What Is Hydrosol?

by Tamara Neale

Why we love it, how we make it, and how it quietly powers your everyday rituals.

If you’ve ever wondered what hydrosol is or how it’s different from essential oils — welcome. You’re in the right place.

Hydrosol is one of our most cherished ingredients here at The Hobbyist. It’s gentle, effective, and full of botanical magic — and we use it in many of our small-batch creations, from botanical  bubble baths to plant-powered perfumes. 

🌿 So, What Is Hydrosol?

Hydrosol is the aromatic water that remains after steam distilling fresh plant material — the same process used to extract essential oils. But while essential oils are concentrated and oil-based, hydrosols are water-based, soft, and safe for direct use on the skin.

We distill our hydrosols using a traditional copper alembic still, brought over from Portugal, and craft each batch with wild and locally grown botanicals from the Pacific Northwest — including Nootka rose, cedar bough, ethically grown lavender, calendula, chamomile, rhododendron, yarrow, and spruce tips.

What we’re left with is a pure botanical distillate — carrying the plant’s scent, energy, and water-soluble healing properties. It’s a gentle kind of alchemy that connects you directly to the soul of the plant.

💧 Benefits of Hydrosol

Hydrosols are incredibly versatile. Here’s what they can offer:

  • Hydrating – Balances and tones the skin

  • Soothing – Calms irritation and supports sensitive skin

  • Aromatic – Naturally fragrant without synthetic perfumes or alcohol

  • Energetic – Used in spiritual practices for clearing, grounding, and emotional support

It’s like plant-powered skincare and aromatherapy, wrapped into one — made with nothing but water and wild plants.

✨ How We Use It at The Hobbyist

Hydrosol quietly powers many of our most-loved offerings:

Every batch is made with intention — no shortcuts, no synthetics, no filler. Just plants, water, and time.

🌱 Why It Matters

In a world overflowing with harsh chemicals and greenwashed “natural” claims, hydrosol offers something honest. It’s slow. It’s real. It invites you to connect to plants not just as ingredients — but as teachers, allies, and sources of beauty.

Hydrosols have been used for centuries in traditional herbalism and spiritual practice. We’re simply continuing the tradition — one slow distillation at a time.

📚 Further Reading + Listening

For the curious, the learners, and the lovers of all things plant-based.

These are a few favorite resources that offer deeper insight into herbalism, land-based wisdom, and respectful plant connection:

📖 Book

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
A poetic and powerful exploration of our relationship with land and plants, written by a Potawatomi botanist and storyteller. A must-read for anyone interested in plant kinship.

🎧 Podcast

Medicine Stories by Amber Magnolia Hill
A soulful, earth-rooted podcast exploring ancestral healing, plant wisdom, and feminine remembering.

🌿 Herbalist

Rosalee de la Foret
A BC-based herbalist who blends science with folk wisdom — her teachings are deeply practical, accessible, and full of heart.

🍃 A Note on Respectful Herbal Practice

As we deepen our connection to plants, it’s important we also stay rooted in ethics, respect, and awareness.

Herbalism — like many land-based traditions — has long been held and protected by Indigenous, ancestral, and community-based knowledge keepers. As this wisdom becomes more mainstream, we’re committed to walking gently, learning continuously, and giving credit where it’s due.

Before we harvest or use wild plants, we ask:
• Who are the original stewards of this land and plant?
• Is this plant abundant and regenerating?
• Am I taking only what I need, with permission and care?

At The Hobbyist, we forage minimally, prioritize abundant species, and always leave more than we take. We’re also listening — to Indigenous voices, respected herbalists, and the land itself — to ensure our work stays rooted in reciprocity and reverence.

The plants are generous. It’s up to us to honor that generosity with integrity.

🌊 Closing Thoughts

Hydrosol may be subtle, but it’s powerful. Whether you’re misting your space, washing your hands, or soaking in a warm bath, it’s one of the quiet ways we reconnect to the earth, to ourselves, and to slower rhythms that heal.

With gratitude,
Tam

 

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