This Rose Water Astringent is luxurious and simple to make. The sweet delicately floral scent of roses offers mood boosting aromatherapy plus face toning benefits together in one recipe.
Rose Water Astringent Ingredients
- 2 cups of rose petals – organically grown, with no exposure to pesticides or harsh chemicals – gently rinsed
- 1 cup of vodka or everclear
- 1 cup of witch hazel
- 40 drops of rose geranium or palmarosa essential oil
- 1 large glass mason jar with a sealing lid
Rose Water Astringent Instructions
- Dry the gently rinsed rose petals by lying them out on a towel for a few hours.
- Once completely dry, then add the petals to the large glass mason jar.
- Then, cover in vodka.
- Next, close the lid and place the jar on a window sill for about 2 weeks, shaking about once a day.
- After two weeks, strain out the rose petals using cheesecloth or a coffee filter.
- Next, discard the petals and keep the rose vodka.
- Then, add 40 drops of geranium essential oil to the rose vodka and shake.
- Next, add the witch hazel.
- Finally, shake well.
- Store in amber sealed jars.
- Apply to skin with a cotton ball.
- Discontinue use if irritation occurs.
Some Rose Water Astringent Research
- Witch hazel applied topically to the skin after sun exposure was anti-inflammatory. From: Hughes-Formella, B. J., Filbry, A., Gassmueller, J., & Rippke, F. (2002). Anti-inflammatory efficacy of topical preparations with 10% hamamelis distillate in a UV erythema test. Skin Pharmacology and Physiology, 15(2), 125-132.
- A witch hazel ointment was an effective and safe treatment for certain skin disorders in young children. From: Wolff, H. H., & Kieser, M. (2007). Hamamelis in children with skin disorders and skin injuries: results of an observational study. European journal of pediatrics, 166(9), 943-948.
- Extracts of white tea, rose, and witch hazel had a protective effect on human dermal fibroblast cells against hydrogen peroxide induced damage. From: Thring, T. S., Hili, P., & Naughton, D. P. (2011). Antioxidant and potential anti-inflammatory activity of extracts and formulations of white tea, rose, and witch hazel on primary human dermal fibroblast cells. Journal of Inflammation, 8(1), 27.
- Nine essential oils were studied and showed potential to heal human skin cells in vitro. They included: Citrus bergamia (bergamot), Coriandrum sativum (cilantro), Pelargonium graveolens (geranium), Helichrysum italicum (helichrysum), Pogostemon cablin (patchouli), Citrus aurantium (petitgrain), Santalum album (sandalwood), Nardostachys jatamansi (spikenard), and Cananga odorata (ylang ylang). From: Han, X., Beaumont, C., & Stevens, N. (2017). Chemical composition analysis and in vitro biological activities of ten essential oils in human skin cells. Biochimie Open, 5, 1-7.
- Geranium, lemongrass and spearmint oils showed anti-inflammatory activity in vivo. From: Abe, S., Maruyama, N., Hayama, K., Inouye, S., Oshima, H., & Yamaguchi, H. (2004). Suppression of neutrophil recruitment in mice by geranium essential oil. Mediators of inflammation, 13(1), 21-24.
Click for More Information About the Herbs in this Rose Water Astringent Recipe:
By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, RA (ARC), NAHA and AIA Professional Member, LMT
4/11/18
