Once again roses are the center of attention, and how not with their prickly personalities and alluring scent? If you asked me, it sounds like the perfect date IMHO.
As you may already know, I’m pretty obsessed with roses not only for their beauty or their lovely aroma, but for their medicine. That’s right, the seemingly delicate rose (and truly they are underneath all the thorns) is one of the most powerful herbal allies one can enlist. There is hardly any skin condition that can survive the healing touch of rose.
One can ease their heavy hearts or slow a racing pulse with a dropper of tincture. A swipe of rose vinegar can pull heat from sunburn; a smear of rose jam can bring a sense of wellbeing to anyone who eats it. Rose infused honey is a joy to add to teas, pastries, or even straight off the spoon!
Rose is unique in that it’s awfully good at what it does, no matter the application.
One of my favorite ways to use rose is by spritzing rose water all over my skin. It has been amazing for controlling acne breakouts!
Used for thousands of years as a youthful skin tonic, rose water boasts some amazing benefits.
Rose water is good for:
• Tightening pores
• Smoothing fine lines and wrinkles
• Balancing the acid mantle (skin’s PH)
• Slowing the aging process
• Freshens the complexion
• Calming the senses
It is very important to make sure you source high quality roses. I strictly get my dried rose petals from Mountainroseherbs.com as their quality is second to none. The fragrance is strong and the color pay off in beauty recipes is often a rich ruby hue. Their roses are not treated with chemicals and are harvested at just the right time for the highest potency.
Fresh petals are of course a delight when you can find them; just make sure they are not sprayed with pesticides. Harvest the fresh roses in the morning when they are most fragrant and make rose water as soon as you can for best results. I particularly love wild roses when I’m lucky enough to come across them.
There are two ways to make rose water; the hydrosol method and the basic method. I will be teaching you the basic method in this post, but if you would like to learn how to make a rose hydrosol (which is clear in color) then check out my post on how to make it.
How to Make Rose Water – Quick and Easy
Making rose water is super simple. It only takes minutes to make a beautiful tonic for the skin that can be used as much as you desire. Don’t miss my video tutorial below!
Here’s What You’ll Need:
• Spring water
• Dried red rose petals
• A funnel
• A glass bowl
• A nut milk bag
• A spray bottle
Loving Preparation- How to Make Rose Water
• In a small clean pot, bring the spring water to a boil (I measured a little more water than would fit in my 4oz spray bottle)
• Next, add in a handful of dried red rose petals (you can use fresh but make sure they are fragrant and not sprayed with chemicals)
• Cover the pot and gently simmer the rose petals until they lose their color
• Turn off the heat and let the rose water cool completely
• Once cool, strain the rose water in the nut milk bag in the glass bowl
• Pour the strained rose water into a spritzer bottle
• Use daily and often! Will keep for 7 days at room temperature or up to a month in the fridge
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Rose Water Video Tutorial
How to Use Rose Water
I often use rose water as a toner for my sensitive acne prone skin. Not only does it help balance my skin’s PH, it also soothes redness and calms inflammation. Pop it in the fridge for an hour before use on hot days for a refreshing and cooling spray.
One of my favorite routines is to cleanse my skin, pat it dry, liberally spritz on rose water, then apply my favorite rosehip serum. My skin feels supple and amazing!
I have also used this spritz all over my body after a shower to keep skin fresh and smooth. It’s really amazing in the summer months too as an all over refreshing mist that helps restore balance during hot muggy days.
During the winter, using rose water helps keep your skin from drying out too much when the weather is cold and dry.
You can also add rose water as a base for many homemade body care lotions and creams for added benefits.
How Long Does Fresh Rose Water Last? Plus a Few More Fun Uses
If kept in the fridge, fresh rose water can last about 2 weeks. If kept in the bathroom, it might last 1 week. If you end up with more rose water then you can use, try adding it to your bath or freezing it in an ice cube tray for later use. It makes for an amazing sunburn remedy. Try soaking a few cotton rounds with it and freezing them to use for undereye circles. It’s really refreshing and help depute and lighten the undereye area. You can also use the rose water ice cubes for soothing inflamed acne as well.
What have been your favorite uses for rose water? Please let me know in the comments!
More rose articles:
Rose Infused Witch Hazel
Raspberry Rose Liqueur- A Romance in Photos
Rejuvenating Matcha and Rose Face Mask
How to Make Sweet Rose London Fog Tea
Facial Oils not Working out for You? Rose Water can Help!
The Benefits of Rose Water
