Roses

“Everything’s coming up roses for me and for you.” – from Gypsy: A Musical Fable written by Stephen Sondheim

Since the weather is cooling down a bit and I’m indoors more, I thought I’d start experimenting with bath and beauty products once again. I have wanted to test out making things with roses for a little while now. I found a few things to do with rose petals online, so I have been trying some of them out this past week. 

My family has many rose bushes that are very fragrant and are getting ready to disappear for fall. My grandma has been cutting the roses, so I’ve been collecting all of the rose petals from her. Our roses are perfect for using in bath and beauty and craft projects because we haven’t sprayed them with any chemicals so they are very safe. 

Rose water (for a natural cleanser/toner and for fragrances), rose oil (for making lotions, salves, and lip balms), and dried rose petals (to put in paper and on cards) are what I have been looking into making. This week I’ve started with the rose oil since it takes that longest to make but “preparing” the rose petals is the same for all the things that I plan to make.

Here’s how to get the petals ready:

Once I picked the rose petals off of the flower, I lightly rinsed them with water in a strainer. I patted them afterwards and then laid them out to dry on paper towels. It’s important to lay them in a single layer so they can be spread out. Leave the petals on the paper towels for a couple of days. If you are using them to put into crafts or to make oil it’s alright for them to dry out a bit more but if you are making rose water it’s best just to let them dry overnight so they are not super dried out. 

Making Rose Oil:

To make rose oil you will need a large mason jar, cheese cloth, and sunflower or olive oil. Place your dried rose petals into the mason jar (try and fill the jar half way if possible). Cover the petals with oil and then place the cheese cloth over top. Secure the cheese cloth with an elastic band or lid. Store in a dark place for 3-4weeks stirring half way through. I can smell roses throughout my basement; it’s so nice. 

Here's what it should look like once everything's put together

I’m excited for my rose oil to be done and once it is I’ll start making different products with it, so this post is to be continued!