The skin is the largest organ of the human body, in an adult it can weigh up to 10 kg. In today’s consumer society, when all too often only efficiency, quantity and a beautiful appearance are valued, we often forget that our skin has many physiological functions that are vital to our balanced life. It protects us from the effects of the environment, regulates body temperature, metabolism with the environment, perceives touch, is a means of communication. It is therefore clear that it needs to be taken good care of.
Under the influence of the global cosmetics industry, our skin has become a testing ground for ‘essential’ cosmetics. The skin is often dehydrated and no therapeutic effects are found in them. If we know that everything we apply to the skin gets into the bloodstream in six minutes, the choice of cosmetics is certainly worth a thorough consideration. Do we really want many little-known ingredients in our bloodstream that are found in conventional cosmetics? I believe you did not answer this question with a ‘yes’. Then why not choose such care products that have both care and therapeutic effects? With a little effort, in addition to the usual daily skin care, we could also take care of its vitality. It is in this story that hydrosols can play a very positive role.
What makes hydrosols so suitable for the skin?
The first short answer is: ‘Their pH factor is similar to our skin’s natural pH factor’. The pH factor of healthy skin is slightly acidic and has a value of 4-6. The skin therefore needs products that are pH neutral or slightly acidic for good care. Too alkaline care products can disrupt our skin’s natural pH protection, making the skin susceptible to bacterial infections.
The second short answer is: ‘Their therapeutic abilities.’ Mankind has known hydrosols for thousands of years under the name ‘flower waters’. They are increasingly coming to the fore, as, unlike essential oils, they are practically completely safe to use even for the uninitiated. They can have anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, regenerative effects on our skin, accelerate wound healing and much more. Immortelle hydrosol is famous for its regenerative abilities for mature or damaged skin, even for scars and bumps. Chamomile and lemon balm hydrosols have gentle anti-inflammatory effects, so they can be used for sensitive skin, even for younger children. Lemon balm hydrosol also has antiviral effects on the herpes simplex virus. With consistent and frequent use, its effective action against this unpleasant nuisance has been proven. Yarrow hydrosol is known for its support for better wound healing, and lavender hydrosol for its anti-inflammatory effects on the skin.
The third and certainly not the last answer is: ‘Their ability to moisturize the skin.’ Namely, the skin also needs moisture to function properly with the right nutrients. We all know the feeling of ‘tight skin’ that we feel after showering with water or bathing. Our skin is then nicely taut due to the increased amount of moisture and looks more youthful. Because hydrosols are predominantly composed of water, they are ideal for hydrating the skin. If used as a moisturizing skin tonic before applying cream or oil to it, we have crossed two steps in one step. At the same time, we gave the skin moisture and the therapeutic effects of the herbs contained in the hydrosol.
Hydrosols are top skin therapists
The therapeutic use of hydrosols for the skin is easy, as it involves direct application to the skin, either by spraying, dressings or compresses. They can also be added to baths. They are a wonderful help with various forms of skin inflammation, acne, too much or too dry skin, healing wounds and scars. Regular and frequent use is especially important, as hydrosols are long-distance runners. One or two coats will not achieve significant effects, and frequent use will give reliable results in the long run. And most importantly – no side effects.
If we really want our skin to be good, we should look for completely natural and undiluted hydrosols, without any additives or preservatives. Due to large-scale production, large commercial distilleries offer rather diluted hydrosols, so we should try to find trusted products from smaller distillers. We will get the best results if we use completely fresh hydrosols, which are at most a few months old.
Possibilities of regular daily skin care with hydrosols
Most of us have quite a few regular care tasks on our daily agenda, where we can use appropriate hydrosols instead of therapeutically empty cosmetics. Hydrosols are an excellent tonic for moisturizing or even cleansing the face. Rose or immortelle hydrosol performs top-notch skin care in this role, regenerating it, rejuvenating it and cleansing of excess bacteria. Laurel hydrosol can be used as a mild deodorant, as it gently closes sweat glands. Chamomile hydrosol can cleanse and prevent even sensitive skin, it is also suitable for inflammation of delicate baby skin due to diapers. Men, on the other hand, can take advantage of laurel hydrolate or honeysuckle to care for inflamed skin after shaving.
So let’s choose a hydrosol that will be right for our skin and also for our nose, because there are many hydrosols that really delight us with their scent. We can mix them with each other as we wish and thus create our own personal skin mix. Believe me, your skin will be even more grateful to you!
