Every day, we’re all likely to need a little help to feel better. We all need a few simple gestures, good advice and healthy products to deal with everyday knocks and bumps, a drop in morale or vitality, or to cope with life’s ups and downs. Hydrolats are somewhat overlooked when it comes to the natural panoply of wellness products. Yet they’re very gentle, very well tolerated by most people, and their action is effective and subtle. That’s why I wanted to write this blog in the style of a “practical testimonial”. In it, I describe in very simple terms what I do when a particular problem occurs to me, in very concrete terms. It’s a blog that’s both very personal and very practical. It’s personal, because it’s an honest account of how I use hydrosols for myself and my immediate family. Practical, because you’ll find simple tips and recipes that you can adopt for yourself, sometimes adapting them slightly thanks to the advice given to best suit your reality.
When I start to catch a cold
My testimony I have a good immune system, so I’m rarely ill. However, like everyone else, when I’m tired, my body is weakened and can be more easily overwhelmed by a viral attack that should go unnoticed in a balanced body. When I start sneezing, have a runny or itchy nose, or a congested head, I know that the virus has attacked and that my respiratory tract is undergoing an immune reaction. It’s time to act quickly to prevent the virus from taking hold, multiplying and moving to the throat...
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When I want to fight cellulite
My story We’ve just planned a trip to Mayotte (land of ylang-ylang), and now I’m starting to stress: I’m not going to wear shorts and a bathing suit with legs like that! Lack of exercise has let it reappear, the enemy of (almost) all of us, that damned cellulite… So I’m going back to the little routine I set up a few years ago, when I still took the time to do it, to try and limit that “orange peel” skin. A bit of sport (I’ve now taken up the footbike, a kind of scooter with big wheels, less...
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Getting to know hydrosols
Where do hydrosols come from? 3,000 years ago, floral waters, or hydrolats, were the only distillation products used by the ancients. Their production was simple, and complete distillation, which produces essential oils and hydrolats in the same process, was not yet known. This type of distillation did not appear until the Middle Ages, shortly before the Crusades. Hydrolats continued to be produced and appreciated for their beneficial properties, but in the last century they were abandoned...
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When you cut yourself shaving
My story My companion doesn’t take much time to shave in the morning, so he does it just about anywhere, most of the time without shaving cream. The blade on hard hair is not tender! As a result, he often ends up with small cuts and irritated facial skin. But don’t panic, a simple gesture with cistus hydrosol makes all this disappear. My tip As an aftershave, the reflex is to use rockrose hydrosol. My husband puts the equivalent of a teaspoon in the palm of his hand and spreads it over his...
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When I want to boost my immunity
My testimony I love autumn for the palette of colors that the landscape offers. These warm colors put a smile on my face as the days shorten, the temperatures drop and the dampness sets in. They also remind me that it’s time to think about protecting myself from the viruses and bacteria that are beginning to proliferate. For several years now, I’ve been using hydrolats before winter to make sure I get through the cold season in top shape, by boosting my natural defences. My tip Good immunity...
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When my hands and feet are cold - Raynaud's disease
My story I’ve been suffering from Raynaud’s disease since I was a teenager. As soon as the temperature drops below 12° or 13°C, my fingers and toes turn white and numb. It’s a very unpleasant and disabling sensation. Even if our winters aren’t as harsh as when I was a teenager, the “cold” season is relatively long in Lozère. For a few years, I used to apply aromatic oils to my fingers and toes to promote circulation (calophylla oil with immortelle (helichrysum) and thujanol thyme essential...
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When I cough or have respiratory problems
My testimony I’m rarely ill. I think that “bathing” in hydrolats and essential oils on a daily basis has something to do with it. As does living in the countryside and in an unspoilt environment. On the other hand, when I go into town for a few days, I regularly catch a cold, which almost always manifests itself in a cough. If I don’t get it under control quickly, the initial dry cough quickly turns into a hoarse, barking cough that’s hard to get rid of. Since I’ve been using the hydrolats,...
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When my skin lacks radiance
My story I work indoors and my current schedule means that I don’t get out much, and even less in winter. As a result, my skin has little contact with the air and natural light. As a result, I end up with dull, pale skin that lacks radiance. As I wait for the fine weather to arrive and the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of the air and the sun’s rays on my skin, I’m already giving it (and myself) a little radiance with hydrolats. My tip To restore radiant skin, I use wild carrot hydrosol...
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When I have bad breath
My story It’s not pleasant at all, but sometimes I have bad breath. I hope it doesn’t happen too often. We notice bad breath in others, but it’s hard to notice it at home. And unfortunately our “friends” don’t always dare tell us… Even if the origin of bad breath is most often oral, in my case it’s digestive. I now know more or less what causes it, and I try to avoid “at-risk” situations “or prevent them, but it’s not always possible. When I drink red wine, eat a meal that’s too fatty, in...
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When I'm fighting nervous fatigue
My testimony Normally, I don’t need much sleep, and I recover after one or two good nights when I’m tired. Three years ago, when we moved the distillery, we accumulated activities and sleep deprivation. Physical fatigue and an accumulation of things to deal with led to nervous fatigue. I felt completely empty, with a lump in my throat, difficulty digesting, I was making a mountain out of a molehill, I felt like I was functioning like a robot, mechanically. Even after a good night’s sleep, I...
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When I want to treat eczema
My testimony Fortunately, I’m not prone to skin problems or eczema, but I do develop a bit of it in my hair when I’m stressed or tired. When this happens, I get red, flaky, itchy patches on my scalp. And I scratch, which doesn’t help. With the cold weather, I used to get frostbite on my fingers, which would turn into eczema once the redness and swelling had gone (I say used to, because I haven’t had any more frostbite since I started a liver detox before winter (see sheet 13), which is ideal...
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When you have acne
My story As a teenager, I was lucky enough not to have acne. I had a few unsightly pimples (which I scratched off…) but no acne. Not so for my younger sister, who spent many Wednesday afternoons at the dermatologist. She was treated to all sorts of creams and lotions, each one more abrasive than the last, which turned her skin into sandpaper, gave her redness and burned her. It would have been quite different if we’d known about aroma back then! Thanks to their anti-inflammatory and...
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When you want to clean your little ones' skin and bottoms
My testimonial What a joy it is to pet and sniff a baby’s skin! We don’t always know how to refresh and clean such soft, delicate skin. We’re sometimes afraid of irritating it, with water that’s often too hard and drying or soaps that are rather useless. So, when my sisters each had their own baby, I was delighted to bring them a few bottles of hydrolat. They were won over and haven’t used anything else to refresh their little treasure’s face, bottom and hands since. In this case, hydrolats...
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When my legs get heavy
My testimony At trade fairs, I spend the whole day standing behind the stand, moving very little. As a result, my legs often feel heavy and swollen at the end of the day. I particularly remember an outdoor trade show in June. It was a very hot day. In the afternoon, my legs started to feel really swollen and painful. I couldn’t go for a walk to stimulate the circulation, but I had everything I needed on hand to relieve the pain. My tip When my legs feel heavy, I take a small 60-ml pump...
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When my liver is tired
My testimony Two years ago, I consulted my homeopath for various minor ailments. Arnold’s neuralgia in the neck and skull, difficulty digesting greasy meals, often pasty mouth, frequent frostbite on fingers and toes. Her diagnosis was “liver and gallbladder”. Although I had been told from time to time that I had a waxy complexion, which could indicate a liver “problem”, I had never thought that my neck pain or frostbite could be liver-related. I have to say that since I’ve been taking care...
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When my hair is dull
My story I live in the countryside, in a low-pollution environment, I’ve never colored my hair, never used conditioners or aggressive shampoos, I don’t use a hairdryer, I’m not iron-deficient and yet I regularly have dull hair… This lack of shine is more frequent when I’m tired or stressed, but I also notice it when I’m well and in good shape. I think it comes from the water, which is very hard at home. With ylangylang hydrosol, I’ve found a good ally in restoring a little shine to my hair....
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When I have a urinary infection
My story Normally, I drink a lot, at least 3 liters of water (often “hydrosol”) a day. When I’m out and about or at meetings, I don’t drink enough, which quickly becomes a problem, although I don’t really know why. What makes me realize it is this feeling of having to urinate frequently, for nothing. I feel slight burning in my lower abdomen, and “kidney” pains in my lower back. Fortunately, I’ve always been able to get rid of the nascent infection quickly enough, with hydrolats, before I...
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When I feel stressed
My testimony I’m not comfortable speaking in public. I don’t do it in front of assemblies any more, but I still take part quite frequently in meetings where I’m likely to have to speak. There have been several occasions when I’ve felt so ill at ease in these rather innocuous situations. I’d start sweating, my hands would get clammy, I’d feel like my chest was going to explode because my heart was beating so fast, my throat would close up and my voice wouldn’t come out (it’s not strong enough...
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When I have rosacea
My testimony For about ten years now, the skin on my face has been turning red very quickly when the temperature changes. I’ve never complained about it, and never thought it could be a medical condition until recently. As I was talking to someone I knew about her couperose, she asked me what I was doing about mine… I’d never thought about it, but yes, this rapid reddening in the heat or cold must be an early manifestation of couperose. As are those little purplish vessels I see from time to...
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When I get the hiccups
My story When we were little, my twin sister and I often had hiccups. At times, when it wasn’t one of us, it was the other. I remember one day at school. We started hiccupping. The harder we tried to hold it in, the louder it got. Which led to a good laugh. Which spread because several students got involved, each with their own little trick. One was trying to scare us, the other was bringing us a glass of water to drink “upside down”… A noisy class break! At the time, I didn’t yet know that...
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When I want to fight wrinkles
My testimony There’s no escaping wrinkles. Over time, skin slackens and loses its tone. No cream or serum can totally erase wrinkles, but you can do what you need to do to delay their appearance and soften them a little when they do occur. That’s what I’m trying to do! I’ve been using rose hydrosol every morning for a few years now. With it, I have a natural anti-wrinkle ally, indispensable for its delicacy, gentle fragrance and proven effectiveness against the marks of time. My tip A...
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When lice arrive
My story That’s it, school’s out, and the summer vacations are here, with their many and varied courses and camps for children. After spending a few days with us, my niece is looking forward to her baladins camp. For her, who loves flowers, trees, insects and animals, a week in the forest is a dream. But her mom is a little apprehensive about the return trip, fearing she’ll end up with lice like last year! My tip As soon as you know that lice have arrived, the best thing to do is to avoid...
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When I have a canker sore
My testimonial I think I brush my teeth with a brush with bristles that are a little too hard, which sometimes irritates my gums and the inside of my mouth. Normally this isn’t a problem, but during periods of stress or severe fatigue, when immunity drops a little, I get canker sores on these irritations on the inside of my cheeks or lips. When I was younger, I didn’t do anything, I just waited for them to go away, which usually took a good week (when I wasn’t “chewing” them too much). Since...
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When my eyes are tired or irritated
My testimony When I drive at night, my eyes quickly get tired. I remember our last trip to Paris, for a trade show. I drove most of the way in the rain and in the dark. I can’t see very well at night (perhaps because I’m used to well-lit roads in Belgium), which means I have to push. This was not lacking, as I arrived with lemur eyes, swollen and reddened. My eyes are quite fragile. The same thing happens to me if I drive without sunglasses in fine weather or if I spend too much time in...
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When I lose hair
My story During the summer, we do one distillation after another as and when the plants arrive, which we always distill fresh, and I often don’t get enough sleep. When I’m tired, I lose my hair and it’s harder for me to digest. I have a lot of hair, so losing it isn’t too bad, but it’s quite unpleasant to find it everywhere. As is this heavy feeling after every rich meal (we’re in Lozère!). With rosemary hydrosol, I’ve found a double ally, acting on both the cause (fatigue) and the...
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When I have a wound or burn
My story When I was 15, I tried out a friend’s skateboard. Quite comfortable in front of the house, I set off with confidence. I picked up speed on the first run, without thinking about how to slow down and stop. I ended up on the ground, in the gravel, with a few holes in my legs. At the time, I was new to aroma, and had used a disinfectant and healing cream from the pharmacy. It didn’t work, and I still have a nice scar on my instep. Since then, I’ve only had minor injuries from DIY or...
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When my digestion's bad
My testimony How many times have I had trouble digesting after a heavy or fatty lunch, or after a chocolate dessert? In the course of the afternoon, I’d leave the table with a full stomach, even though it had been 2-3 hours since my meal. I felt heavy and a bit woozy until the evening. I know I have a biliary secretion problem, which must be at least partly responsible for these slow or difficult digestions. Since I’ve been using hydrolats, they’ve become much less of a burden (that’s the...
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How to use hydrosols
What are hydrosols used for? Hydrolats are used for a wide range of purposes, including food, cosmetics, home care and well-being. Flavoring : as in oriental pastries (rose and orange blossom hydrosols), hydrosols can be used to flavor culinary preparations, both sweet and savory (lavender, geranium, Douglas fir, rosemary…), hot or cold, and beverages (mint, blackcurrant, verbena…). Cosmetics : very mild, they are perfectly suited to cosmetic care, as skin or hair lotions, alone or combined...
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When you have hot flashes menopause
My story Several people I know have had very different experiences of menopause. For Mum, it went like clockwork! Just like her pregnancies and births. She did experience a few hot flashes, especially at night, but nothing too disabling. On the other hand, one of her friends really suffered, with heavy sweating both during the day and at night, having to change her nightgown 2 or 3 times a night, and feeling uncomfortable during the day when the heat began to rise and the drops of sweat...
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When my skin feels tight
My testimony When I go for a walk in winter, when it’s cold and windy, I come home with tightness on my facial skin. I don’t have sensitive skin, just a little reactive, especially to changes in temperature. I don’t use any “aggressive” creams or lotions that might irritate it. Only the very hard water in our area must contribute to drying it out. When the cold wind adds (or removes…) a layer, it becomes uncomfortable. So it’s time for me to give it a bit of a treat with hydrolats! My tip...
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When I have athlete's foot
My story Last year, at a salon, I was bothered by itching between my toes. That evening, when I inspected my feet, I noticed that my skin in those areas was red, and that I had a blister on the side of one toe. I’d never had that before. A pharmacist friend told me it was athlete’s foot. The name made me smile; I used to do a lot of sport until about ten years ago, but unfortunately I hardly do any any any more. The mushrooms must have benefited from doubly favourable conditions. The fatigue...
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When I have oily skin
My testimony I don’t really have oily skin, but rather combination skin. Oily on the T-zone (forehead, nose and chin) and drier on the rest of the face. Most of the time it’s only visible in the evening and I don’t have any problems with pimples or blackheads. However, when I’m tired, seborrheic production increases and I end up with a really shiny forehead and lower face all day long. If I’m not careful, I can end up with pimples on my forehead or little blackheads on my chin. My tip Oily...
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When my nieces have reflux
My story Feeding time is always a special moment for parents. I myself used to take great pleasure in bottle-feeding my nieces. On the other hand, I was a little distraught when they started crying when I put them back to bed, even though they had seemed quite peaceful just a few minutes before. My sisters reassured me that this happened to them all the time, it was just reflux. So I thought of lemon balm hydrosol, which they tried and adopted straight away! My tip For both reflux and colic,...
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When I have digestive and intestinal spasms
My story A few years ago, in the office, in my “old” life, I frequently had stomach cramps after meals, without really knowing why. It didn’t seem to be linked to certain foods, but appeared mainly when I was stressed. These digestive cramps occur much less often now. And they’re no longer disabling since I’ve found basil hydrosol to be a shock ally, stopping these spasms almost instantly. My tip Whether or not the origin of the spasms is nervous, and whether they affect the stomach or...
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When I'm nauseous
My testimony I’m not at all prone to nausea and vomiting. As far as I can remember, I’ve only thrown up once, out of a vagal reflex following a much too low blood pressure. My family includes several people who regularly suffer from dietary “liver attacks”; fortunately, I’ve never had one. On the other hand, if I read in the car, I quickly feel nauseous, and not just on winding roads. Of course, I could simply avoid this situation, which I do most of the time, but sometimes I still need to...
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When I'm in a feverish state
My testimony I’m very rarely ill. No doubt partly due to the fact that I’m “bathed” in hydrolats and essential oils and that I live in the countryside, in a protected environment. But almost every time I go to Paris for a few days for trade shows, I catch a cold or the beginnings of a “flu”. To help me combat febrile states in these urban environments, I call on meadowsweet! My tip Whenever I feel feverish (headache, burning eyes, aching muscles), I take meadowsweet hydrosol. I try to drink...
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When you have joint pain
My story My grandmother was always very active and in good health. She ran her candy store until she was 75! Ten years later, she began to develop osteoarthritis, mainly in her knees, with pain that prevented her from walking. For someone who couldn’t stand still, this was impossible. At first, she gently took what the doctor prescribed, conventional anti-inflammatories. She was doubly satisfied when I prepared a small “aroma” pharmacy for her; her pain was relieved without side effects,...
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