DIY Rose, Aloe & Sea Salt Water

By Rachael Gerron
Web Content Contributor

If you were on Tumblr in the 2010s, you might remember the chokehold Mario Badescu products had teenage girls in. You could find these pastel bottles strategically displayed in every Urban Outfitters and we went crazy for them.

One of their most popular products was a rosewater facial spray, which claimed to hydrate and revive skin. However, consumers found that it actually had fragrances and harmful ingredients. You can read all about the brand’s controversies here.

Once I realized this, I stopped using the face spray, and for years, I had not bothered to find an alternative. That was until I found a recipe for at-home rosewater. I did some research and modified the recipe by adding in aloe vera and sea salt. So far, I am really happy with the results.

I documented the process of making the rose water in this Tik-Tok video but keep reading to get all the details and the recipe!

https://www.tiktok.com/@rachaelgerron44/video/6988505584353955077?sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6911016041468741126&is_from_webapp=v1&is_copy_url=0

Benefits

I chose to alter the original recipe, which just called for roses and water because I wanted to make an all-in-one kind of product. Each of these natural ingredients has unique properties that I believe come together to make a great facial spray.

According to Healthline, natural rose water reduces skin redness, balances natural pH, has anti-aging properties and much more.

Aloe vera is also a great ingredient for skin care because it is super hydrating, anti-inflammatory, and packed with vitamins. This makes it really good for acne-prone or dry skin, but people with all skin types can use it.

And finally, sea salt is great because of its antibacterial properties, which helps to prevent breakouts. It also balances oil production and helps the skin to retain moisture.

Ingredients & Materials

–           3 Organic roses (about 1 ½ cups)

–           Equal parts distilled water (about 1 ½ cups)

–           1 tbsp sea salt for every cup of water (1 ½ tbsp)

–           Fresh/ bottled aloe vera gel equal to sea salt (1 ½ tbsp)

–           Facial spray bottle

–           Mason jars to store excess

First, and most importantly, you need organic roses. This was the most difficult part of the process for me because, to my surprise, they were hard to find. I assumed that my local farmers’ market would surely have organic roses- but they did not (neither did grocery stores or florists in my area.) After searching my entire city with no luck, I finally found a florist an hour away from me that had roses grown without pesticides.

They’re out there, but they may not be as accessible as you might assume. I would recommend calling around to different places in your area and asking if they have organic roses. It may seem like a small detail, but it’s important that you don’t get regular store-bought roses that were grown with pesticides. Spraying pesticide-infused rose water on your face kind of counteracts the whole skincare thing.

When picking out your roses, think about the color you want to make your water. If you use dark red roses, your water will be a dark wine-red color. Using light pink roses will make your water a yellow color. I wanted a dusty rose color, which I was able to achieve by using two light pink roses and one red rose. The color of the water is ultimately just about aesthetics and doesn’t alter the benefits.

Once you have your roses, the rest should be easy to find. All you need is sea salt, aloe vera and distilled water.

You can use aloe vera juice straight from the plant if you want, but you will also want to get glycerin to preserve the water. I chose to use store-bought gel because it already had preservatives in it. When looking for aloe vera gel, you want to check out the ingredients and make sure there is no alcohol in it, which will dry out your skin. I found a generic aloe vera gel from Target that was almost purely aloe juice, with some preservatives commonly found in skincare products.

I found my spray bottles and mason jars at target, but you could also use recycled containers from old products if you have them.

How to Make Rosewater

Step 1: Measure & Rinse

Pull the flowers off their stems and separate the petals into a measuring cup. Measure how many cups of petals you have and pour them into a bowl. Then, clean the petals by rinsing them in sea salt and distilled water. Then rinse again with just the water.

Step 2: Boil

Pour the clean petals and an equal amount of distilled water into a pot and simmer on medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, or until the roses are discolored. The petals are going to float in the water, so when you first put them in, push them down with your hands or put a dish in the pot that can push them down. Once they’re fully submerged, you can just leave them to simmer. Make sure to keep the lid on the pot to trap in the condensation, which also contains the essential oils from the roses.

Step 3: Prep other ingredients

While the roses are simmering, measure out the rest of your ingredients and add them into a large mixing bowl. This way, you can mix it all together when the rose water is hot and will dissolve the salt and aloe.

Step 4: mix and bottle

Once the roses are discolored, you can strain the water into the mixing bowl. Be sure to squish the rose petals also to get every ounce of water you can. Now, mix all the ingredients until everything is dissolved and pour into your bottles and containers. You want to do this process as fast as possible, so you don’t lose the essential oils in the evaporation. To prevent this from happening at all, you could store your pot of rose water in the refrigerator (after mixing) with the lid on it to trap in the condensation and then bottle it (I went the lazy route.)

Skincare can be overwhelming because there are so many different products out there and it can be so discouraging when the ones you once trusted turn out to have negative effects on your skin. But making your own (almost) all-natural product can give you confidence in what you’re putting on your face.

If you made your own rose water after reading this, please feel free to comment on this article or even share your skincare tips.

Featured image by Rachael Gerron