What are Hydrosols?
Updated: Sep 19
If you’ve ever walked into a garden while flowers are blooming and wished you could capture a little bit of that experience and carry it with you, you may appreciate the beauty of hydrosols.
Hydrosols are one of the beautiful byproducts of steam distillation. They carry the water-soluble components and aromatic compounds of the plant, along with tiny amounts of essential oil that may remain dispersed in the distilled water.
They are sometimes called floral waters or botanical waters, although not every hydrosol comes from a flower.
I love working with hydrosols because they offer another way to experience plants. They are different from teas, infused oils, tinctures, and essential oils, and each preparation gives us a different relationship with the plant.
How are Hydrosols made?
Hydrosols are created through a process called Steam Distillation. Plant material is placed into a still, where water is heated and produces steam. The steam passes through the plant material, carrying volatile aromatic compounds with it. That steam then travels into a cooling area where it condenses back into liquid. What we collect is the distilled botanical water known as a hydrosol. This is one of my favorite parts of working with a still. There is something beautiful about watching water, steam, plant material, and heat come together to create something completely new while still carrying the character of the original plant.
When I work with my copper still, I get to experience the process from beginning to end; from gathering and preparing the plant material to watching the first drops of distillate appear. It is slow work, and I love that.
Hydrosols and essential oils are not the same thing
Because hydrosols and Essential Oils can come from the same distillation process, it is easy to assume they are simply two versions of the same preparation. They aren’t. Essential oils are highly concentrated aromatic extracts containing primarily volatile compounds from the plant. Hydrosols are primarily water and contain water-soluble plant constituents along with small amounts of volatile aromatic compounds.
That difference is important. A hydrosol is not simply an essential oil that has been diluted with water. The chemistry and composition are different, and hydrosols deserve to be understood as their own botanical preparation.
What plants can be used to make hydrosols?
Although floral hydrosols are probably the most familiar, flowers aren’t the only plant material that can be distilled.
Depending on the plant and the equipment being used, distillation may involve:
Flowers
Leaves
Needles
Stems
Twigs
Certain roots
Aromatic woods
Other aromatic plant material
Some familiar examples include rose, lavender, chamomile, peppermint, rosemary, and many other aromatic plants. The plant you choose matters. Not every plant is appropriate for distillation, and some plants contain constituents that require particular caution. This is one reason learning about the plant itself is just as important as learning the preparation method.
What can you do with hydrosols?
One of the things I love about hydrosols is how versatile they can be.
Depending on the specific hydrosol and its intended use, they may be used in things such as:
Facial and body preparations
Some hydrosols can be incorporated into simple botanical skincare preparations.
Aromatic sprays
They can be used as botanical mists for the body, linens, or spaces.
Compresses
A hydrosol may be incorporated into a compress when appropriate for the particular plant and intended use.
Herbal preparations
Hydrosols can also become an ingredient in other handmade botanical preparations.
The important thing is not to assume that every hydrosol is interchangeable. Different plants have different properties, and individual people can respond differently to botanical preparations. Always identify the plant correctly and consider allergies, sensitivities, pregnancy, medications, pets, children, and other individual circumstances when deciding how a particular hydrosol should be used.
Do hydrosols need to be preserved?
This is an important part of working with hydrosols. Because hydrosols are water-based, they can provide an environment where microorganisms may grow. A freshly distilled hydrosol isn’t automatically shelf-stable simply because it came from a still.
How it is collected, handled, stored, and preserved matters.
I recommend treating hydrosols as perishable botanical preparations unless you have a validated preservation system and appropriate testing to establish their shelf stability.
Clean equipment and containers, proper storage, and careful handling are important.
When in doubt, pay attention to changes in smell, appearance, or other signs that something may no longer be suitable for use.
Hydrosols are another way of listening to plants
One of the reasons I enjoy herbalism is that there isn’t only one way to work with a plant.
We can make an infusion.
We can prepare a decoction.
We can create a tincture.
We can infuse an oil.
We can make a vinegar.
And we can distill.
Each preparation interacts with the plant differently.
If you’re interested in learning more about different ways of working with plants, you may also enjoy exploring Infused Vinegars, Herbal Infusions, and other botanical preparations.
The preparation becomes part of the relationship.
My experience with distillation
For me, making hydrosols isn’t simply about producing a finished product. There is something grounding about the process itself: preparing the plant material, filling the still, watching the steam begin to move, waiting, listening, and watching the first drops collect. There is no rushing the process. Working with plants this way reminds me that herbalism isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it is about slowing down enough to notice.
A gentle introduction to hydrosols
If you’re new to hydrosols, start simply.
Learn about the plant.
Learn how the hydrosol was made.
Learn how it was stored.
Understand what you’re using before putting it on your skin or incorporating it into another preparation.
And remember that natural doesn’t automatically mean risk-free.
Plants are powerful, and learning to work with them respectfully is part of herbalism.
Hydrosols offer a beautiful way to experience plants through water, aroma, and the art of distillation. They are gentle in their own unique way—but they are still botanical preparations deserving of knowledge, care, and respect. And perhaps that’s one of the things I love most about working with plants:
There is always another way to listen.
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