happy monday, crunchies! ah, steam-distilled herbal and floral essences just sound dreamy to me. just me?

when it comes to hydrosols, their use in skincare might be a little more well-known than their use in hair care. stick around to learn more if you’re unfamiliar and, if you’re familiar, please leave your ideas and uses below for the rest of our crunchy community.

hydrosols are made from a distillation process of plants, flowers, herbs, bark, nuts, etc. aka, it’s the clean condensation from plant-infused water. this gives a product that performs in accordance to the plants’ benefits, but isn’t strong/possibly irritating like an essential oil. you’ve probably heard of “rose water.” that’s a hydrosol!

i personally love them because they’re lighweight AND effective. you won’t have any greasy residue left in your hair or clay chunks that refuse to come out. and just like essential oils and carrier oils, there are a ton to choose from or mix & match.

safe to use on scalp, strands, and skin, i think they might be your new favorite go-to crunchy product. like many crunchy things, they are multi-use – hair rinses, scalp treatments, or simply for a light scent in your hair. cool, right?

there are a lot of hydrosols out there, so here are some examples and uses for a few (you’ll notice they fall in line with their EO uses, if applicable):

• lavender – soothing, calming for scalp issues
• witch hazel – astringent, cleansing, soothing for itchy scalps
• cucumber – anti-inflammatory, helps soothe scalp issues
• honeysuckle – astringent, antiseptic
• helichrysum – healing
• wild carrot seed – helps heal psoriasis
• rose – antiseptic, toning
• holy tulsi basil – anti-inflammatory, soothing
• lemongrass – antibacterial, cleansing
• clary sage – cleansing, detoxing
• apple – astringent, best for oily scalps
• rosemary – nourishing, promotes growth, shine

you can usually find these in your local health food store (i like to call them hippie stores) and in online shops, such as Mountain Rose Herbs. as always, make sure the plant source is organic.

do these sound like something you’d like to incorporate into your hair (or skin) care routine? do you already use them? please share below.

love to you,