Where Herbalism, Beauty, and Witchcraft Meet ...

(Music: "It All Feels Right" by Washed Out)

The first time I ever came across Florida Water was in an esoteric store in the city of Oaxaca, Mexico. At that time I had only a vague interest in witchcraft but the draw of the incense filled store drew me in. On the shelves I saw tarot cards, bags of herbs, candles, and bottles of different potions. Personally I have never been one to buy ready made spells and so I stored away the idea of making my own Florida Water for a later day.

About a year ago I began making my own florida water after a friend urged me to do so. I looked around online and found many, many recipes. I also learned a bit about the history of this formula. From natural skin care to ritual tool, florida water has been with us for centuries, literally! Over the hundreds of years the recipe has changed but some things stay the same like citrus peel, aromatic herbs, and a couple of spices that are always a part of the mix. When I recorded this short I used orange and lemon peel, fresh rosemary, mint, dried lavender, powdered cinnamon, cloves, and grain alcohol. In a month I will also add the distilled water and put this into spray bottles.

If you are interested in a more traditional florida water recipe, made a full-length video with the entire recipe which you can find here:

These days florida water is most well known as an element of Santeria and ritual cleansing. I have found it to be very effective as a spiritual cleanser and also use it to wash my counters and sprinkle over the threshold of my house ~ a bit of spiritual cleansing mixed with physical cleaning.

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