Check out this pretty cool hack showing how to make rose water from rose oil!
Did you know that you can get ‘rose water’ from rose oil?! This is actually a cheater’s way to produce rose water – it’s not real rose water but something very very close!
Rose Water & Rose Oil
Rose water is a hydrosol or floral water. It’s a by-product of rose oil! Both rose water and rose oil are obtained through steam distillation of fresh rose petals.
During steam distillation, tiny droplets of essential oil and hydrosol rise up in the distillation chamber and enter the condenser which cools the steam, forming droplets of rose water which are collected in a container. The precious rose oil drops are also collected in a separate container.
The two products are then bottled up and sold as rose water and rose oil!
Rose water contains tiny amounts of rose oil. It has a mild refreshing scent of fresh cut roses and it imparts some of the therapeutic benefits of rose oil in a safe and effective manner. It’s also safe for children and pets unlike rose oil which has to be used with caution.
Rose oil is expensive but very versatile! One of the things you can do with it is create ‘rose water’ from it. This is actually a Cheater’s Guide to Making Your Own Hydrosols. In this case, we’re using rose essential oil to make rose water!
Let’s see what you need:
What you Need to Make Rose Water from Rose Oil
- Distilled water – This is the main ingredient you need to make rose water from rose oil. Do not use tap water, spring water or filtered water. We only need distilled water. This is water in its purest form which will ensure your rose water that you make will last a long while.
- Witch hazel – You know that essential oils and water do not mix, right? So you can’t just add rose oil to distilled water. It won’t mix up! You a natural emulsifier to bind the rose essential oil and evenly mix it up with the distilled water! Instead of witch hazel, you may use vegetable glycerin or even rubbing alcohol.
- Rose Essential Oil – Make sure to use 100% pure rose essential oil, not Rose Absolute Oil. Rose Absolute is just a mixture of a small percentage of rose oil with a carrier oil such as jojoba oil. Companies sell Rose Absolute because it is much more affordable compared to pure rose essential oil. Trust me, buying pure rose essential oil is an awesome investment you’ll never regret! You can use Rose Otto Essential Oil, which is the commonest form of pure rose oil bought. Or Bulgarian Rose Essential Oil (the most expensive), Turkish Rose Essential Oil or Persian Rose Essential Oil! It depends on what you have or want to buy!
How to Make Rose Water from Rose Oil
You ready for the easiest recipe?! Here it is:
What you need:
- 1 cup distilled water
- 1 tbsp witch hazel
- 12-15 drops rose essential oil
- 8 oz amber glass bottle for storage
Directions:
- Into a sterilized amber glass bottle, add 1 tbsp of witch hazel.
- Now add 12-15 drops of rose essential oil (this depends on how strongly scented you want your rose water to be – remember rose water has a mild scent of fresh cut roses so it’s not very strong).
- Swirl the bottle to combine the rose essential oil with the witch hazel to form an emulsion.
- Finally, top the bottle with distilled water and shake well.
- Hurray! You have created rose water from rose oil!
- Store in a cool dry place, like your refrigerator.
How to Use your Rose Water
- Facial toner
- Refreshing deodorant
- Body splash
- Light hair perfume
- Mood booster spray
- Room spray
- And more!
I hope you learned how to make rose water from rose oil. It’s so easy and wonderful, isn’t it?!
Curious on your claims on Rose Absolutes being diluted. From my understanding an absolute is more concentrated version of an essential oil… can you provide factual data that backs up your claims? Absolutes cost close to $200.00 per ounce which makes me wonder if they are a watered down version, why would they cost so much? In your article, you mention ” they cost less”… I have found this to be opposite. Absolutes are expensive. I am fresh to all of this and there are many different versions of “truth” available. I came across your article doing an online search and it sparked my interest which is why I am submitting this question…
There is a ton of conflicting information out there, you’re right. But from what I have read, Rose Absolutes are the least expensive as they have a much higher yield. With pure Rose Oil, it takes many more petals to produce a lot less, and it’s done through the distillation process. Rose absolutes are created with an extraction process and uses a solvent. Absolutes are much denser in scent, less expensive but have to go through a process that is not as pure.
Please see my reply to Stephanie
You’re right. Absolutes are more expensive. They are not steam distilled because heat destroys the benefits so they are extracted with solvents. I don’t know how this is even considered as an alternative to a rose hydrosol either because using real rose absolute to make a rose water is much more expensive than buying the real rose water. I don’t know what cheap oil you would be using to need 10 drops of rose oil in a cup of water either. 1 drop of rose absolute would make a LOT of amazing scented rose water. Also we have the added problem of using glycerine as an emulsifier. Glycerine is water based and is not an emulsifier or oil soluble. Polysorbate 20 is the emulsifier of choice here. Clearly people write articles with no idea what thry are talking about.