How to Make Your Own Rosewater

The first time I encountered rosewater was at a local Indian cuisine restaurant. At the end of the meal, the waiter would bring a hot, damp white cloth so the customer could wipe their hands and face with it. One evening I asked the waiter what was the nice perfume smell coming from the cloth and he told me it was rosewater. I fell in love with it. I'm a frequent shopper at the local co-op (whole foods) store and natural health stores, so I see rosewater in bottles on the shelf all the time. I never paid too much attention to it until recently.

Rose as an essential oil is a perfect scent to use for aromatherapy because it helps with balancing the emotions and bringing more love into your life. Roses have always been associated with love anyway. On the other side of that coin, rosewater is great for the skin and in many countries is used in foods such as ice cream and candies. Rosewater is even used in special religious ceremonies around the world as well. (Source: Wikipedia)

I wasn't sure about using rosewater from a bottle just yet. Therefore, I can't comment on its quality as a bottled supplement in this piece. However, many times I've used dried and fresh rose buds and rose petals in my baths and realized how soft my skin was afterwards.

Rose-scented incenses are one of my personal favorites as well because I can feel my emotions balancing out and as stated previously, it brings more love out of the heart and into the surroundings of the individual.

Well, I've done some work in my kitchen to figure out how to make my own rosewater and I'd like to share that recipe with you here. It's very simple and you don't need a lot of ingredients to pull it off.

Rosewater Recipe

2 handfuls of dried or fresh rose buds and rose petals

4 cups of water

A few bottles or a large jar

Pour the water into a medium-sized saucepan. Throw in the rose buds and rose petals and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes. Strain the liquid into the jar or bottles and place into the refrigerator to cool. You can add a few extra rose petals into the liquid if you wish for extra rose scent. However, the rose scent is absolutely wonderful after simmering. You can store the rosewater in the refrigerator to keep it cool. Be sure to label the bottles or jar.

3 Ways to Use Rosewater

1 - Use it as a toner for your skin. However, please use caution when doing this and be sure rosewater is something you can use on your skin.

2 - Add ½ to 1 cup of rosewater into your bath for a soothing, relaxing healing bath.

3 - Pour a small amount into a potpourri pot with a lit tealight candle underneath and allow the aroma to disperse throughout your home.