Rose water has been used in cosmetics for centuries. It was probably the first luxury product women began to use, especially in the middle east. It can also be used in cooking, but I haven't gotten that far yet. It is an antioxidant, can be used on all skin types, will fight both acne and dry skin and in the middle of the summer it is a refreshing toner.
You will need fresh untreated with chemicals rose petals pulled off the stems. Rinse the petals and place in a large pot. Cover with distilled water just to cover and simmer on low until the petals loose their color, about an hour. Strain and bottle. I boiled my first batch hard at first and it turned into an ugly brown color. If you have just a small amount keep it in the refrigerator. If you made a large batch add 1 tsp of Vitamin E per cup to preserve it. You can add a couple of drops of rose oil if you want it to smell rosier. Some one asked me, and yes you must use distilled water in any cosmetic product that will last more than a few days. Municipal water systems are full of chemicals and contaminates that will make the product spoil in a few days, doesn't that make you feel good about drinking water from the tap?
Recipes are all over the internet but I like just saturating a cotton pad with the water and rubbing it all over my face. You can also mix it half and half with witch hazel for a toner for normal to oily skin. For really dry skin I would mix it with a little distilled water and add some jojoba, apricot or palm oil.
I'll let you know how the experiment progresses, but so far so good.
PRODUCT UPDATE:
After ten days of sitting refrigerated the water had mold in itYUCK. For now just make a small batch and keep it in the frig. As soon as I can find a better preservative I'll update the post.
No comments:
Post a Comment