cooling of all hydrosols is Peppermint, and a quick spray on tired and aching feet feels like heaven after a long walk! During a hectic or busy day when your energy levels begin to drop just a few sprays of a refreshing hydrosol such as Orange flower, Rose or Geranium really revives you.

To calm a restless baby add a few tablespoons of Lavender or geranium hydrosol into their warm bathwater. This can be particularly beneficial if your baby is also suffering from nappy rash or eczema, because the soothing properties of these hydrosols can calm the irritation as well as speeding up the process of healing. Hydrosols are perfectly safe to use on young children because they only contain a tiny amount of essential oil and therefore they don’t need further dilution.Orange flower and Rose hydrosol can be added to the final rinse water in your washing cycle or used as a fragrant linen spray when you are doing the ironing since they smell much nicer than their synthetic counterparts. In fact, you can use hydrosols all around the house to freshen the air instead of using aerosols, which of course are harmful to the environment.Copyright © Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd 2021. Written by Sue CharlesNOTE :

We mainly steam distillate organic Thai Herbs for their beautiful Hydrosols which we also consume orally for their therapeutic benefits... Our most popular Hydrosls are : Peppermint, Aloe vera, Artemisia argiye (moxa), Clove, Citronella, Lemongrass, Ginger, Turmeric, Plaai, Cardamom, Kaffir Lime (Makrud), Orange Mandarin, Bitter leaf, Patchouli, Eucalyptus, Vetiver and Black PepperJust imagine adding a few drops of these marvels to your juices and foods...

During the dry season, when the PM2.5 air particles are quite high, we also use the Hydrosols in our Air diffusers and humidifiers... or we just let them evaporate naturally in a ceramic bowl to facilitate our breathing !

For us, HYDROSOLS ARE LIKE HERBAL ESPRESSOS.They may look like water but they sure do not taste like it and they carry a real punch...

Product list of our Hydrosols

Organic herbs we grow and distillate at the Asian Healing Arts Center (AHAC)

- Artemisia Argiye (Moxa) : to relax, reduce swelling, pain, itchy insect bites, to activate circulation.

- Artemisia Annua : anti-malaria, fevers

- Basil (Ocimum basilicum): digestive, for PMS, arthritis  and fungal infections.

- Bamboo (Bambusa) : anti-inflammatory, also for  damaged hair, sweating, make-up base, or skin care

- Cinnamon : stimulating, antiseptic, and fungicidal

- Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus): insect repellent.

- Eucalyptus : anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal,  muscular aches, arthritis, rheumatism,

- Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus): best anti-  fungal, anti-inflammatory, digestive, tissue tonic;

  vasodilator; great Liver cleanser, calming the mind.

- Ginger roots (Zingiber O.R.): for digestion, nausea, energy circulation, to ease pain, relieve Gallbladder and Liver problems;  and, to reduce jetlag. Nausea (from road, air, sea or mountain travel). This is like taking ginger without the burn.

- Guava leaf (Psidium guajava): for diarrhea.

- Makrud Lime (Citrus hystrix) uplifting mood, for hair, skin + pain management, colds and cough.

- Moringa Leaves (Moringa oleifera) great for proteins,  for lasting energy, increased endurance and mental

  alertness. Strengthens bones and builds blood.

- Mulberry for diabetes, cholesterol, regulates blood pressure, weightloss, cold, immune boosting.

- Pandan for rheumatism, stiffness and muscle pains, for weak nerves, damaged hair and dandruff.

- Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin) for joint pains (Arthritis,  Rheumatism), circulation problems, piles, abdominal  and menstrual pains, diarrhoea, flu, headache, nausea and vomiting, skin problems.

- Papaya Leaves (Carica papaya) : for digestion, detox, joint pains, to remove fat surplus (cellulitis).

- Peppermint (Mentha piperata) : refreshing tonic for body, skin and mind, circulation, headaches, cramps, digestion, flatulence, nausea, hot flashes(menopause), heavy legs, excessive sweating;
- Plai root (Zingiber cassumanar Roxb.) : joint pains (incl. Gout), torn muscles, for insect bites, asthma and other respiratory problems, Thai massage, for  pain management, skin irritations, better circulation.

- Soursop (Graviola, Guyabano): anti-inflammatory.

- Turmeric (Curcuma L.) for better digestion, as an anti- inflammatory (arthritis and rheumatism). To relieve chest, stomach and period pain. Tonic for Skin and Eye problems.

- Vetiver roots (Vetiveria zizanoides) : to calm the mind, ease pain, strengthen, nurture and revitalise the body  and connective tissue. To tonify glands, immune system and blood vessels (veins).

and many more...

Available in bottles of 100ml, 150ml and 500ml 

For more info, please contact us.

GINGER ROOT HYDROSOL, Zingiber officianalis,

Our Ginger Roots are carefully harvested and steam distilled at low pressure by us here in Chiangmai.

This wonderful digestive hydrosol is a delightful taste treat.

It feels like taking ginger without the burn. It is mildly spicy and delicious.

Airsickness, carsickness, Morning Sickness, any nausea or indigestion can be soothed by Ginger's stomachic properties.

It is especially appreciated by people who suffer from the MSG side-effects : bloating, headaches, migraines, dry mouth, just to name a few.

Directions : We take a teaspoonful diluted in water, tea or fruit juices; 

after a heavy meal, or any other time that you would eat too much rich food.

It's gentle warmth is also great as a compress for painful rheumatic joints.

As with any hydrosol used internally, it keeps better in a cool place.