I cannot begin to explain the excitement of learning how to distill plant material exclusively for the Hydrosol! I just CANT!!

Being able to grow the herbs we use in our products is amazing all by itself. But learning how to Distill those very same herbs is OVER THE TOP AMAZING! Still, the beauty and glory of all of this bounty goes directly to GOD! If he hadn't opened my eyes to the full, extensive beauty around me I wouldn't be able to provide this bounty to all of ya'll! SO - Today i'm introducing to you all the following Hydrosols;

Elderflower

From the native Elderberry. We stripped the flowers from the stems and bracts of the Elder bush that guards our western side of the Garden. The flower, when distilled, produces a sweet, floral almost Honey scent.

Very slight, but gorgeous once you capture it's scent. A light spritz around the eyes is said to reduce fine lines. Tasting a bit of the hydrosol was very surprising to me. I expected something different. I am not a fan of drinking hydrosols all by themselves. Normally.

This one made me happy.

Lavender.

Another huge surprise for me as iv'e been using this hydrosol for years as a facial toner after showering & as an addition to our soaps and lotions. What I didn't expect was the intense herbal aroma. Iv'e never smelled Fresh Lavender hydrosol before and I was so pleasantly surprised I also had to taste it. Not as lovely as the Elderflower, In my (not so) humble opinion. Yet its beautiful when sprayed on a sunburn! Instant cooling. Refreshing, Light yet intense aroma. Very pleasant and another great hydrosol to use for everyone from babies to adults.

Peppermint! Whoa! Talk about a complete surprise!! I fully expected this hydrosol to smell like the watered down version of the plant. What I got was an intense sweet herbal aroma with a hint of mint.

Beautifully uplifting and cooling! Spritz on skin that has too much sun, you will get an instant cooling sensation.

I was very concerned while distilling this plant as Peppermint Essential oil is contraindicated for Cardiac Fibrillation. Contraindicated means shouldn't ever be used. Cardiac Fibrillation definition per Meriam Webster dictionary; 1: an act or process of forming fibers or fibrils. 2a: a muscular twitching involving individual muscle fibers acting without coordination b: very rapid irregular contractions of the muscle fibers of the heart resulting in a lack of synchronism between heartbeat and pulse. Because of my Sinus tachycardia, I was nervous. However, I had no need to worry.

It needs specified that every person has a different reaction to EVERY thing under the sun. My experience may not be your experience. I'm super happy to report that I had absolutely no issues. Even though there was a small amount of essential oil, that I wasn't able to extract, I still experienced no issues whatsoever! Super Happy and Super great news! I really really love this Hydrosol! I used some in my water, with a sprig of peppermint and Lemon Balm. I love the taste, and most especially, the Aroma!

And Last but most certainly not Least;

Lemon Balm

Another Huge surprise as the expectation (I should really learn to not form these expectations) was way off base. A very bright lemony herby scent. Its so hard for me to describe these aromas. The Plant itself smells (to me & others ive asked) a lot like Lemon Pledge. Some of yall may have never smelled Lemon Pledge before- all i can tell you is that it smells lemony but waxy at the same time. To me, this perfectly describes the plant. The Hydrosol however is nothing like I expected. Lemony but sweet, a little like a watered down version of its essential oil counterpart.

A Spritz or two on the face and you will immediately notice the Chill Factor. Calming to the soul! Calming to the skin and safe for all ages!

Next week I will be distilling Wild Carrot Seed. This is from the plant we all know as Queen Ann's Lace. Another one im super excited to distill! I love the almost Pine scent of the Queen Ann's Lace when it is about to turn to seed. Monday is my 49th Birthday! Ill be celebrating at the casino! LOL 07/17/2017 -- all those 7's got to mean something! If nothing else, I'll be able to spend time with my husband, hopefully my Bestie and her husband as well as family coming in from Texas! Untill Next time -- Stay Chill my friends!! Much Love

Kris