The Queen of Hungary's water

I found a lot of recipes for the Queen of Hungary's water.  The recipes are all pretty different and after reading about it trying to find the correct recipe I discovered that originally it was probably a distillation of Rosemary in Brandy and that it dates from the late 14th century.  It has since been added to and modified to include various herbs such as sage, mint, rose, chamomile, lemon balm, calendula and lemon peel.  The Hungary water is both a cosmetic and a herbal remedy, reputedly curing all sorts of ailments.  My interest is to use it as a toner.  I love to use toner on my skin, even if I read somewhere that they are useless.  I don't care.  So I thought I'd make my own Hungary water.

One common recipe for Hungary water is widely attributed to Rosemary Gladstar on the internet.  She has been called the godmother of American Herbalism and she has written many books.  This is her recipe for the Queen of Hungary's water and I used that as a base for mine.  She uses vinegar instead of alcohol and I think that suits me well.  I've been interested in using vinegar based toner for a while, but haven't done anything about it.  Although, of course, it is the easiest thing to do.

6 parts lemon balm
4 parts chamomile
4 parts roses
3 parts calendula
3 parts comfrey leaf
1 part lemon peel
1 part rosemary
1 part sage
Vinegar to cover (apple cider or wine vinegar)
Rose water or witch hazel extract
Essential oil of lavender or rose (optional)

Place the herbs in a widemouthed jar. Fill the jar with enough vinegar so that it rises an inch or two above the herb mixture. Cover tightly and let it sit in a warm spot for 2 to 3 weeks. Strain out the herbs. To each cup of herbal vinegar, add 2/3 to 1 cup of rose water or witch hazel. Add a drop or two of essential oil, if desired. Rebottle. This product does not need to be refrigerated and will keep indefinitely.

My own version of this depended on my ability to find the ingredients fresh and free.  I wanted to use only plants that I either grew myself or picked from nature myself.

So my version is here:  I put in the fresh herbs in this order.  I did cheat a bit and used dried lavender from the store since I had just killed my plant (with kindness, you understand).  I didn't measure the amounts, but I guess there was more roses and calendula than the others.

Roses
Calendula
Comfrey
Yarrow
May Seaweed (our local Chamomile)
Sage
Lavender
Mint
Calendula
Roses

These were stuffed into a large jar (it looked really pretty) and I poured 300 ml. of white vine vinegar and 300 ml. apple vinegars.  This sat in a jar for quite a few weeks until I strained it.  I then diluted it, like instructed, with Witch hazel and Rosewater.

The resulting toner smells of vinegar and herbs.  I don't mind the smell at all.  I've gotten very used to the smell of vinegar, since I use it a lot in cleaning.  The toner really works well for me.  I use it to wipe away my makeup and it does a great job of it.  I then use some infused oil, I love the green Achillea millefolium oil and also the Rose oil that I infused this summer.  It makes for a rather shiny face at night, but also very soft skin.  I also use the oils under my makeup in the mornings.

I had planned elaborate Christmas presents for the women of the family with this toner and face oil (in a serum type bottle), some face cream maybe and a lovely soap, sugar scrub, bath bomb and body bar - all in delicious scent blends, but you know how it is.  Maybe next year I'll start early enough.

Green Clean

Before I started making soap I started to make my own cleaners. I hate, hate, hate the horrible smell and fumes of the stuff that is sold in grocery stores. So I started to experiment with natural cleaners and haven't looked back since.

My basic one that I use for weekly cleaning of just about every surface of the house is simply vinegar, water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. I usually do a 50:50 mix of 4-5% white vinegar and water (less vinegar if I'm using 15%). It's perfect for mild cleaning and the vinegar (I happen to love the smell of that) makes everything smell fresh. Although you can't smell it at all after it evaporates. I sometimes put in a bit of lemon juice for the nice smell and it is also an acid (like the vinegar) that cuts grease really well.

I also use a simple recipe for my untreated wooden floors. It's vinegar and oil. Yes I know, most people call that salad dressing, but it is great as a cleaner and conditioner of wooden floors. Just shake, spray and wipe.

The varnished parquet floors also get treated with vinegar. This time a very weak soapy solution with a cup of vinegar. Makes the varnish shine, shine, shine! I just love vinegar. It has so many uses. It's great as a hair rinse, although I usually can't be bothered. I use it in the dishwasher for the rinse to make sure the glasses are sparkly. I also use it in the washer for the rinse cycle.

And for those who need a quick furniture polish, olive oil with lemon juice works a treat.

The photo: A mixture of vinegar, water, lemon juice and a drop or two of detergent are my favorite cleaning fluid.  I have this great spray bottle that I reused. I'm looking for a pretty spray bottle, anyone?