You can substitute lilac buds for the rose petals. The alcohol in this formula makes it self-preserving.
Gather:
24 ounces distilled water
2 cups fresh lilac blosssoms
(or use dried lilac blossoms instead)
1/2 cup alcohol (I use vodka)
sterilized 48 - 64 oz. clear glass container with tightly fitting lid
Method:
Place flowers in container and cover with alcohol and water. Stir. Place in sunny window and allow to steep for up to two weeks. The alcohol will serve as a preservative. Strain through unbleached coffee filters and keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks.
Floral waters can be used in virtually anything imaginable. It can be used in the mundane as a refresherner for your bed linen, to washing yourself during a ritual where you might want an illness to leave you. It can be added to additional floral waters to create protection, healing, or holy waters, which I use all three in my HooDoo practice.
Technically this type of water is refered to as a
hydrosol, hydrolate or hydrolat. In bygone ages all hydrosols were refered to as ‘flower waters’ or
‘floral waters’, and the types of waters were restricted to where you lived, the available flowers in your area, the most common floral waters were, lavender, rose and orange flower.
Until the Middle Ages the art of hydrosol was employed
specifically for the purpose of producing these precious aromatic
waters, and very little attention was paid to the precious
essential oil that was being produced along with them. The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans are all known to
have made great use of hydrosols for healing and for the purpose of cleansings.
Rose and orange ‘floral waters’ which have no alcohol added, and are food grade usable are used in cake icing,
cooking or salads. The recipes I put on my blog are not food grade usable.
A true hydrosol has no alcohol added, it is sun distilled with some essential oil from the plant floating on the top, this means with a true hydrosol you must shake the mixture to incorporate the naturally incurring essential oil into the waters. With a true hydrosol you can only use the mixture for a few weeks and then mold will set in, but in the meantime here are some great uses for a water only hydrosol. Hope this helps you.
During the summer hydrosols are perfect to use as a cooling body
mist, and the most cooling of all is Peppermint. Make sure you take
some with you to use on holidays, on the beach and even to cool those
aching tootsies when you are out shopping! Hydrosols help to revitalise
you when your energies are beginning to flag, and a few sprays onto a
tissue makes a handy wet-wipe for all sorts of applications including
babies and grubby children.
To calm a restless baby try
adding a few tablespoons of Lavender or Chamomile hydrosol into their
bathwater. This can be especially beneficial if your baby is suffering
from diaper rash or eczema, because the soothing properties of these
hydrosols help calm the irritation and speed up the healing process.
Hydrosols are quite safe to use on young children, and since they only
contain a small amount of essential oil they do not need diluting much
further except as above when using with very young babies.
Hydrosols
such as Rose or Neroli can be added to the final rinse water in your
washing cycle as well as used as a fragrant linen spray whilst ironing
since they smell much nicer than their synthetic counterparts. Around
the house, hydrosols are great to freshen the air instead of using
aerosols which of course are harmful to the environment.
