Sunday, July 31, 2011

Aromatherapy - IX by Deborah Dolen


Aromatherapy - Chapter IX by Deborah Dolen Attars, Compounds & Hydrosols by Deborah Dolen
Excerpt How to Make Perfume and Aromatherapy Basics
Copyright © Deborah Dolen 2011

Once you learn the beauty of essential oils, you will learn about more affordable 'by products' of the manufacturing process. Run off water is known as a 'Hydrosol'. Examples are Rose Water, Lavender Water, Neroli and my personal favorites Roman Chamomile and Witch Hazel hydrosols. Hydrosols tend to run 10% the price of the actual oil, and a great way to experience an oil--such as Neroli and Chamomile, that are ordinarily cost prohibitive. I use hydrosols in componding skin toners, in some perfume formulas, in lotion and witch hazel for medicinal preparations.


Hydrosols are great to spritz on the skin as they are or used in the water phase of lotion/soap making. Hydrosols can even be used to wet clay for a facial mask. Here is NAHA’s definition of a hydrosol which I find sufficient:

"Hydrosols or hydrolats are the isolated distillation condensate waters, either intentionally produced or produced as a by-product to essential oil production, where aromatic materials are steam or hydro-distilled. Hydrosols are used by aromatherapists and are used in nebulisers, cosmetics & shampoos and to a limited extent in foodstuffs."

Popular hydrosols include Lavender Water, as discussed above, Orange flower water [Neroli,] Kewda water etc. In India for example, kewda water (produced from male spadices of Pandanus odoratissmus flowers) is used for flavouring syrups, soft drinks & Moghlai cuisine. Little chemical data exists on the chemical make-up of many hydosols, but an interesting paper by Platto A. & Roberts D. (2001) ["The Aroma Quality of Lavender Water: a Comparative Study" Perf. & Flav. 26(3), 44-64] compared lavender waters from several different origins & determined (amongst other things) that genuine lavender water distillation condensate could be differentiated from reconstituted water (diluted essential oil in water) by the absence of acetate esters.

Storing Hydrosols, Attars or Compounds

Some genuine 100% natural hydrosols are storage-stable, and the natural bacteriostatic/fungicidal properties associated with many essential oils are enough to maintain product integrity (for a short shelf-life period at least). However, wherever natural products with a high water content are produced, opportunistic micro-organisms may become problematic. Floral waters are not the only by product of essential oil manufacturing. Plant waxes is a good example. Orange wax (used a lot by Burt’s Bees) is a wax.Waxes – Rose, Jasimine and Tuberorse are good examples of floral waxes. Floral waxes tend to be an unflattering brown, so they are not usually relied upon for color. They run approx $30 USD a pound, as do floral waters and this is very ballpark.Attars are super expensive “condensed" type oils, such as Attar of Rose. Since that runs over $3,000 a pound, we do not discuss it at this juncture. Used mainly in the flavor industry, Absolutes are also fairly cost prohibitive. We will address absolutes in advanced study.


I keep almost all of my precious essential materials in a wine cooler than runs about 62 degrees F, [16.66 C.] This also provides are darker environment.



SOURCES


Platto A. & Roberts D. (2001) The Aroma Quality of Lavender Water: a Comparative Study" Perf. & Flav. 26(3), 44-64]





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