How to Make Rose Water at Home

Learn How To Make Rose Water at Home to easily and economically enjoy roses in so many ways!

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How to preserve roses

Received roses for valentines day and want to preserve them? Preserve your roses with this easy recipe. Once you have it you’ll be mixing it into food and drinks, baking with it, spritz on your linens, using as a natural beauty product and more!

DIY rose water is my favorite technique for preserving the heady perfume of garden roses. Easy to make at home rose water has many uses. Ideal for making with preservative and cost-free blooms that would otherwise end up on the lawn as summer comes to and end.

Also perfect for sentimental recipients of Valentine’s day roses left wondering how to preserve their blooms but seeking an alternative to their teen days hanging bouquets to shrivel up and dry in the bedroom corner.

• Rose water is very cooling and soothing to skin and body.
• Naturally moisturizing
• The high concentration of polyphenols and other antioxidants in rose tea are shown be associated with improved memory,  good urinary tract and eye health, and overall healthy aging. Rose water’s regenerative properties have been shown to aid in wound healing and promote healthy cellular regeneration, even preventing and fighting both cancer and dementia and being scientifically proven to increase life span, of flies that is, but STILL it’s something!

How to use

• Spray directly onto skin as a moisturizing and refreshing facial mist. Or combine with witch hazel to make a redness-reducing and moisturizing rose water toner. Especially great straight out of the fridge to cool parched and sunned skin in warm weather.
• Rose water for hair – Rose water’s hydrating properties extend to your locks. Add some to your shampoo or make a diy hair perfume spray that hydrates and has relaxing aromatherapy properties.
• Rose water linen spray – Rose water is the perfect ingredient for a fragrant natural room spray perfect for spritzing pillows and other textiles and refreshing laundry.
• Rosewater for women – especially interesting is how beneficial roses are for woman in particular. Used for centuries to treat the symptoms of PMS rose water has also been proven to prevent and fight breast and cervical cancer specifically.
• Rose water cocktails and beverages – drink up to 2 cups daily in water, lemonade, tea, lattes and cocktails to experience the benefits of rose water from the inside out! It’s relaxing properties make rosewater an obvious addition in moon milk. And the light, delicate, floral flavor is great with gin.
• Rosewater for baking and cooking – the subtle rose flavor and smell is great for lightening spicy, heavy foods and flavoring baked goods. Homemade rose jam is next on my list of things to try.

How to make rose water

There are two basic techniques to make rose water, infusing and distilling. While both are easy to do at home the methods and the outcomes vary slightly.

• Distilling – submerge rose petals in water and simmer covered with a bowl in the center to catch the condensation droplets that fall (also called the steam method). Steam distilling produces a clear shelf stable rose “hydrosol”.
• Infusing – submerge rose petals in water and heat until color and fragrance infuses into the water (also called the heat or the simmer method). Hot water infusing produces a rose tea that is perishable and must be used quickly. But this method is quick and easy and has the added benefit of taking on the beautiful hue of the rose petals.

Ingredients

• Rose petals from fresh, fragrant roses. If producing rose water for culinary or beauty uses it is integral to use preservative-free blooms. Like those straight out of your, or a friend’s, garden. Grocery store and conventional purchased roses are fine for making linen spray. If picking your own roses it’s best to do it first thing in the morning when they’re most fragrant. Dried petals and rose powder can be substituted for fresh but it’s not ideal as the best results are from the freshest flowers. In order to produce a rose water that smells divine and has a vibrant pink hue I chose a mixture of super-fragrant David Austen white and pink roses from my garden . Please note, color is not important when distilling because it will always produce a clear liquid.

• Distilled water prevents pesticides and bacteria and is absolutely necessary for culinary and beauty use but not as important for fragrance and linen sprays. Can’t find distilled water or don’t want to buy it? To distill water at home boil filtered water and let it cool back down to room temperature.

Step by step instructions

1. Prepare rose petals. Choose fragrant, pesticide-free roses, remove petals discarding bulbs, leaves and stems. Rinse and pick over to remove any little critters or debris.
2. Add petals to large stockpot and cover with distilled water.
3. Heat over medium until just simmering. Then reduce to slightly below a simmer to steep. Pay careful attention to prevent boiling the water as too much heat will destroy the beneficial compounds of roses.
4. Strain through colander or wire mesh strainer when rose petals have lost most of their color. Push on the petals to remove as much liquid as possible. To make it a breeze to pour later strain directly into a spouted container.
5. Meanwhile, clean and sanitize glass jars and spray bottles then fill containers with rose water.
6. Refrigerate and use within one month. Or, freeze in ice cube trays to defrost and use within a year.
7. Enjoy!

Shelf life

The shelf life for infused rose water is pretty short and will keep at room temperature up to seven days, refrigerated up to a month and frozen for a year. Add a splash of vodka to increase the shelf life slightly. Rosewater is expired if it thickens up, changes color or smell, or has anything floating in it or takes on a funky smell. Use the distilling method for a longer shelf life.

How to Make Easy Infused Rose Water

Preserve beautiful roses and reap the scientifically proven health benefits at the same time with this easy recipe.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 6 cups

Author: Tristin Rieken

Ingredients

• 4 cups rose petals pesticide free, with bulbs, leaves and stems discarded.
• 6 cups distilled water

Instructions

• Prepare rose petals.  Rinse and pick over to remove any little critters or debris.
• Add petals to large stockpot and cover with distilled water.
• Heat over medium until just simmering. Then reduce to slightly below a simmer to steep. Pay careful attention to prevent boiling the water as too much heat will destroy the beneficial compounds of roses.
• Strain through colander or wire mesh strainer when rose petals have lost most of their color. Push on the petals to remove as much liquid as possible. 
• Pour into lidded glass jars and bottles. Will keep refrigerated up to a month.

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