Awhile ago I mentioned rose water spray in my post about Jojoba and Rose Water Facial Cleanser.
Well, today I am going to show you how to make the rose water spray yourself.
Rose water sprays are used for skin hydration on either your face or your whole body. You can use them anytime for a refreshing, skin nourishing spray, or you can use them as I do in my evening facial care routine.
Some of them can be quite expensive, especially when you are looking at organic sprays. I have seen an organic version for as much as $35 for 4 fluid ounces. Now that will break your family's budget very quickly.
Truth be told, I once bought that expensive version out of desperation to rid myself of rosacea that was making me embarrassed to go out in public. That spray, together with a simple skin cleansing routine, eliminated most of my skin issues, but I then had to find a less expensive way to keep my skin healthy.
Now you can benefit from this cost saving method too:
Homemade Rose Water Spray
Ingredients:
1/2 cup filtered water (read here for my recommendations)
6 drops Rose Essential Oil (for information on why I chose this essential oils company, you can read this series)
Method:
1. Add water to your misting container.
2. Add essential oil to Spray Bottle.
3. Shake well before using (I have not found this to be necessary).
A few points to remember:
- Mister spray should not be in a metal bottle, as metals can alter the essential oil's property. If you are going to use plastic, use a high quality plastic so the oils don't absorb some of the plastic into what you are putting onto your body.
- Use pure essential oils only. Many essential oils on the market are diluted with jojoba or other oils. See my post on Which Essential Oils Are Best to find out where to get high essential oils that you can trust.
You may also use other essential oils depending upon your preference, but rose is especially soothing to the skin.
So now, in case you need further convincing, is my financial justification behind spending the time to make your own spray. Believe it or not, I actually did some research to find out the average number of drops in a bottle of pure essential oils (Can you believe that figuring this kind of stuff out is actually fun for me?!)
I found out that there are approximately 56 drops of oil in one 1/8 ounce bottle.
So that means that (here comes the real-life application of math….) if you use organic rose oil that costs approximately $80/bottle, your 4 ounces of rose water spray will cost you only $8.53. And if you use conventional rose oil (approx. $43.50), your cost will be only $4.66. And one bottle will last a really long time. What a savings!
Have you made anything with essential oils that you particularly like?
Your article smartly warns readers to be aware of and use pure essential oils and not the blends that are cut down with carrier oils– yet your product recommend ration link is for Rocky Mountian Rose blend which is only 2% rose oil and 98% fractionated coconut oil. ( right in product description where your link directs to their website). That can’t figure out well with your given cost estimate because it’s not pure rose oil. Are you sure you don’t want to recommend a different product or edit something with that explanation not matching up?
Hello Jessica.
Thanks for commenting. Actually there is nothing wrong with essential oils blended with carrier oils if that is disclosed – but it is not OK for a company to add that (or anything else) and not disclose that. Often oils such as Rose are sold as a blend to reduce the cost since the pure oil is so expensive.
Initially I was recommending an oil that was pure but this post was done a long time ago. So it all depends on what you are buying.
Does that help?
I see in your rosewater spray recipe you mention a misting bottle and then a spray bottle. Is that two different types of bottles or two different? I know you mention not to use metal but your hyperlink for spray bottle shows an aluminum bottle on amazon?
Hi there. Sorry for the delay. I wonder if the link had changed. I just updated it with a much better option. Thanks for reading and hope you like the spray!
i know its a great idea but the water will go stale or moldy..i have tried water in cosmetics and has not survived?
is alkaline water better or acidic?
Yes, one must be very careful that it doesn’t go “off”. I have heard alkaline is better but I don’t know enough about it. Filtered is crucial.
After much research and now use, I have found “Rocky Mountain oils” to be the best that you can get. Check out their site:)
Great minds: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/natural-remedies/announcing-the-best-essential-oils-company-and-a-great-sale/
I purchased a bottle of Now Rosewater concentrate and was wondering if the properties would be the same and the one that you recommend to make this spray for rosacea.
Hello Lisa. I am not familiar w/ that product but looking at the ingredients it looks as though it might have artificial fragrance in it, and it does for sure have alcohol, so I wouldn’t think that would be a good option for inflamed skin. On that note, however, I have been meaning to update that post. I am using new skincare now that is helping my face. I had a flare over the past few months. Feel free to take a peek if you like. The Mahonia Gel and the Starflower line have been very helpful to my skin. I’d be happy to share more via email if you like. I’m at wholenewmom {at} gmail {dot} com. https://wholenewmom.com/neals-yard-remedies-nyr-organic/
Thanks so much for this recipe. I was making a gluten-free version of the New York Time’s cardamom cream cake for my daughter’s birthday, and realized I needed rose water at the last minute. But I tried five drops of my luscious rose otto essential oil and it was a bit overpowering. I’d recommend that people start with two drops and then add more, one drop at a time, until they have the desired results.
So glad!! Sounds lovely.
Is it ok to just use play rose water for spray? With nothing added?
Plain*
I think so.
Hi Adrienne, I’m using Thursday plantation lavender oil in my bath etc. I just wanted to know your thoughts on this brand. Is it OK ?
Hi there. I’ve never heard of them. Maybe read this and see what you think: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
Hi Adrienne,
I was wondering if you have ever tried to make rose water with rose powder. After reading this recipe, I went to NAN’s website. The rose EO IS $525!!! I heard rose EO is expensive, but I can buy some diamond earrings for that price. Do you have ideas or options? Does rose hydrosol work?
Thank you as always for your efforts!
Donna
Hi there, I have not. I talked w/ NAN about their rose oil and they said it’s just for real aficionados and that using their rose blend is what you should do. That’s the one that I linked to in the post. I hope that helps. I do see that the Rose Blend is out of stock but I would suspect they will have it back in stock shortly – thanks for reading!!
Where did you find Rose Otto?
Hi there. I had bought another company’s product when I wrote that post, but since did a series on choosing the company that I wanted to use for my family. So I just redid the post and put a link in for you there. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. You can read about the essential oils decision here: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/natural-remedies/the-great-essential-oils-showdown-in-search-of-the-best-essential-oils/
Hope that helps!
Hello, I just found your site and wanted to try the Jojoba and Rose Water natural face cleanser. I have repeatedly searched for organic rose otto and amazon brings up something that I don’t think is what you have in mind because it has a lot of stuff in it that doesn’t sound good (w.amazon.com/Rose-Essential-Bulgaria–Damascena–8oz/dp/B007C08O72/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1414546729&sr=8-3&keywords=organic+rose+otto) and the price doesn’t match up with what you are saying.
I also know that you are not supposed to use eo’s with plastic, but you said if it’s good quality it’s okay. I wouldn’t know good quality from bad quality and the link to the plastic bottles actually goes to an aluminum spray bottle and you mentioned to not use metal. Could you send me a link to something you consider to be a good quality plastic? I look forward to giving this recipe a try!! Thank you for any answers you are able to share with me.
I think you go for heavy plastic and food grade. I’m pretty sure that is what you should look for.
Why do we add water for all these mist type sprays? Can we just do witch hazel (unscented) and essential oil? Also, I am travelling and was wondering if I put this combo in one of those travel bottles sold in CVS or Target – would that be ok?
You need to dilute the essential oils and I think the witch hazel would be a little stingy straight. I supposed you could do it though. The water helps moisturize if you are putting in under moisturizer especially. As long as the plastic is decent quality you should be fine. The EOs can eat the plastic if it’s not sturdy.
Thanks for the quick reply… What do you mean by stingy? Drying? And I was thinking more like body mist than as a face spray… I have some lavender EO and I thought I could mix the 2.
I think so. Witch hazel is more of an astringent than a moisturizer so I would see it being drying.
Hi, Can you use distilled water instead of filtered?
Distilled is like ultra-filtering. It would work fine. I have read about not using that for drinking water long term, however, so I would recommend doing research on that if you are drinking it.
Do you refrigerate yours? Can this be used as a toner too?
I don’t. Can you clarify what you mean by a toner?
Would rose hip oil work for this?
The owner of Native American said that the two aren’t good subs for each other. I will try to find out why.
Here is a more detailed answer from the owner of NAN:
What is the shelf life? You don’t mention this in the article at all.
Hi. I don’t make claims about shelf life b/c a lot of factors are outside of my control but I have seen store bought rose water sprays made with filtered water and high quality oil that say 6 months on the label. Thanks!
How long does yours last for?
I honestly didn’t keep track but I had it for quite awhile. At least 6 months.
hi adrienne
u suggest doterra in yr rosewater article, but i cant find rose eo on their site
Thx
sz
Oops – I forgot they don’t sell it. I would go to this site but it is expensive. I can just verify that their stuff is great. Maybe try their Rose Blend. They are very honest and I would so appreciate it if you would mention you heard of them from me. You can mention Whole New Mom or #90166. Thank you!
Oops – this is the company I would look at right now: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/natural-remedies/announcing-the-best-essential-oils-company-and-a-great-sale/
Adrienne, Thanks for the info. I’d never heard of NOW at all until my newbie asked. I started with ess oils via the store in Ithaca, NY, that had some connection to the Finger Lakes School of Massage, which has courses in Aromatherapy.
The lady there was wonderful about respecting my fears. I’m hypersensitive to fragrances, but did not know then that “fragrance” means “fake hydrocarbon smell” and that I actually tolerate many pure essential oils very well.
I have a rep with my pharmacist for being one of those weirdos whose reaction to pharmaceuticals in unpredictable. But my body LOVES essential oils. If the literature says it’ll do such and such, then I get that result.
Since becoming too ill to go out at all, I shop online and have been using AromaThyme exclusively for my oils. They work well for me, Debbie provides good customer service and offers the bottles and other supplies I need to test and mix my own.
My newby is in Hawaii, and with shipping time for AromaThyme, she was interested in assessing the brands she could get faster from local stores. She got some Aura Cacia and got good enough results that she stepped over that “needs an RX from an MD, doesn’t trust alternative anything” line into the wonderful world of “willing to experiment and take charge of her family’s wellness.”
I’ll tell her to steer clear of NOW oils, but that I’ve heard their other products are good quality.
I’m a little confused – a newbie for what? I am hypersensitive to fragrances as well. I have heard nightmare stories of adulteration of oils. One expert told me he tested a health food store brand that said it was 100% pure and it came back as 75% propylene glycol, a common additive to essential oils.
“a newbie I’m teaching by email saw this brand at a local store and wanted my opinion.”
I sent her the link for this page and she emailed back, “Thanks for letting me know. Dh had an allergic reaction to the NOW lavender, and he’s not allergic to lavender. Also, I noticed you said I’d had good results with Aura Cacia. The brand I’ve had good results with is Nature’s Alchemy; Aura Cacia is whence came the stinky pine. I find it interesting that the Vitamin Shoppe has almost exclusively Nature’s Alchemy, while the hippie store had only NOW and Aura Cacia. It reinforces my initial impression that the EO crowd there was in it for the smells and not the therapeutic value.
Interesting. I really hope to have more on my thoughts on EO’s in the near future. I’ve been without internet and phone almost all day and have plans tomorrow -so most likely next week or the week after. I’m just swamped and trying to keep things together :).
A lot of lavenders bug me. There is lavendin which is often used instead of real lavender – you can read about this all over the web.
Just want to say hi and thank you for the mister proportions! I will be exploring your site for more goodies. I got here by googling for customer reviews of NOW brand oils. I am homebound and usually get my oils online from AromaThyme, but a newbie I’m teaching by email saw this brand at a local store and wanted my opinion. Happy question since it led me here. I am always glad to find another mom willing to share actual, in person experience with our wonderful botanicals.
You’re welcome. I think NOW is OK but I wouldn’t call them therapeutic. Take care!
I’m only interested in ess oils for therapeutic use and only want the purest and best. What are your reservations about NOW?
Hi Chrissy. I feel the same way. The whole oil industry is a mess. I have not used their oils and so I can’t say anything about that. I will say that their prices seem outrageously inexpensive. I suspect, from what I have been learning, that there is no way that they could be supplying pure high quality oils at that price. I am not saying that their oils won’t work, but I find it odd. I have used other low priced oils and have found them to be ineffective. I do like NOW a lot and like most of what their company does. I just have found that I need higher quality to do what I need to do. Have you used them? What do you think of them and their effectiveness?
Mountain Rose Herbs is great, and have excellent quality oils. Right now they are ‘upgrading’ their online sales order form, but usually they have great service!
I almost always use their products.
HI and sorry for the delay – I have looked into them and will do more. I need more questions answered. I did just come out w/ this guide that might be of interest to you: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
I have been using essential oils since the early ’90s. For when I feel I’m coming down with something I use 1 drop each of Tea Tree and Lavender oils, rubbed into the soles of my feet at bedtime every night until a few days after I feel better. For minor backache I use Black Pepper oil blended 1 drop to 4ml sweet almond oil, I also add a drop or two of Ylang Ylang and Patcholi or Sandalwood just because I think they smell nice with the Black Pepper. I have made this blend for several friends and they were pleasantly surprised how well they worked. Black Pepper oil is very strong and can cause stinging or rash if too much is used in a blend so err on the side of caution. My favorite for perfume is Rose, Sweet Orange and Patcholi, a total of 5 drops in 10 ml of sweet almond oil. With Patcholi I find it developes a better scent the older it gets so I try to get an extra bottle to let it age. Lemon and Ylang Ylang or Jasmin and bergamot make nice perfume blends as well. All three perfume blends also are mildly deoderant too. They do seem expensive when you look at the little bottles but go a long way and with some practice (and a bit of study there are many books that can help)you can blend your own perfumes and remedies often combining the two. Like you I was sceptical at the start but I have learned to love many of these oils. It’s kind of like cooking as you go along you learn more become more confident and willing to experiment. It is important to remember that these oils can be potent and to learn about each oil before use to be safe. Hope something in this ramble is of use. Love your blog, by the way!
Very useful, Carol! I just got off the phone with another oils “expert” and I am really intrigued. So much more to learn…I think this series is going to get longer. I might need a little break right now, though, because I am worn out :-).