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Before I jump too far into this post, I just want to be clear that I DIY this stuff for fun. I do not have a degree in any sort of scientific field. Whether what I make is a hydrosol, hydrolat, aromatic water, distillate, tincture, etc. I’m not really sure, so I’m just sticking with the simple version and calling it lavender water.
Oh Lavender water, how I love thee. I’d keep it around for the smell alone. But turns out it has other great uses and benefits! I’m actually not going to go into detail of the benefits since I don’t feel like I’m qualified to do so, but the general statements that can be said without me feeling like I need to cite a scientific paper are it’s soothing, can reduce inflammation and itching, has things that are good for your hair and skin, and can be used in multiple ways.
Note that there is an optional ingredient of rosemary. While rosemary is safe for both hair and skin, I do suggest being careful with it on your face since it’s not as universally calming on the skin as lavender. Take more precaution with it like you would with something like peppermint. I included it as optional since rosemary does come with its own benefits and MAY be helpful to those trying to regrow hair. There are even people who swear by using lavender and rosemary after alopecia areata issues (autoimmune hair loss.)
Lavender Water Recipe
This recipe can easily be halved, I just wrote it for this quantity since I haven’t caved and bought a smaller saucepan yet so this quantity works better for me
The base recipe is just two ingredients:
– A few sprigs of fresh or dried lavender (organic preferred)- buds should equate to approximately 2 handfuls
– 2 Cups water
Other tools:
– Saucepan with a lid
– Stove
– Strainer
– Spray bottle
Optional:
– 2 teaspoons fresh or dried rosemary (organic preferred)
Boil the water on the stove. If you are using fresh ingredients, while waiting for the water to boil is a great time to wash them and pull them off of them stem. Once water has come to a boil, remove from the stove and add the lavender buds (add the rosemary in here as well if you’re opting to use it.) Cover and let seep for approximate 6 hours, anywhere in the 4-8 hour range is fine. Strain the product and it is ready to use!
If you store it in an airtight container, it should last up to 6 months in the fridge, but if it starts to smell funny before that, toss it. Obviously an airtight container isn’t ideal for regular use so I keep a small spray bottle of it in the fridge and just refill that from the airtight container. Sometimes I’ll also freeze half of the batch so that I’m not risking it going bad.
How to Use
- The most common way I use lavender water is to refresh my curls. It helps bring life back into my hair if my they start going flat (especially if they aren’t falling flat uniformly making it hard to just roll with it), it provides a little more…oomph? than water alone does
- While I have never used it on wash day, I know there are plenty of people who use it as a final rinse or as a leave in
- Use in place of your store bought facial toner
- Give your final look a dewy glow when you use it as a makeup setting spray!
