Question: Are floral waters and hydrosols the same?

What a week! The pickling cucumbers aren't at their peak yet, so another week goes by without us making some awesome kosher dills! But we did get to be on the TV (the interview isn't on the site yet, but I'll link to it when it is!), and we had a great class with the tweens on Thursday making bubble bath and a fantastic class with the teens making mud masks, toners, facial cleansers, and perfume spray, so it was a great week! The only pictures I have of the kids creating these awesome things show their faces, so instead I'll illustrate this post with a picture from the Mitchell Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota we took during our honeymoon in 2009!

As an aside, I love this program called Instagram for my iPhone! It makes my pictures look like those ones my dad took with our Sears camera when I was a kid! It's free, and it makes everything look really awesome! 

Roxine commented in this post: Hi, I'm new to making my own body products so I apologize in advanced for my ignorance but are Hydrosols and Floral Waters the same?

If you take a look at this post, I note that hydrosols and floral waters can be the same. But as usual, check with your supplier to make sure you're getting what you expect. For instance, the lavender flower hydrosol at Voyageur has as its NCI: Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) flower water. At New Directions Aromatics, the lavender floral water contains lavender floral water, and less than 2% vegetable glycerin, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, potassium sorbate, citric acid, and dimethicone defoamer. (Take a look at the MSDS to see the ingredient list.) This isn't to say the NDA product is inferior or the Voyageur product is superior, but it's important to note that they do contain different ingredients.

We all know I'm a great fan of preservatives and I suspect - but can't confirm - that the Voyageur product contains some preservatives of some kind as I can have the bottle in my workshop for months without it going off, so check with your supplier if you want to know exactly what's in that floral water/hydrosol!

So the answer to your question is yes and no. I use the terms interchangeably, but the products at our suppliers' shops might not be the same.

Join me after my breakfast for more questions I've been asked this week!