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Queen of Hungary Water Astringent
posted by Annie B. Bond May 8, 2007 12:00 am
Sarah, WA asks:
Do you know of a recipe for an alcohol-free skin toner and astringent? After reading labels, I’ve felt discouraged about finding a good plant-based product.
Annie:
Do I ever! Queen of Hungary Water is a wonderful astringent herbal vinegar. The fall is a wonderful time of year to make this, too, as it makes holiday gifts worth their weight in gold. Homemade soap and Queen of Hungary Water are two of my favorite gifts to make before Halloween because both improve and mellow with a few months of aging.
Gypsies first formulated Queen of Hungary Water, and I have seen many variations of this used as an herbal remedy, a beauty formula for the skin, and even as a disinfectant called The Vinegar of the Four Thieves (from the time of the plague in the 14th century, when perfumers robbed the dead and survived by protecting themselves with the powerfully antibacterial herbs used in the formula).
Herbal vinegars heal and soften the skin because vinegar is a fruit acid known as an alpha hydroxy acid; it works to exfoliate the skin, thereby allowing the body's natural emollient oils to reach and moisturize the surface skin. Herbs add nourishment and medicinal properties.
Here is a variation of a recipe by herbalist Rosemary Gladstar. For gifts, bottle in colored glass jars.
- 6 small handfuls lemon balm
- 5 small handfuls calendula flowers
- 4 small handfuls rose petals
- 3 small handfuls comfrey
- 1 small handful each rosemary, lemon peel, and sage
- organic apple cider vinegar, as needed
- rose water or witch hazel extract, as needed
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3 comments
add your comment »I LOVE Queen of Hungary Water! I've studied Rosemary's course on herbalism and made this during my apprenticeship.
I wash my face with a cleansing lotion, cream, cleansing grains or plain warm wet wash cloth. The natural acids in the apple cider vinegar are hydroxy acids and exfoliate the skin as you are using it. The cotton ball comes out gray, it's the dead skin cells on it. My face feels so soft after using it. I make my own facial oil serum and apply that after wards. My face has never felt so soft!
I take 1 cup of the Q.o.H. vinegar and add 1/2 cup of rosewater and 1/2 cup of aloe vera to the mixture. I'm macerating a batch for my son right now and plan to use 1/2 cup each of witch hazel and aloe for him since he has bad acne.
I also bath in apple cider vinegar as well. I take 50% ACV and 50% water, then dissolve about 3 Tbs of epsom salts in the mixture and rub my body down with a loofa or other natural sponge. My skin has never been so smooth and soft. Since using this, I have given up using soap anywhere on my body. Not using soap is leaving the natural oils on my skin to keep it moisturized, and since the skin prefers an acidic state, it keeps my skin from itching as well. The acids in the vinegar exfoliate dead skin from my body, the knees, elbows, even the feet. Not to mention, I don't get underarm odor because the soap was creating an alkaline environment for the bacteria that feed off of the sweat and doesn't get a chance to grow in the acidic environm
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is witch hazel extract the same as witch hazel? i believe witch hazel contains alcohol, so it should probably not be used if you are trying to make an alcohol-free formula.
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San Francisco Herb Company sells many of these ingredients. They are a wonderful company to deal with. Their stuff is top quality and they freely give directions for making many things. I highly recommend them.
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