Every day, we all may need a little boost to feel better. For everyday bumps and bruises, in case of a drop in morale or vitality, or to cope with life’s ups and downs, we all need simple gestures, good advice and healthy products. Hydrosols are somewhat the forgotten ones in the natural wellness toolkit. Yet, they are 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 “practical testimonials”. I simply describe what I do when I encounter a particular problem, very concretely. This is a blog that is both very personal and very practical. Personal, because I testify here honestly about my practices with hydrosols for myself and my close family. Practical, because you will find tips and simple recipes to adopt for yourself, sometimes slightly adapting them with the advice given to best fit your reality.
When I start a cold
My Testimony
I have a good immunity, I am very rarely sick. However, like everyone else, when I am tired, my body is weakened and can more easily be overwhelmed by a viral attack that should go unnoticed on a balanced terrain. When I start to sneeze, have a runny or itchy nose, a congested head, I know that the virus has attacked and that my respiratory tract is the site of an immune reaction. It is then time to act very quickly to prevent the virus from settling, multiplying and...
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When I want to fight against cellulite
My Testimony
We have just planned a trip to Mayotte (the land of ylang-ylang), and I am starting to stress: I can’t possibly put on shorts and a swimsuit with legs like these! The lack of physical exercise has allowed it to reappear, our enemy (almost) all of us, this dreaded cellulite… So, I’m going to resume the little routine I had set up a few years ago, when I still took the time to do it, to try to limit this “orange peel” skin. A bit of sport...
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Understanding Hydrosols Well
Where do hydrolats come from?
3,000 years ago, floral waters, or hydrolats, were the only distillation products used by the ancients. Their production was simple and the complete distillation that produces essential oil and hydrolat by the same process was not yet known. This type of distillation only appeared in the Middle Ages, just before the Crusades. Hydrolats continued to be produced and appreciated for their benefits, but they were neglected in the last century in favor of...
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When one cuts oneself while shaving
My Testimony
My partner doesn’t take much time to shave in the morning; he does it just about anywhere, most of the time without shaving foam. The blade on a hard hair is not gentle! 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 cistus hydrosol. My partner pours the equivalent of a teaspoon into the palm of his hand and...
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When I want to boost my immunity
My Testimony
I really love autumn for the palette of colors that the landscapes offer us. These warm colors cheer me up when the days get shorter, when temperatures drop and humidity sets in. They also remind me that it’s time to start thinking about protecting myself from viruses and other bacteria that start to proliferate. For several years now, I have been using hydrosols before winter to ensure that I get through the cold season in good health, by stimulating my...
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When I have cold feet and hands - Raynaud's disease
My Testimony
Since adolescence, I have been suffering from Raynaud’s disease. As soon as the temperature drops below 12 ° or 13 °C, my fingers and toes become white and numb. It’s a very unpleasant and disabling sensation. Even though our winters are less harsh than when I was a teenager, the “cold” season is relatively long in Lozère. For a few years, I used aromatic oils that I applied to my fingers and toes to promote circulation (calophyll oil with...
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When I cough or have respiratory problems
My Testimony
I am rarely sick. I think that the fact of “bathing” daily in hydrosols and essential oils has something to do with it. Just like living in the countryside and in a preserved environment. On the other hand, when I go to the city for a few days, I regularly catch a cold, which almost always manifests in me as a cough. If I don’t control it quickly, the initial dry cough quickly turns into a hoarse, barking cough, which I have trouble getting rid of....
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When my skin lacks radiance
My Testimony
I work indoors and my current schedule means that I don’t get out much, even less so during the winter. My skin therefore has little contact with air and natural light. As a result, I come out of this cold period with dull, pale skin that lacks radiance. While waiting for the good weather and outings that will allow me to benefit from the benefits of air and sunlight on the skin, I give it (and myself at the same time) a bit of radiance with...
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When I have bad breath
My Testimony
It’s not pleasant at all, but sometimes I have bad breath. I hope it’s not too often the case. We notice bad breath in others but hardly in ourselves. And unfortunately our “friends” don’t always dare to tell us… Even if the origin of bad breath is most often oral, for me it’s digestive. I now more or less know what triggers it and I try to avoid “risky” situations, or to prevent them, but it’s not always...
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When I struggle against nervous fatigue
My Testimony
Normally, I don’t need a lot of sleep, and I recover after one or two good nights when I’m tired. Three years ago, when we moved the distillery, we combined activities and lack of sleep. Physical fatigue and a build-up of things to manage led to nervous fatigue in me. I felt completely empty, with a lump in my throat, difficulty digesting, I made a mountain out of everything, I felt like I was functioning like a robot, mechanically. Even after good...
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When I want to treat eczema
My Testimony
Fortunately, I am not prone to skin problems or eczema, but I do develop some in my hair when I am stressed or tired. In this case, I have red patches that flake and itch on my scalp. And I scratch, which doesn’t help matters. With the cold, I used to get chilblains that appeared on my fingers and turned into eczema once the redness and swelling disappeared (I say used to because I no longer get chilblains since I started doing a liver detox cure before winter...
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When one has acne
My Testimony
As a teenager, I was lucky enough not to have acne. I did have unsightly pimples (which I scratched…) but no acne. It was not the same for my younger sister, who spent a great deal of Wednesday afternoons at the dermatologist’s. She was subjected to all sorts of creams and lotions, each more abrasive than the last, which turned her skin into sandpaper, gave her redness, burned her. It would have been entirely different if we had known about aromatherapy...
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When one wants to clean the skin and bottoms of little ones
My Testimony
What a joy it is to touch and smell the skin of babies! We don’t always know how to refresh and give a little clean to this incredibly soft and delicate skin. We sometimes fear irritating it, with water often too hard and drying or soaps that are rather unnecessary. So, when my sisters each had their baby, I was delighted to bring them some bottles of hydrosol. They were won over and used nothing else to refresh the face, buttocks and hands of their little...
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When I have heavy legs
My Testimony
During trade shows, I spend the entire day standing, behind the booth, moving little. I frequently end up with heavy, swollen legs by the end of the day. I particularly remember an outdoor fair in June. It was very hot. In the afternoon, my legs started to swell significantly, causing pain. I couldn’t take a walk to stimulate blood circulation, but I had everything I needed at hand to relieve myself.
My Tip
When I have heavy legs, I take a small...
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When my liver is tired
My Testimony
Two years ago, I consulted my homeopath for various minor ailments. I had Arnold’s neuralgia in the neck and skull, difficulty digesting slightly fatty meals, a frequently pasty mouth, and frequent chilblains on my fingers and toes. His diagnosis was: “liver and gallbladder”. Even though I was occasionally told that I had a waxy complexion, which could indicate a “problem” with the liver, I had never thought that my neck pain or...
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When I have dull hair
My Testimony
I live in the countryside, in a relatively unpolluted environment, I have never dyed my hair or used a detangler or harsh shampoo, I do not use a hairdryer, I am not iron deficient and yet I regularly have dull hair… This lack of shine is more frequent when I am tired or stressed, but I also notice it when I am well, in shape. I think it comes from the water, which is very hard where we live. I have found that ylang-ylang hydrosol is a good ally to give a bit...
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When I have a urinary tract infection
My Testimony
Normally, I drink a lot, at least 3 liters of water (often “hydrolated”) per day. When I’m traveling or in an outside meeting, I don’t drink enough, which quickly becomes problematic, without really knowing why. What makes me realize this is the feeling of having to urinate frequently, for no reason. I feel slight burns in the lower abdomen, and “kidney” pains in the lower back. Fortunately, I have always been able to stop the...
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When I have a surge of stress
My Testimony
I am not comfortable speaking in public. I no longer do it in front of assemblies, but I still frequently take part in meetings where I may have to intervene. I have often felt so uncomfortable in these seemingly harmless situations that I started to sweat, my hands became clammy, I felt like my chest was going to explode from my heart beating so hard, my throat was tight, and my voice wouldn’t come out (it’s not strong even in normal times…). I...
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When I have rosacea
My Testimony
For about ten years, my facial skin has been reddening very quickly with temperature changes. I never took it seriously and never thought it could be a condition until recently. While I was talking with someone I know about her rosacea, she asked me what I was doing for mine… I had never thought about it, but yes, this rapid reddening in hot or cold weather must be an early sign of rosacea. The same goes for these small purplish vessels visible from time to...
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When I have the hiccups
My Testimony
When we were little, my twin sister and I often had hiccups. At times, if it wasn’t one of us, it was the other. I remember a day when it happened at school. We started hiccuping. The more we tried to hold it in, the louder the “hic” was. This led to a good laugh. Which spread because several students got involved, each with their little trick. One tried to scare us, another brought us a glass of water to drink “upside down”…...
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When I want to fight against wrinkles
My Testimony
Wrinkles, there’s no escaping them. Over time, the skin loosens and loses its tone. No cream or serum completely erases wrinkles, but we can however do what’s necessary to delay their appearance and somewhat lessen them when they are present. That’s what I try to do! For several years now, I have been using rose hydrosol every morning. With it, I have a natural anti-wrinkle ally, essential for its delicacy, its sweet scent, and its recognized...
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When lice arrive
My Testimony
That’s it, school is over, and the long holidays are here, with their share of internships and camps of all kinds for children. After spending a few days with us, my niece is excited to go to her scout camp. For her who loves flowers, trees, insects, animals, a week in the forest is a dream. But her mom is a bit worried about the return, she fears picking her up with lice like last year!
My Tip
As soon as we know that lice have arrived, it is...
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When I have a canker sore
My Testimony
I think I brush my teeth with a brush that has slightly too hard bristles, which sometimes irritates my gums and the inside of my mouth. Normally this is not a problem, but during periods of stress or significant fatigue, when immunity drops a bit, I get canker sores that appear on these irritations inside the cheeks or lips. When I was younger, I did nothing, I waited for it to pass, which usually took a good week (when I didn’t “chew” on them too...
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When my eyes are tired, 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 a large part of the journey in the rain and in the dark. I don’t see well at night (perhaps because I was used to lit roads in Belgium), which forces me to strain. As expected, I arrived with lemur-like eyes, swollen and reddened. My eyes are quite fragile. The same thing happens to me if I drive without sunglasses in good weather or if I spend too...
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When I lose hair
My Testimony
During the summer, we carry out distillations as the plants arrive, which we always distill fresh, and I often lack sleep. However, when I’m tired, I lose my hair and have more difficulty digesting. I have a lot of hair, losing it isn’t too serious, but it’s quite unpleasant to find it everywhere. Similarly, this feeling of heaviness after each rich meal (we are in Lozère!). With rosemary hydrosol, I found a double ally, acting both on the cause...
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When I have a wound or a burn
My Testimony
When I was 15, I tried a friend’s skateboard. Feeling quite comfortable in front of the house, I set off confidently. I picked up speed on the first downhill, without having thought about how to slow down and stop. I found myself on the ground, in the gravel, with a few holes in my legs. At the time, I didn’t yet know about aromatherapy, and I used a disinfectant and healing cream from the pharmacy. It didn’t prove to be very effective, I still have...
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When I have poor digestion
My Testimony
How many times have I struggled to digest after a slightly too heavy or fatty meal at lunch, or after a chocolate dessert. In the course of the afternoon, I felt as if I was just leaving the table, my stomach full even though it had been 2-3 hours since the meal was over. I felt heavy and a bit off until the evening. I know I have a bile secretion problem, which must be at least partly responsible for these slow or difficult digestions. Since I started using...
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Using Hydrosols Correctly
What are hydrosols used for?
Hydrosols are used for many purposes, including culinary, cosmetic, household, wellness, and care.
Flavors: As in oriental pastries (rose and orange blossom hydrosols), hydrosols can be used to flavor culinary preparations, both sweet and savory (lavender, geranium, douglas, rosemary…), hot or cold, and beverages (mint, blackcurrant, verbena…).
Cosmetics: Very gentle, they are perfectly...
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When one has hot flashes during menopause
My Testimony
Several people in my circle have experienced menopause very differently. For my mother, it can be said that it went smoothly! Just like her pregnancies and deliveries, in fact. She did suffer from some hot flashes, especially at night, but nothing too debilitating. On the other hand, one of her friends really suffered, with significant sweating both during the day and at night, having to change her nightgown 2 or 3 times per night and feeling uncomfortable during the...
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When my skin feels tight
My Testimony
When I take walks in the winter, when it’s cold and the wind is blowing, I come back with a tight feeling on the skin of my face. I don’t have sensitive skin, just a bit reactive, especially to temperature changes. I don’t use any “aggressive” cream or lotion that could 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....
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When I have a foot fungus
My Testimony
Last year, during a trade show, I was bothered by itching between my toes. In the evening, upon inspecting my feet, I noticed that my skin in these areas was red, and I had a blister on the side of a toe. I had never had this before. A pharmacist friend told me it was a foot fungus, or “athlete’s foot”. The name made me smile; I used to do a lot of sports until about ten years ago, but unfortunately, I hardly do any now. The fungi must have taken...
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When I have oily skin
My Testimony
I don’t really have oily skin, rather it’s combination skin. Oily in 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 it doesn’t cause me problems with pimples or blackheads. However, when I’m tired, sebaceous production increases and I end up with a really shiny forehead and lower face throughout the day. If I’m not careful, I can then see...
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When my nieces have reflux
My Testimony
The moment of breastfeeding or bottle feeding is always a special time for parents. I myself took great pleasure in bottle feeding my nieces. However, I was a bit disconcerted when they started crying once they were put back to bed, even though they seemed quite peaceful just a few minutes earlier. My sisters reassured me, it happened to them frequently, it was just reflux. I then thought of lemon balm hydrosol, which they tried and immediately adopted!
My...
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When I have digestive and intestinal spasms
My Testimony
A few years ago, at the office, in my “previous” life, I frequently experienced stomach or abdominal cramps a little after meals, without really knowing why. It didn’t seem to be related to certain foods but mainly appeared when I was stressed. These digestive cramps occur much less often now. And they are no longer debilitating since I found a powerful ally in basil hydrosol, which almost instantly stops these spasms.
My Tip
Whether...
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When I feel nauseous
My Testimony
I am not at all prone to nausea and vomiting. As far as I can remember, I have only vomited once, due to a vagal reflex following extremely low blood pressure. However, I have several family members who regularly suffer from food-related “liver crises”; thankfully, I do not experience this. On the other hand, if I read in the car, I quickly feel nauseous, and not only on winding roads. Of course, I could simply avoid this situation, which I do most of the...
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When I have a feverish state
My Testimony
I am very rarely sick. This is probably partly due to the fact that I am “immersed” in hydrosols and essential oils and that I live in the countryside, in a protected environment. But almost every time I spend a few days in Paris for trade shows, I catch a cold or start to feel “under the weather”. To help me fight against febrile states in these urban environments, I turn to meadowsweet!
My Tip
As soon as I feel feverish...
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When one has joint pain
My Testimony
My grandmother has always been very active and healthy. She ran her candy shop until she was 75 years old! Ten years later, she began to suffer from arthritis, mainly in her knees, with pain that prevented her from walking. For someone who was always on the move, this was not possible. At first, she politely took what the doctor prescribed her, classic anti-inflammatory drugs. And she had the common associated stomach pains… She was doubly pleased when I...
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