Rose - Water for the soul

/

Rose water is an Ayurvedic beauty essential that I simply can’t live without. There is always a bottle (or 2 or 3) in my cabinet and trust me I don’t have a huge range of beauty products. I live by the rule that less is more. I use rose water as a multi-purpose beauty elixir – it’s sheer luxury and super simple to make at home. It was considered the fragrance of royalty and brought to palaces from the Indian city of Kannauj (famous for distilling roses to make perfume) – so let’s immerse in the essence of rose and invoke your inner goddess!

Rose petal with their sweet and astringent qualities were also traditionally used as a garnish for special feasts and for thousands of years. They have been crushed, juiced, dried, pressed and more to extract their magical properties to make herbal remedies, natural skincare products, aromatics oils, teas and more.

Endless benefits of rose water:

  • Tridoshic but especially effective on balancing pitta and useful during the summer

  • Cools the heat in the skin and blood

  • Soothes redness in skin, skin irritations and burns

  • Balances pH of skin and enliven the natural inner beauty (brajaka pitta)

  • Deeply hydrates skin

  • Tightens pores and reduce wrinkles

  • Great as an anti-ageing tonic

  • Enhances mood (motivation, self-confidence, healthy desires, fulfilment)

  • Relieves headaches and dizziness

  • Balances the heart chakra and hormones

  • Relieves nervousness, grief, anger, jealousy, low self-esteem, self-criticism, mood swings and stress

  • Balances the sadhaka pitta (associated with the emotions and the heart) - No surprise roses are such an expression of love and romance

  • Balances prana vata (sensory perception and respiration)

  • Reduced inflamed eyes and enlivens eyes and reduces dark circles

  • Promotes deep and restful sleep


I use Rose water:

  • As a refreshing face mist in the summer (or whenever I’m hot)

  • To bath my eyes in the morning

  • As a mixer for my natural clay masks

  • As a cleanser and toner

  • Added to my summer water infusion

  • Added a little to my bath with rose oil and rose petal (super indulgent)

  • As a room mister prior to meditation

What excites me even more is how simple it is to prepare your own steam distilled rose water – just add a little time!

What you need:

  • 2 cups pink rose petals

  • 2 cups distilled water

  • 1 large pan (with a glass lid)

  • 2 glass bowls

  • Bag of ice

  • Sterile glass bottle for storage

Method:

  • Separate all the petal and gentle wash in cold water so they are clean

  • Place a bowl upside down in the middle of the pan

  • Place all the petals and water around the bowl and then place the second bowl facing up on top of the first bowl

  • Cover the pan with the lid upside down and bring the water to a gentle simmer

  • Place a bag of ice on top of the lid

  • The steam water will collect in the bowl.

  • Continue the process until the petals have gone limp and lost all their colour

  • You can life the lid and allow the water to accumulate

  • Cools the water and store in your bottle (keep in a cool place)

Note: the rose petals that make the best water are of Rosa damascena, Rosa centifolia and Rosa gallica. Always opt for organic roses so they don’t contain chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin. These varieties are also edible. Pick your flowers in the early morning when they are most fragrant.

There is nothing like fresh organic home-made rose water but when I’m on the go (or not) and want a trusted brand I’m all about stocking up my annual supply from my trips to India from Kama Ayurveda - their rose water is divine. Amazing UK-based options are: Ayurveda Pura and Maharishi Ayurveda.