How to Make Rosewater at Home

Author:

Thelma has lived and worked for almost three years in the Republic of Ireland as a spa wellness massage therapist.

It's easy to make rosewater facial toner at home.
Thelma Alberts (aka thellyscucina)

Rosewater is one of the beauty products available in drugstores and beauty shops here in Germany. I can buy it online, but as I am prone to allergic reactions using any product, I am cautious. Whenever I can, I make my own beauty treatments like this rosewater facial toner that I have made from the roses in my friend's garden, which I happily harvested last summer.

You can follow my step-by-step guide on how I make my organic rosewater facial toner at home. It is very easy to make; all I need is organic roses and distilled water. Making my own rosewater is not only easy, but it's also affordable.

“Rose never propagandize its fragrant, but its own fragrance spreads surrounding.”

— Sukarno

Gorgeous organically grown red rose.
Thelma Alberts (aka thelme55)

Ingredients and Items Needed

4–6 fresh red fragrant roses, depending on how big they are
2–3 cups of distilled water
cooking pot
kitchen paper, if needed
strainer
ladle
3–4, 50ml–100ml spray bottles for storing the rosewater

Step-By-Step Instructions

Remove the petals from the roses.
Wash the petals in the sink with flowing tap water.
Swirl the water around to make sure you get rid of any insects.
Use a strainer to drain them well.
Put the drained rose petals in a cooking pot.
Add two to three cups of distilled water, making sure the roses are covered.
Simmer the rose petals on medium heat for about half an hour or until the color of the rose petals changes to pale pink.
Use a strainer to separate the pale-colored petals from the rosewater and discard the petals.
Let it cool.
Pour the rosewater into glass or plastic jars for storing.
Store in a cool, dry place or refrigerate for later use.
This recipe is good for 3–4 50ml bottles.

Rose petals to be filled with distilled water.

Simmering rose petals and distilled water mixture.

Separating the used rose petals from the rosewater.

Rosewater filled in the spray bottles ready to be used.

Washing the rose petals.

Best Roses for Making Rosewater


Types of Roses	Color	Origin
Cabbage Rose	Dark red, red and pink	Originated and first developed by a Dutch nursery in the 16th century.
Damask Rose	Dark red, red and pink	India, Bulgaria and Persia
French Rose or Gallic Rose	Dark red, red and pink	Southern and Central Europe

“You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will, but the scent of the roses will hang round it still.”

— Thomas Moore

Tips:

Use organic, fresh roses for making rosewater. Of course, you can use your own garden roses if they're grown without pesticides.
You can use dried roses as long as they were not grown with chemicals or pesticides.
Keep the homemade rosewater in a cool and dark place or in the fridge so it will last longer than a month.

Uses for Homemade Rosewater

Facial Toner: Use rosewater as a facial toner after cleansing your face before putting on facial cream. You can do this both in the morning and at night.
Body or Facial Spray: Spritz rosewater on your face. It is great for keeping you fresh and moisturized, especially in the summertime. It's also soothing for the skin.
Room Spray or Air Freshener: Refresh and deodorize any room by spraying it in the air.
Linen Spray: Spray bed linens to keep them fresh and fragrant.
Mouthwash: Swish rosewater as an alternative to mouthwash.
Luxury Bath: Add rosewater to your bath for both the fragrance and your skin.
Cooking: Use rosewater as a flavoring in desserts and other dishes.
Laundry: Add some rosewater to your iron. It will make your clothes smell amazing as you iron them. Just be careful of transferring the color to light-colored clothing.
Skincare: Add rosewater to any face mask, cold cream or cleanser.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rose_water

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.