Rose water has been a prized beauty aid and perfume for more than a thousand years. To make rose water, rose petals are infused in water and sometimes a little alcohol is added to help retain the perfume. The technique originally came from the Arabs, who used rose water very liberally to scent their surroundings and also themselves.

Rose water was sprinkled on floors and carpets and also added to washing water  and even into decorative water features in courtyards and reception rooms. It is very mild and ideal  for use as a gentle astringent, even on sensitive skins. However, it should be avoided during pregnancy.

On a personal note: I like to use rose water to spray on my body when I need to refresh myself. I also spray it in the room for a natural air freshener too. Other people use it as a toner or astringent on their skin, as a hair de-tangler, or even in their lotions and creams to give it that extra scent or when making their own beauty products. There are numerous uses for rose water. If you are interested in learning more about rose water and its uses, I would definitely do a search on the internet for for that information.

Rose Water for Natural Body Care:

1 cup organic fresh or dried rose petals

1 cup distilled water (grocery store)

1 cup witch hazel (preferably with no alcohol content)

1 tbsp calendula flowers

1 tbsp lavender flowers

Spring water and spray bottle

Combine distilled water with witch hazel. In an airtight container, add organic roses, lavender and calendula. Pour liquid mixture over flowers to cover. Seal container and allow to ferment for 2-3 weeks in a cool, dark place. After fermentation, separate flowers from mixture by pouring through cheesecloth into a bowl. Rose water should be 1/3 part rose mixture to 2/3 part spring water. Pour into a spray bottle and use to refresh the skin.

If you’d like to cheat on this recipe, you can use this shortcut:

Rose Water Body Splash

Ingredients:

3 tbsp rose water (health food store or online)

1 tbsp witch hazel (preferably with no alcohol content)

Mix together and keep in the fridge. Splash onto your body after a bath to tone and refresh your skin.

Here is another Rose Water recipe using Vodka:

2 cups distilled water (grocery store-much cheaper)

1/4 cup vodka

10 drops rose oil

1/2 cup fresh, deep-red rose petals

Measure the distilled water into a thoroughly-cleaned mixing bottle. Add the vodka. Mix in the flowers so that they are completely wet. Add the oil.

Let the mixture stand in a covered bottle in a cool, dark place for one week to allow the scent to age. If you like, you can leave the petals in the mixture for a pretty visual effect.

Buying rose water already made in the health foods store or online is not always in your best interest if it has ingredients in it that are not any better for you than buying perfume with preservatives in them. Homemade is always better. Buying from the store is always questionable, and making sure you are controlling the ingredients is always the BEST way to do anything and everything.

Right now, because the ingredients are not required to be listed on beauty products, you never know what you are actually putting on your skin. There are no label laws at the present and many people do not know this. Even so called “organic” products are labeled organic but were tested and found to not be any more organic than buying from the Dollar store, so you have to take time out to do your homework on discerning what products are safe and healthy. One way of knowing if something is “officially” organic is with the green seal USDA ORGANIC on the label. This seal means that the product has gone through rigid and thorough testing, costing the companies who put out the product, thousands of dollars to be considered truly organic. If you don’t see that ROUND GREEN SEAL with the words USDA ORGANIC, don’t bet on that product being actually organic. As with everything in life, buying beauty products are a gamble in terms of who or what you can trust for your safety. There are a lot of greedy companies out there who do not have your best interest at heart and will lie on the label.

On the same note, there are numerous small beauty product companies who cannot afford the USDA ORGANIC SEAL (because of the cost and time involved) but who do use quality ingredients which are natural and non toxic without the use of petroleum ingredients. Again, you have to discern, get to know the companies, ask others what they use to determine the products that are truly safe to use. Your safest bet of all is to use food from the refrigerator-organic fruits, sugars and oils for your facial masks, skin exfoliators, moisturizers, etc. You can do so much with just an avocado, lemon, salt, sugar and coconut oil alone.

USDA Organic Seal-what to look for on beauty products