Some people have rose bushes at their homes or in their neighborhoods. The flowers get picked and placed in a vase to beautify the living space, scenting the room with a lovely aroma. We’re not taking anything away from this, but seldom do people take advantage of the therapeutic properties of roses. One of the best ways to do this is by making natural rose-infused oil.
Rose Oil Fact: It takes tens of thousands of rose blossoms to yield about one ounce of rose essential oil. It is often expensive due to the high concentration, but you only need to add a few drops to a recipe to reap the benefits.
Rose may possibly be one of the most popular ingredient in skin care products, and it’s not just because they smell pretty. Rose blossoms contain a diverse mix of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and emollient properties that help to moisturize the skin. If you regularly experience dry skin, rose-infused oil helps to reduce redness, inflammation, and may even help control some cases of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Not enough benefits for you? That’s okay because they don’t end there. Recent studies have found that rose oil may help to relieve anxiety symptoms and depression in post-partum women. Combining rose oil with lavender essential oil can enhance this benefit.
Helpful Tip: It’s best to have silicone molds to make your lotion bars. When the soap finally hardens, the silicone mold makes it easy to pop the lotion bars out without damaging them.
How To Make Rose-Infused Oil
Ingredients:
- 1 cup rose petals
- 1 cup carrier oil of your choice (olive oil or jojoba oil are great options)
Instructions:
- Bring a couple inches of water in a saucepan to a boil and then remove it from the heat.
- Pour one cup of carrier oil in a glass jar. Crush one cup of rose petals with your hands before adding them to the jar with the oil. Swirl the jar, but don’t shake it.
- Cover the jar and place it in the saucepan with the hot water. This helps to release the aromatics from the rose petals.
- Once the water cools, remove the jar and place in a sunny windowsill for at least 24 hours.
- Strain the oil through a cheesecloth, pressing the petals to get out as much oil as possible. Pour the strained oil into a dark bottle with a lid to help keep out the sunlight. Store in a cool, dry place.
Rose Lotion Bars
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup rose-infused oil
- ¼ cup organic beeswax
- ¼ cup organic Shea butter
- 3 drops geranium essential oil
Instructions:
- Add oil, beeswax, and Shea butter to a heat-safe glass jar and set this jar in a saucepan filled with a few inches of water. This is your makeshift double boiler.
- Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and warm until the beeswax and butter have melted.
- Once they have melted, carefully remove the jar from the saucepan and let it cool for a couple minutes. Stir in the essential oil until everything is well combined.
- Pour the mixture into a heatproof silicone mold and let it cool until the lotion bars are completely hardened.
- Pop them out of the molds once they have hardened and store in metal tins in a cool, dry place. Rub on dry skin to moisturize as needed.
