Hydrosols
By Kristen Leigh Bell (as posted to the Wellpet list)

Hi Everyone-

I have been out of town for a while- but have not forgotten that I promised to make educational Aromatherapy posts from time to time. With the holidays and other assorted mayhem, it has been a while since I have been able to get one out to you.. so here it is! Enjoy...!

I know that the use of essential oils may seem intimidating to many of you. So much to learn. to consider. to be careful of. The quality of oils. dilution. safety. AGH! Maybe it is too complicated for some, so for those of you who are daunted by the thought of over 100 essential oils, how to use them and how to use them *safely*, here is a great option. HYDROSOLS.

What's that? Hydrosols are what is left after the essential oils are distilled from plant matter. Basically, the plant matter is put in a still, on top of a mesh screen, and there is water below which is heated to steam. The oil phase of the plant matter is taken from the plant with steam, condensed and moved to another container. You are then left with the steam itself- which has passed through the plant matter and is now rich with the water soluble parts of the plant's chemistry.

Hydrosols are delicately scented, and are excellent for the skin. They have strong anti-inflammatory properties due to high levels of carboxylic acids. They are also soothing and act as gentle antiseptics. They are so gentle that even a human baby can be bathed in a bath of hydrosol. They are excellent for use for puppies, cats and kittens and rabbits and ferrets.

If you want to use aromatherapy for your cat, they are your only option. This is because essential oils are a big NO-NO for cats. Whether they are in shampoos, coat sprays, or herbal collars, cats cannot tolerate essential oils. Beware of companies who sell products containing essential oils for cats! The fact that they cannot tolerate the EOs is well documented in several sources. Yet companies such as Halo, Natural Animal, and several others continue to recommend their products with these oils for cats as well as dogs. Be careful!!!!

Why can cats not tolerate the oils? Several reasons. the major one is that they cannot metabolize them the way that dogs or humans can. (they also cannot metabolize certain herbs or allopathic meds, either) This means that they are not efficiently excreted by the body and can build up to toxic levels. Symptoms of toxicity include vomiting, dizziness, clumsiness, lack of appetite and lack of energy. The next one is that cats have very thin, delicate skin. This means that essential oils can be absorbed more rapidly into their skin and enter the bloodstream. Cats also dislike strong odors and generally keep away from strong scents-even highly diluted essential oils.

I have been away attending masters courses in Aromatherapy at the Pacific Institute of AT and there I met a woman who almost killed her own cat with Young Living Essential Oils. She had met Gary Young at a holistic pet expo and followed his lead to use neat (straight) EOs on cats. Her cat was vomiting and she applied essential oils neat to the cats stomach and paws. The cat almost died the next day- was unresponsive, vomiting, could not walk, etc... She had no idea what she had done until I told her. Please pass the word about cats and EO's on to other people and other lists. They just cannot tolerate them... in any way! Her cat spent several days in the emergency room getting pumped full of fluids to help flush the high levels of EO's from his little body. She says he has not been the same since.

Hydrosols are wonderful because cats CAN tolerate them with no problems, no toxicity. They can be spritzed on the cat for deodorizing or flea control, used as ear cleaners or calming agents. They are not concentrated as EO's are and do not require the careful thought and dilution which essential oil use does.

The most useful hydrosol of all is Witch Hazel Water. It is an anti-inflammatory whose power parallels that of topical steroid preparations. Why use that stuff when you can use witch hazel? Just make sure you get it in a formula with no ALCOHOL added. You may have to search, but it does exist.

Other hydrosols are Rose, Neroli, Rosemary, Roman Chamomile, Linden, Myrtle, Lavender, Geranium and Bay Laurel. Hydrosols are best kept refrigerated, unless you add a touch of vodka to the bottle to help preserve it. Vodka is all natural, does not sting as isopropyl alcohol does, and is a wonderful preservative, toner and astringent- not to mention antiseptic, too.

Make sure you are getting a "hydrosol" or "hydrolat" or "steam distillate waters". Some companies add synthetics to water and sell it as "Rose Water" or "Orange Blossom Water". Sometimes they add EO's to the water as well and sell it as a floral water. But this is no good- you don't want the EO's- you want the steam distillate waters- the hydrosol.

I recently started a line of hydrosol-based products for cats, to complement the canine aromatherapy line I have at http://www.aromaleigh.com.

Original Swiss Aromatics/Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy sells wonderful hydrosols (the hydrosols themselves- not products for animals containing them). Their information can be found on my site in the aromatherapy education section. There are other articles there, and also a reading list, too.

Just let me know if there are any questions... and when in doubt- try hydrosols!

Kristen Leigh Bell, PIA-Certified Aromatherapist,
Member National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy Featuring Aromaleigh natural products, remedies and grooming products for canines, felines and humans based on essential oils and
Aromatherapy: www.aromaleigh.com
Never mass-manufactured...only safe, natural, botanical ingredients