Homemade Rose Water Recipe

With roses in full bloom now is a great time to start making your own natural homemade rose water recipe. Rose water is wonderful for all skin types which makes it well suited for incorporating into beauty and skin care recipes. Or you can simply use it as a fragrant mist for your home or a laundry freshener. There are many different ways to make rose water and in end it’s up to you to choose what works best for you based on the end result you’re looking for.

For my homemade rose water recipe I picked fresh rose buds and blooms that were free of insect damage and filled a 12 oz. mason jar with the petals. I then covered completely with distilled water and a teaspoon of vodka and tightly closed the container.

Like tea, you can either bring the water to a boil and pour over the rose petals – though you don’t want to heat the petals for too long as they’ll lose their fragrance – or “cold brew” your petals by leaving them in the jar for anywhere from two days to two weeks before straining the petals from the water with cheesecloth.

The vodka, as well, is optional. I chose to use a bit to help better preserve the rose water as I’ll be using this batch for a rose water toner.

In a second container, I combined white rose petals with dried lavender buds in distilled water only for a different fragrance. Keep in mind however, that lavender blossoms will turn the water slightly brown just as it does melt and pour soap, so you may not want to use this water as a linen spray.

Once you’ve made your own homemade rose water put it to use! Rose water on it’s own is a wonderful skin toner. Simply place it into a glass jar with a mister and spray on your face after you wash it and before applying moisturizer.

You can also use rose water to make homemade lotions and creams by substituting the water portion of the recipe with floral water. (Be sure to use a preservative for all of your lotion recipes that contain water to prevent bacterial growth, or refrigerate and use within several days!)

Alternately you can use the rose water in lieu of the water called for when making handmilled soaps!

Here are a few recipes you can try: Homemade Rose & Ylang Ylang Body Cream Recipe, Natural Night Cream Recipe, Handmilled Aloe Soap Balls Recipe, and a Sensuous Scented Sheet Spray Recipe. You can find even more beauty recipes via my DIY Bath and Body board on Pinterest.

Also be sure to check out these other recipe variations for homemade flower water to create your own perfect product! Or learn how to make rose water using the steam distillation method. Find that tutorial here.

Prefer to purchase your rose water instead? Mountain Rose Herbs has a fabulous collection of flower waters that includes calendula, rosemary, rose, basil, lemon verbena and more!