Roses are the classic flower of midsummer and our most adored scent. Gentle, romantic and heavenly.
As well as an enchanting fragrance, roses are great for hydrating and nourishing our skin and are particularly helpful for mature or dry skin.
Make the most of the abundance of beautiful roses at this time of the year by creating your own fresh skincare products using simple ingredients and get that velvety feeling of roses from head to toe.
I’ve made these ten recipes super-easy so you can create them in minutes. Choose your favourite or make them all in an afternoon. Be transported back to those carefree childhood days of dreamily concocting rose petal perfumes – it really is that simple.
But remember, you are a grown up now so use scrupulously clean utensils and keep your made products in the fridge.
Each one of these recipes starts with just a handful of rose petals. You’re making small quantities at a time, enough for one, or just a few, applications. These are fresh ingredients so, just as with fresh food, most will only last for a few days. Enjoy them straight away, and make more when you need it – always fresh and at its best.
Go gather your roses, here are your dreamy recipes
1. Rose milk cleanser
Place your handful of rose petals in a small saucepan and cover them with a cup of milk. Heat to just below boiling then remove from the heat and leave to infuse for an hour
Apply this using oats in one of two ways:
Either, put two tablespoons of flaky oats into a bowl and add the rosey milk a little at a time to soften the oats before rubbing them onto your face.
Or, put two tablespoons of flaky oats into a muslin wrap, tie securely and pop this into the pan of rosey milk and let it soak up the milk before using it to scrub your face and body.
2. Sweet rose facial scrub
Put half of your handful of rose petals into a cup and cover with boiling water. Leave aside to infuse.
Shred the rest of your rose petals then put them with two tablespoons of lavender flowers into a motar (or bowl) and grind with a pestle (or the round end of a rolling pin, or back of a spoon) to create a fragrant paste.
Blend this with a teaspoon of honey and gradually add some oil, stirring until you form a soft paste. Ideally use a cosmetic oil such as sweet almond oil, but olive, rapeseed or sunflower oil will do – you’ll probably need about a tablespoon of the oil.
When your scrub is made, apply it to your face in gentle circles and then splash off with warm water and pat dry.
You’ll probably have enough for two or three applications, or a whole body scrub.
3. Rose lip scrub
Put your handful of rose petals in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt.
Pound all this into a paste, then add sweet almond oil (or other oil) little by little until you get a spreadable consistency. It will probably take about a teaspoon of oil.
Use this to scrub your lips then rinse off, pat dry and test for kissability.
4. Rose infused sensual bath
This is great for dry and sensitive skin. The infusion turns the bathwater rosey pink and smells divine. Lie back, close your eyes and relax.
If you’ve made the rose milk cleanser and scrub you can use this in bath but be prepared for the oats to make the water cloudy.
To your handful of rose petals add as many as you can find of:
lavender flowers, nasturtium leaves, rosemary, honeysuckle, carnations, jasmine and bay leaves.
Put all your herbs and flowers in a saucepan with two litres of water. Bring this to the boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.
Strain and add to your bath for a floral fantasia.
You can also add 5ml cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 4 drops rose geranium essential oil as you run the bath.
You might be tempted to throw rose petals into the bath, they look gorgeous but you you’ll be peeling them off yourself and the bath! Best just to enjoy the scent of the infusion.
5. Rose cologne
The original cologne was made for the Queen of Hungary with the traditional ingredients of lemon balm, calendula, chamomile, rosemary, lemon peel, sage, loveage root and lavender. You can make something similar, but you’ll have to be patient as this needs a few weeks to mature.
Collect as may of the ingredients as you can and add them to your handful of rose petals.
Pack everything together in a jar and cover with vodka, ensuring the liquid rises above the botanicals by at least 2.5 cm.
If you prefer not to use alcohol you can instead heat about 200ml white wine vinegar with about 180ml water and pour this over the flowers in your jar.
Seal the jar tightly and shake once or more a day. After two to six weeks (the longer the better), strain out the flowers and pour the resulting cologne into a bottle with a mister top. Splash and spritz all over for instant freshness and fragrance. Use your cologne within six months.
6. Rose water
A simple home-made version of rosewater. Don’t expect this to keep for as long as a bottle you’d buy in the chemists but enjoy its freshness as a cooling spritz or for de-stressing (a couple of dabs to the temples and a lie down works wonders!).
Put your handful of rose petals in a bowl and bruise them slightly using the back of a spoon or the round end of a rolling pin.
Pour over 1/2 litre (1 pint) boiling water then cover tightly and leave overnight.
Strain through coffee filter being careful to remove all the petals. Bottle and keep in the fridge.
You can also pour this into an ice cube tray and then bring out cubes to defrost and use as you need them.
7. Rose cooling spray
To 60ml (4 tablespoons) of your rosewater, add 2 teaspoons of vegetable glycerine. Pour into a small spritzer bottle and spray as needed to keep cool.
8. Rose face mist
To 60ml (4 tablespoons) of your rosewater, add 1 teaspoon of witch hazel. Use as a toner after cleansing or to freshen up at any time.
9. Rose tightening skin treatment
To 60ml (4 tablespoons) of your rosewater, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of witch hazel, 1 tablespoon clear honey and 1/4 teaspoon glycerine.
Shake well and keep refrigerated. To use, pat onto areas of the face which need a little tightening, leave to dry and wash off.
10. Rosewater lotion
Creating a lotion is a little trickier than the simple blends and infusions above. You’ll need to combine oil and water which requires an emulsifier. This recipe keeps things as simple as possible with just three ingredients. It makes a great hydrating lotion, perfect for post-exercise or after a day outdoors.
Heat 50ml oil with 5g beeswax in the top of a double boiler (or use a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of water).
Meanwhile, in another small saucepan, heat about 35ml of your rosewater (you’ll want to use about 25ml of this in your lotion).
Once the beeswax has melted, turn off the heat and pour in 25ml of your warm rosewater, adding little-by-little and stirring continuously with a small whisk.
Replace the hot water in the bottom of the double boiler with cold water and keep stirring the lotion until it cools and starts to change consistency.
Then place in a pot and allow to cool fully before covering. Keep it in the fridge and use liberally and regularly.
Over to you – do let me know which recipes you enjoy most or any other floral ingredients you’d love to incorporate into your skincare.
If you’re inspired to capture that summer fragrance for all year round, you’ll love the Field Fresh Skincare: Summer Garden Hand Cream ‘Make it Yourself’ One-Pot-Kit – based on an infusion of summer hedgerow flowers it has everything you need to make a 50ml pot of hand cream that will keep you topped up with scents of a summer garden for three months.
I really can not wait to make all these thank you