Hydrosol: Sandalwood, Social Enterprise

Price: $9.71
Flower Water: Sandalwood

Santalum spicatum NOT the endangered Indian (Mysore) Santalum album

Add to a soothing hot bath!
Make skincare products!
Use it with witch hazel for an awesome toner!
Use as a base in an air freshener!

While daily use of sandalwood oil is costly, the hydrosol isn't, helping to preserve and revive stressed skin cells. The hydrosol has similar properties to the essential oil and wood.

Aroma: Sandalwood Australian Essential Oil has a sweet, rich, woody, exotic and lingering scent with a hint of spice. It is oriental, luxurious, and balsamic with deep & soft aroma.

History: Sandalwood Australian - like all of the sandalwood family - is considered to be an exquisite oil. Some thirty species of sandalwood occur throughout Asia, Australia and the Pacific region. Six of the species are native to Australia. This species, Santalum spicatum, is presently being harvested in the Goldfields region of Western Australia. The high value of the wood and the oil has led to a steady decline of native sandalwood trees and increasing efforts to establish plantations.

Because our suppliers have established plantations, this high-quality oil can now be produced in commercially viable volumes with minimal environmental impact.

Description: Extracted from plantation trees, Western Australian Sandalwood is a viable, environmentally friendly tree considered to have higher anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. This tree is parasitic, burrowing its roots into nearby trees to gain sustenance for the first seven years, leaving the other to die. To produce oil this tree must be over 30 years old, preferably around 40-50 years when it has reached its oil production peak.

Common Uses: Sandalwood Essential Oil is mainly used in perfumery, cosmetics, and aromatherapy. Australian Sandalwood Essential Oil is considered to have strong anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Flower waters, or hydrosols as aromatherapists call them, are the waters that emerge from the distillation of essential oils. These contain the lightest, wateriest parts of the plant's essence. All of my floral waters are free of emulsifying agents and preservatives.

Flower waters are extremely versatile. They can be used anywhere that water is required. They are an excellent linen spray, and a simple, safe way for the novice aromatherapist to enjoy the therapeutic benefits of essential oils.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons and photographer Vinayaraj.