Its delicious scent of the Mediterranean immediately plunges us on vacation. Slightly sweet and very sunny, orange blossom distills its scent from the sour orange, a small shrub, on which it grows in the countries of southern Europe and especially in Spain, Italy and Morocco.
“Like all floral waters, orange blossom water is obtained by steam distillation, ”explains Didier Thevenin, director of training at Melvita. By passing through the flower, the vapor “captures” some of its volatile molecules. When it cools and condenses to return to the liquid state, the vapor then separates into two phases: on the surface the fatty phase, the essential oil, and at the bottom, the aqueous phase, the floral water which contains the olfactory molecules of the plant and a tiny part of its essential oil. This gives orange blossom water all its calming and regenerating virtues, which are valuable in both face and body care.
And if we often find orange blossom water in small blue bottles, it was originally to distinguish it from medicines, which herbalists stored in brown vials. Today, we know that this blue reflects UV rays, which allows the floral water, very fragile, to be sheltered from light intensity, and therefore to preserve its qualities.
A natural skin toner
Orange blossom water wakes up the epidermis and invigorates it. Softening, it helps rebalance dry skin, making it more supple and radiant. It would even prevent itching of sensitive skins. It can be used pure directly on the skin, unlike the too powerful essential oil.
In misting, in the morning to remove impurities from the skin after night and excess sebum.
In vaporization to set makeup in the morning and to perfect makeup removal in the evening.
In massage to promote absorption by the skin of a vegetable oil.
In scented water without alcohol in summer, or even as a restorative treatment after a long day in the sun. Some brands choose to replace the water in their formula with this lightly scented floral water rich in soothing active ingredients. In particular in shower gels which prevent drying out or in moisturizers for the skin.
A stimulant for hair and nails
In addition to this softening effect on the epidermis, Melvita laboratories have just demonstrated the affinity of orange blossom water with the hair fiber: “It would stimulate around twenty genes, responsible for good hair health and involved in the constitution of hair fibers, continues Didier Thevenin. It would even promote the nail regrowth. “
Results that can be inspired to adopt new hair habits. Already in Antiquity, neroli, another name for orange blossom and a symbol of purity, was used to make fragrant wreaths. Today, we can spray this floral water on the roots before styling. We gain even brighter lengths …
.
