Phyt's Bitter Orange Hydrolate
Why you should add Phyt's Hydrolate to your daily routine
Phyt’s chose hydrolates as skin toner. But what is a hydrolate?
Hydrolates are botanical distillates that carry the properties of the plant materials used to manufacture them.
To understand why they make great skin toner, we need to look at the extraction process of essential oils: steam distillation.
Here’s how it is done: You take a large quantity of, say orange rinds, and you put them into a still. You then allow steam to pass through the plant material, under gentle pressure and gentle temperature.
As the rinds are exposed to the steam, many active chemicals naturally present in the orange skin are released into the steam, which is then condensed (cooled down by passing into a cool tube). The steam then turns back into water, but the water now contains many wonderful natural healing chemicals that were in the plant. You understand here the importance of sourcing oranges grown organically, without exposure to harmful synthetic chemicals.
Some of those chemicals are so-called hydrophilic (that means they love water and dissolve in it), while others are oily and ‘hydrophobic’ (they are repelled by water). When you leave this water-oily mix for 15 minutes or so, the two parts quickly separate out (exactly as they would if you were to pour oil in a glass of water). The oil is the plant’s ‘essential oil’, and the water is known as a hydrosol or hydrolat.
So, generally speaking, the hydrolat contains the water-soluble chemicals from the orange rinds, while the essential oil contains the non-water-soluble phytochemicals.
Now consider something else: the human body is composed of about 60% water. Water is the major compound in every single cell in the body, and also in the fluid that runs around the outside of the cells. If we want to get the balancing, therapeutic energies from the plants to our body’s cells, would it not make great sense to use the ones that dissolve in water? We can begin to see the power of the hydrolat!
Hydrolats are great addition in your daily skincare routine (having a perfect pH value). Try spraying Orange hydrolat on your face or for a change, on your bed linen for a sense of luxury and relaxation as you go to sleep.
The benefits of our Phyt’s Orange hydrosol has been maximised by adding to the solution safe, gentle but powerful natural ingredients:
Bitter Orange (citrus Amara)
Citrus Aurantium Amara Flower Extract
is an extract of the flowers of the Bitter Orange, Citrus aurantium L. var. amara L., Rutaceae. One of the main benefits of bitter orange is its cleansing capability. It cleanses dirt, oily and impurities from the skin — yet it doesn’t strip the skin as can some harsh over-the-counter synthetic formulas. After using a formula with bitter orange, the skin feels balanced, refreshed, and ready for moisturisation.
Water (Aqua)
Water making up the hydrosol is produced from the steam distillation process, when the oily molecules from the orange rings separate from the water content of the rinds and condensation of the steam used in the extraction process itself.
Sodium (sodium chloride)
(NaCl), commonly known as salt, is one of the most abundant minerals on Earth and an essential nutrient for many animals and plants. Salt is used to thicken the water (also known as aqueous) phase of shampoos, body washes, and non-soap facial cleansers and toners.
Potassium (Potassium Aluminium Sulfate or Potassium Alum)
Potassium alum is a naturally occurring mineral found everywhere in nature in a rock or fibre form. In cosmetics and personal care products, Potassium Alum is used in the formulation of skin care products, toners, moisturisers, face powders and deodorants.
Verbena (Lippia Citriodora)
This plant oil is high in antiseptic content and emollient properties, making it a fantastic tonic for your skin
Mallow (Malva Sylvestris)
Native to Western Europe, North Africa, and Asia, malva sylvestris has showy purple flowers with dark veins, and usually stands about 3-4 feet high. The flower extract forms a soothing, protective gel that moisturizes skin.
Lotus (Lotus Corniculatus)
The lotus flower is full of compounds that benefit the skin, including antioxidants, flavonoids, fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. The extract provides many benefits at once, it helps minimise the appearance of pores, soothes, hydrates, firms and tightens the skin.
Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)
Horsetail has been around a long time—living for more than one hundred million years. What makes horsetail stand out in the cosmetic world is that it contains more silicon in the form of silica and silica acids than any other herb, in a form that's highly absorbable by the body. The extract in our Orange Hydrosol promotes a tighter and firmer look, minimise the appearance of large pores and is a natural source of nutrients like calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin C
Alfafa (Medicago sativa)
In skincare, alfafa extract can help with moisturisation and it is also known to contain lots of beneficial nutrients including proteins, a variety of minerals and vitamins – all of which offer revitalising and anti-aging benefits. It is also a powerful antioxidant that helps to combat the effects of pollutants and airbornes irritants. And it soothes the skin and make dull skin look brighter.
Mistletoe (Viscum album)
Interested in the beauty benefits of mistletoe? The decorative greenery, once reserved for doorways and dropping hints for your crush, actually contains a potent extract that, when applied topically, helps keep skin soft and supple. Included in HYDROLE ORANGE, it helps boost the softness and elasticity of your skin
Citral / Geraniol / Limonene / Linalool
All essential oils naturally contain certain molecular compounds so they are also present in the water separating from the essential oils during the distillation process.