What’s blooming here on the hill? Roses! Making our own DIY rose oil & rose water is how we harness this intoxicating blooms scent for use throughout the year. After all, who doesn’t love the aroma of roses?
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How many times do I stop in the midst of my outdoor chores to smell the roses? Literally. Smell them. Take a moment, stop, and inhale their beauty? If you asked me that question I would answer, often! When my roses are in bloom, they are a draw to my senses.
The problem with roses is that they are fleeting. How can we capture all that delicate beauty & aromatherapy that roses have to offer? By creating an infused oil or water preparation that is simple to make.
“The world is a rose, smell it, and pass it to your friends.”
persian proverb
Will your homemade diy rose oil be as potent as those expensive store-bought options? Not likely. This is not a rose essential oil. But will it be a delicately scented rose oil? Yes.
DIY ROSE OIL VS ROSE ESSENTIAL OIL
To understand the differences between a diy rose oil and rose essential oil, we first need to understand what essential oil is.
Essential oils are derived by distilling plant parts (flowers, leaves, roots, & other parts) into oil. This process is far beyond the capability of most home diy’ers unless expensive equipment is purchased.
Used for centuries for their medicinal properties, essential oils have recently made a comeback for their aromatherapy benefits, and this is what we are aiming for.
HOW MANY ROSES DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE ROSE OIL
Rose essential oil is extremely expensive to purchase. Why? Because it takes only certain rose varieties to make (damask, cabbage, & the white rose of York) … and a lot of them. According to dO-Terra, a popular essential oil company that most are familiar with, it takes a ton. Literally 🙂
“It requires about 242,000 rose petals to distill approximately 5 mL of rose oil. It requires 6,000 pounds of melissa plant to distill just a single pound of melissa essential oil.”
doterra
Although diy rose oil will not carry the therapeautic, medicinal qualities of the essential oils, it will carry a mild rose scent, great for capturing the aromatherapy of the rose.
CAN YOU MAKE ROSE OIL WITH DRIED ROSE PETALS
In a nutshell, yes. You can make diy rose oil using dried rose petals. Will it be as potent a scent? I don’t believe so. When blossoms are dried much of their scent & oils are dried as well, leaving an even more faded scent behind.
We recommend using fresh for making your infused oil, capturing its scent at its highest point, & harnessing the petals natural oils to boot.
USES FOR DRIED ROSE PETALS
If you hate to see anything go to waste during the growing season like us, gather those rose petals as the bloom fades, dry them by simply laying them out on a screen or use a dehydrator, and put them to use.
Here are a few ideas of what to do with organic dried rose petals.
- Homemade Potpourri
- Add To Relaxing Bath
- Create Sachets
- In Lieu Of Rice At Weddings
- Add To Homemade Paper
- Decorate Cakes & Cupcakes
HOW TO MAKE DIY ROSE OIL & ROSE WATER
When it comes to making your diy rose oil you have several options. The quick method or the slow. Both are easy to do & will result in a mildly aromatic oil that is beneficial.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED
As with any project, your end result will only be as good as the ingredients or supplies you use. DIY rose oil is no different. Anyone who knows IMSL knows that we are strong proponents of living an organic & sustainable lifestyle. So when choosing your ingredients, we strongly feel organic is best.
When making your own personal care products such as our lotions, oils, toothpastes, deodorants, & infusions, only the finest organic ingredients will do. Choose your products & supplies wisely. Your body & the earth will thank you.
To make your own infused rose oil you will need the following:
- Rose Petals – Use only the most fragrant petals from roses that have been sorced without harmful pesticides & herbicides. Remember, this oil will be used directly on the skin
- Oil – Choose a mild or no scent oil. You want the delicate rose scent to come through, not that of the oil itself. We love jojoba & sweet almond oil combination, but grapeseed oil is a wonderful option as well
- Jar
- Pot or Double Boiler (should you choose the quick method)
HARVESTING ROSE PETALS
To harvest we recommend picking the rose blooms in the morning once the dew has dried. Remove any unwanted visitors, or debris from the bloom.
Should you be blessed and have access to freshly grown, rose petals, ones with no harsh chemicals used, harvest away!
Remove the petals, one-by-one, and gently pat dry. The petals are now ready for use in your diy rose oil.
DIY ROSE OIL – COLD METHOD
Some things just get better with age. DIY rose oil is no exception. We love to make our infused oils via the cold method, or a sun method. If you have 4 weeks time, cold maceration is an option.
For the slow method, simply take your petals, slightly crush to release the natural oils, and place them into a jar of choice. Cover the petals with oil & place a cover on the jar. Store the jar in a bright or direct sun location for 3-4 weeks, gently shaking the jar every few days. Strain the petals from the oil using either cloth or cheesecloth, leaving only the pure, scented oil for use.
DIY ROSE OIL – HEAT METHOD
Looking for a faster option? Use the heat method for extracting beneficials from the rose. Using a double boiler your rose oil will be complete within a matter of hours.
Place the slightly crushed rose petals into a jar, cover with oil & place in a double boiler (you could also utilize a slow cooker). Bring to a slow simmer. Heat the mixture to about 125 F to 140 F (50-60 degrees celsius) and continue to heat slowly for 5-6 hour time period. Remove the oil from the petals, place fresh petals into the oil and repeat the heating process once again.
Complete this process 3 to 5 times to fully release the roses benefits, or until the desired scent & color of your oil is achieved.
We recommend letting the oil & petal mixture remain intact for several days after using the heat method to further intensify in scent. Strain one last final time & your oil is now ready.
DIY ROSE WATER
Not looking to make an infused oil? Rose water is another option that is easy & quick. To make, simply place your petals as in the previous methods into a jar & cover with boiling water. You will need approximately one part rose petals to two parts water.
Another option is to make a rose hydrosol (aromatic water). Keep a look out for an upcoming article on how to do just that!
Strain when water has cooled, resulting in a very mildly scented, less potent water which can be used in cooking as well as a refreshing spritzer for the face. Store in the refrigerator for up to one month.
HOW TO STORE DIY ROSE OIL
As with all our beauty & personal care products we make here on the hill, we recommend storing in a darkly colored jar in a dark area (light & sunlight will quickly degrade the product) for best results.
USES FOR DIY ROSE OIL
You now have a scented oil ready for use. How do you use it? Here are a few options of how to use directly or to add to your homemade products…
- Massage Oil
- Lotions
- Face Serum (recipe coming soon!)
- Balms
- Soaps
- Bath Bombs
- Foot Soaks
- Baked Goods
- Aromatherapy
- Perfume
BENEFITS OF DIY ROSE OIL
Due to the stunning scent of roses, the oil derived from them works in a multitude of ways, satisfying the senses on many levels.
Rose oil & rose water help with all things skin related. Used by Cleopatra herself for its beautifying benefits, rose is known to improve skin tone, calm irritated skin, moisturize, and help keep a youthful glow.
Added to our homemade products, rose is a welcomed, beneficial ingredient. One that my face will love.
Give it a try! We would love to hear from you! Join our conversation below & be sure to follow IMSL on all social media platforms.
Love, Light, & Laughter ~
39 comments
I love the homemade version of this post’s items!!! I’ve made rosehip tea, but not anything else with roses. I do remember as a kid, making a rose “concoction”, I’m not sure what my sister and I did with it, but it was fun.
What a great memory!
I didn’t realise this was something we could do at home!, Suzan! I adore rose anything, so I found this post really interesting. I’m trying to make our roses organic, but we struggle with pests. Thank you so much for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party Community!
I only have one small rose bush, otherwise this would be a fun project! The scent of roses makes me think of my maternal grandmother who loved rose water.
I am definitely pinning this idea for later and I am happy to feature you today at TFT! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve always loved the smell of roses. I remember at a perfume factory near Nice we did a smell test on all of the basic perfume scents and rose was one of only two or three that I was able to guess.
This is awesome! We never thought about something like this. We will give it a try.
I wish we had a bathtub in our house (shower only) as I would love to use this when soaking in the tub 🙂
This was such an interesting read! That’s crazy how many rose petals it takes and it totally explains the cost!
I haven’t smelled rose oil before so this really piqued my interest. Interesting to know how many roses you need to make rose oil. No wonder it’s expensive! I have said this before you always taught us about sustainable living. Another great post!
My grandmother always had a bottle of glycerin and rose petals on the kitchen window shelf and in the bathroom. She was from Denmark and said that ‘Fine ladies’ always had soft hands. She simply smashed fresh rosepetals and rosehips in a tiny bag and made an infusion. After the glycerin was scented, she removed the bag, added a single small clipped rose to the bottle, and that was what we used for our hands.
What another wonderful memory & way to capture the scent! Thank you for sharing it!
I LoVE the smell of roses, definitely going to have to try this!
This is on my agenda for the weekend. Love rose oil!
Roses smell so wondrous!
Wow! I had no idea it took that many rose petals just to make a little vial of oil!!!!
I’ll have to remember this next year! I have a rose bush that I don’t know how I have kept it alive the last 18 years, but each early summer blooms so pretty – would love to capture the petals and try this!
Sounds like something worth trying!
I never knew so many roses/rose petals went into making the essential oils that I buy. That’s crazy!
Thanks for the idea! This is creative and absolutely gorgeous!
I never thought about doing something like this. Wow! I love it!
Great information, I love rose water and oil!
What a fantastic way to extend the life of one of nature’s true beauties. Thank you for sharing your method.
Wow, that it a lot of rose petals! I was not familiar with all the different roses either. I wonder what kind I have in my yard.
What a great project. I use to love all the roses my neighbor had when I was a kid. They probably had enough to make essential oil 🙂
I loved everything roses as a kid. We had them all over our yard. My grandmother always had rose water. Thanks for the recipe!
I can’t wait to try this! I looooove rose oil and never considered that it would be able to make it myself!
I love this because I love the scent of rose and as a former YL distributor, I was only able to buy the EO one time. I love the idea of rose oil and rose water because it’s so heavenly!!
Oh wow, I love this. We plan to plant lots of rose bushes at our next house. I will need to remember this. I love the smell of roses. It’s so relaxing and therapeutic.
Beautiful roses and thanks for sharing this idea. Although my knock out roses won’t work! Lol
I love the smell of rose oil! I will have to try this over the summer! Thank you!
Thank you for helping me learn a lot of new information today.
I always wondered why rose essential oil was so expensive! I do love the smell of roses though. I have wild roses that grow in my yard and garden. This would be a great way to make use of their petals. Rose water is amazing. My only question is do you think the slow method of letting it sit in the cupboard for 4 weeks would grow bacteria? I would really like to try this.
Yes, you are absolutely correct Ramae! I meant to update the post to placing in direct sunlight for a “heated” cold maceration. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
Thanks for the great ideas – I love roses and had not even considered all the things that could be done with them.
I love your posts! I pinned this one for later. I love the idea of having the smell of roses year-round. Thank you!
Thank you so much! I cant wait to try your formula for the rose oil, I have a full garden of organic roses!
Interesting post! Amazing that it takes almost 250,000 rose petals to make 5 ml. Thanks so much for linking up with me at my #UnlimitedMonthlyLinkParty 14, open until July 26. All party entries shared if social media buttons installed.
Another fun read. And the amount of rose petals needed for 5 ml…..! That was impressive. But love the smell and can see how this would be a great project. Thanks for the information.