by Corina Sahlin

My little daughter and I worked in the garden for hours and decided to take a bath this afternoon to soothe our sore muscles. We added a major touch of luxury and lovely scent by adding rose water I had made a few days before, and for good measure we sprinkled some rose petals on the water.

Collect fresh rose petals, simmer in a pot of water for a half hour, and drain into a glass jar or spritzer. COURTESY PHOTOS

This bath and our view (climbing honeysuckle in the background!) was worthy of queens and princesses! Because that’s what we are, and we deserve pampering, and so do you!

Spritzing rose water over your skin is a great youthful skin tonic, since it tightens pores, controls acne due to its balancing effect on the skin’s PH, and smoothes tiny wrinkles.

Let me show you how to make your own rose water so you can be spoiled, too. The following ingredients and items are needed: fresh or dried rose petals, water (preferably without chlorine and chemicals), pot to boil water in, colander or strainer, and a mason jar or spritz bottle or cute glass containers.

I harvest the rose petals from my own garden, which is overflowing with Old English Roses. Any roses will do, as long as they smell yummy and haven’t been sprayed with pesticides or herbicides. You can use fresh petals or dried petals, which you can buy here from Mountain Rose Herbs.

For this batch, I filled a quart mason jar loosely with rose petals Some purists say it’s best to pick the petals in the morning when the scent is strongest, but I picked mine in the evening, because that’s when I had the time. It worked out wonderfully, smell-wise.

Put the petals in a pot and cover them with water, then bring to a low simmer.

Put a lid on the pot and simmer until the color is drained out of the petals (maybe about half an hour or so).

Let it all cool, and then strain the water through a colander and a funnel into a mason jar. 

From there, you can pour the rose water into spritz bottles.

The rose water keeps at room temperature for several days, and in the fridge for a month. Spraying cold rose water on your face on a hot day is heaven and will give you a glowing complexion!

I poured this whole quart jar of rose water into the bath I shared with my little one. Pretty color, intoxicating scent!

Have fun, and let me know how it goes!

Corina Sahlin homesteads with her husband and three homeschooled children on five acres in the Upper Skagit Valley. On their homestead, they teach homesteading and wilderness survival skills, and they also lead retreats and summer camps. Corina also offers online courses available at www.courses.marblemounthomestead.com.