Aroma: A fruity, honeylike aroma. With more apple overtones than the oil has but softer, more delicate.
Stability and Shelf Life: Very stable, lasts for two years or more.
Properties and Applications: One of the best all-purpose waters, along with lavender and melissa. Roman chamomile is the number-one choice for baby care. It can safely be used right from birth, in the bath water and as a soothing mist for bedding. Mothers can use it diluted to wash the breast area, and in sddition to helping prevent cracked and sore nipples, its calming properties will make feeding time even more relaxing. When child care is required, the handover is easier if the caregiver uses chamomile as well, as the child will feel that Mother is near. Nappy-rash redness and pain can be soothed with dilute chamomile, or use neat applications of 50:50 blend of Roman chamomil and lavender waters to compress the tender skin.
New mothers can use it in a compress or a sitz bath for postpartum relief. Homemade wet wipes for babies and young children should always include chamomile. When teething starts, add two or three drops to a bottle of water to help calm diarrhea and stomach upset. Rub the gums with diluted chamomile frequently to reduce inflammation, swelling, and pain and help to sooth the associated crankiness. Children adore the flavor of sweet chamomile and will soon recognize the relief it brings. Spritzing a light mist over the blankets or in the air of the child's room will help children sleep.
Because of its effect on the nervous system, chamomile is a useful aid in stress reduction, depression, relaxation, insomnia, and aggravation. Combine it with melissa or one of the tree waters if alertness is required and to help calm road rage. It can be midly euphoric, instilling a feeling of well-being. Use as a bedtime tea or bath for reducing stress, for physical relaxation, and for restful night. Chamomile is wonderful for skin care, for burns and sunburns, skin cleanser, and toner. Combined with neroli it is good for acneic conditions and oily skin; combine it with witch hazel for very dry skin and with lavender or geranium for very dry skin.
Pets, like babies, can derive great benefits from chamomile, which can reduce stress before travel, after a flight, during a storm, or even when visiting the vet. Teething, especially in puppies, can be as much of an ordeal for owners as for pets; use the same treatment for teething babies. Basically, Roman chamomile is a must have hydrosol.
Aroma: A sweet, floral scent; instantly recognizable to lavender, but with an added honey overtone.
Stability and Shelf life: Very stable. Usually lasts at least two years, frequently longer.
Properties and Applications: The pH of lavender is normally close to that of most balanced cosmetic products, making it ideal for every skin type on a regular basis. A dded to ready-made skin-care products, it will not alter their intended properties and adds a delightful fragrance and its oen beneficial cooling and healing therapeutics.
Lavender is rightly famed for its regenerative effects on damaged or fragile skin. Add it to masks with oatmeal for a nondrying deep cleanse; use it daily as a makeup remover and cleanser, applied with a cotton ball. Mist the face and neck throughout the day to mist the face and neck throughout the day to combat excessively dry atmospheres. Spray skin both before and after shaving or hair removal to reduce inflammation, get a closer shave, and prevent in grown hairs. Indispensable for skin care when traveling. Use it on the plane, all over the body, including feet and legs; carry to warmer climes for calming sunburn, heat rash, sunstroke, rashes, bug bites, and itching. Mist skin with a 60:40 mixture of lavender and witch hazel, before moisturizer or sunscreen applications, when skiing or sailing, to prevent wind and temperature damage.
Its sweet and happy aroma makes lavender a natural for children. Use it to clense cuts and scrapes (and for adults, too). Add it to bath water or spray it directly on the bed for a restful night's sleep. Lavender is fabulous for use with babies from birth and can be added to the bath, used to clean the bab'y bottom, or combined with chamomile for a nappy rash. A mist in the air in a baby's room or a spritz on parents clothing before tucking in will help make naps and bedtime easier to achieve.
Combine with Roman chamomile for the ultimate babys blend. Calming and cooling to the body, mind, and spirit, lavender makes a refreshing room spray for the home or office or in the car to calm, cleanse, and refresh when stuck in traffic.
Combine it with geranium, rose, or clary sage and use it hot or cold on the abdomen and back for cramps and PMS. Combine it with a little pepermint and sage and spray it all over for hot flashes. Use it undiluted in a compress on the neck, shoulders, and forehead for headaches, tension, and stress.
Aroma: Floral, fruity, refreshing,sexy, and luscious. Some people prefer it to the essential oil.
Stability and Shelf life: Very stable; easily lasts two years or more.
Properties and Applications: Orange is (neroli) is a major antistress and calming agent, and it is mildly sedative to the central nervous system without causing sleepiness. It stops caffeine jitters and the effects of overindulgence rapidly, although the mechanism is undetermined. This is the choice for hysterics in children, babies, and even adults and is a wonderful treatment for sudden shock. It is also quite effective in children with hyperactive attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and can be used both topically and internally for this purpose. Give babies their own bottle to use as they feel the need.
Neroli is supportive for the physical and emotional bodies during detoxification programs and adstention or when quitting a habit or addiction like smoking. It is a digestive aid, stimulating bile release and relieving heartburn and reflux. It also seems to calm spasms in the digestive tract and valves and, in combination with basil water, has shown some promise for hiatal hernia. Misted on the abdomen or aplied to acupuncture digestion points, it relieves stress-related bloating, gas, cramps, and constipation. Antispasmodic, antibacterial, and antifungal, it is good in a double douch for leukorrhea or thrush, especially when combined with thyme or oregano and rock rose.
Neroli is a wonderful treatment for delicate, sensitive skin and for oily skin, because it is so astringent. A superb toner on its own or combined with rock rose, it clears acne and irritations. Use it in face masks with clay and honey for the ultimate in luxury. Wear it as a natural purfume that won't aggravate the scent sensitive.
Aroma: Freshly crushed peppermint leaves. Pungent, cool, and refreshing but significantly less intense than the essential oil.
Stability and Shelf Life: Fairly stable. Has a shelf life of about twelve months. Although it will occasionally last longer.
Properties and Applications: Peppermint is most famous for its digestive, anti-inflammatory, and mind-stimulating properties. A digestive par excellence, peppermint is useful for treating colic, bloat, heartburn or reflux, and indigestion of all kinds. Try it also if you suffer from Crohn's disease, colitis, or irritable bowl syndrome, as it has provided significant relief to a number of people suffering from these conditions. It can be combined with basil hydrosol for increased antipasmodic effects and for ending the alternating diarrhea/constipation cycle.
Peppermint is an effective digestive tract cleanser, having mild antibacterial and anti-fermentative properties, and is the hydrosol to drink, combined with Roman chamomile diluted in one liter of water per day when treating parasites. Take small sips of a 50;50 dilution to combat motion sickness and nausea. Topically it combats itching and burning, providing fast relief for allergic reactions, bites, and stings. Added to hot water it will have a cooling effect; added to cold water it will have a heating effect. Mentally stimulating, peppermint is the wake-up water. Spritz it on the face to revive during hot weather or when tired, or use it to soothe hot flashes.
Aroma: Smells just like a fresh rose. Moist, cool, intensely floral scent.
Stability and Shelf Life: Quite stable. With a shelf life of two years or more.
Properties and Applications: Divine. This is what rose is supposed to smell like! It is good for almost everything and is so nice to use that you don't need an excuse. Rose is cooling and very midly astringent; use it in masks, steams, and compresses or add it to any beauty product for both its effects and fragrance. An antiwrinkle treatment when combined with rock rose, it dramatically improves the aroma of the latter.
Try it in the bath for relaxation and rejuvenation or for a postpartum healing sitz bath. Anyone suffering from environmental or chemical sensitivities could try this as an aromatic and hypoallergenic body, clothes, or room perfume.
Its moisture-retaining nature makes it a good choice for the traveler, and its mild antiseptic and cooling properties make it useful for many first-aid applications. A good combination if you can take only one hydrosol with you is rose, lavender, and one of the chamomiles in roughly equal proportions, which will allow you to address most general health concerns, from stress and insomnia to sunburns and wound care. Some people claim that rose exhibits the highest vibration of any essential oil.
Rose has an affinity with the heart and the emotional spheres of the mind, body, and spirit. However it is applied or taken, it promotes balance, aids emotional processing, and supports you in decision making.
Aroma: Fresh, sharp with a hint of spice.
Stabilty and Shelf Life: Fairly stable; sixteen months or more.
Properties and Applications: Antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral: tea tree does it all. Internally it is used in many ways for many conditions, including as a gargle or mouthwash for sore throat, coughs, and gingivitis or as a cough syrup when combined with honey and essential oils.
Mildly mucolytic and wxpectorant, it is best combined with inula and eucalyptus or rosemary for chest infections. You can snuff a few drops up the nose for allergies and sinus congestion. Internally Combine with peppermint for bad breath resulting from poor digestion.
Topically tea tree hydrosol can be used undiluted to cleanse cuts, scrapes, and wounds of all kinds. For children, combine it with lavender and keep it on hand for all the boo-boos. Skin infections of all kinds react positively to tea tree; use as a strong as you can and use clean cotton wool balls to wash the areas. Tea tree is one of the most useful oils.