Our Wintergreen Face Toner is a hydrosol…..but what IS a hydrosol?  Hydrosols are fragrant plant waters that can be used to tone and soothe the skin. An ancient way of gathering water-soluble nutrients from fresh plants, leaves and flowers.  We like to use them in place of your traditional toner, because they are more gentle on the skin, and are a great option to naturally balance the skin's pH levels. Creating a hydrosol is a long and peaceful process. We gather fresh plant matter first thing in the morning, pack the harvest in our handmade still, and steam-distill goodness from the plants for hours. That first fragrant splash that comes out of the still is pure magic.   In the mainstream world, hydrosols are a biproduct of essential oils and discarded. During any distillation, a small amount of essential oil sits on the top of the plant water, and that plant water is usually thrown out. However, we at The Cedar Nook distill specifically for that plant water - the hydrosol. There is just as much goodness in the hydrosol (including water soluble properties that don't appear in essential oils). It is a much gentler way to use the plants on our skin, and lets face it……there is nothing more satisfying than a cool + refreshing spritz on a hot summer’s afternoon! Our skin has a natural barrier called a hydrolipid barrier. This is a delicate layer of oils (lipids) and waters (perspiration) that the skin naturally creates to protect itself and detoxify. Plant waters (hydrosols) pressed together with an oil-based serum helps to hydrate and nourish all skin types. So we like to spritz our hydrosol on our face, and then gently press our serums as a protective layer to hold in all the magic of the plant waters.  Instead of stripping it's barrier, like many toners do, we use this water + oil ritual to mimic our skin’s own hydrolipid barrier and rebalance the skin.