With Valentine’s Day coming up, I have roses on the brain. And since we don’t splurge on flowers that often, I want to make sure I enjoy them as long as possible. To extend their life, so to speak, I tried an easy body oil recipe that’s perfect for dry winter skin. Plus, it preserves that natural rose scent that I love.
Rose Almond Body Oil
You’ll need 1 cup of rose petals (2 to 3 roses) and 1 cup of almond oil (rich in vitamins E and D—yay!). I got a bottle at Whole Foods for about $4.50. Put the petals in a jar, crush them up a bit with a wooden spoon, and pour in the oil. Let the mixture sit for 1 week and then strain before using. While the rose petals do look really pretty in oil, you have to be very careful about leaving them in there. If you do, it’s possible they could turn the oil rancid and spoil the whole thing—not what we want to go for!
This feels so good right out of the shower and smells great. Almond oil has been proven to naturally rejuvenate skin, and is being suggested as a natural oil to use post-operation to minimize scarring. That’s really all the proof that I need to use this amazing oil!
Want a few more ideas for your pretty petals?
1. Add to the bath
Not much explanation needed here. Run yourself a nice, hot bath, sprinkled with homemade rose milk bath. Or make these bath bombs with vanilla extract. And if you don’t have the time for a bath, you can still use homemade soap with rose petals in your beauty routine.
2. Dry petals for potpourri
I’m not a huge fan of dried flowers as decoration (kind of creepy) but you can make potpourri after the petals are dried. Hang flowers upside down in cool, dry place. Once the petals are dry, you can remove them from the stem and add a scent, like rose oil. I like to put the scented petals in little natural fabric sachets and tuck them away in closets and drawers for a little boosted scent.
3. Add them to your next meal
Rose petals are edible! Try this yummy recipe for rose petal candies. Or if you’re not sure if the petals were sprayed with any chemicals, just stick to garnishment or table decoration.
4. Pamper your face
Facial: Put about a cup of petals in the bottom of a large bowl. Add 2 cups of hot water. Sit with your face above the bowl—head covered with a towel—for about 15 minutes. The steam softens the skin and smells amazing, thanks to the rose petals.
Face mask: Combine 3–4 tablespoons of water with 8–10 petals in a small bowl. Let it stand for 2–3 hours, then crush the petals into the water. Add 3 tablespoons of honey, stir together, and slather the mixture on your face. Leave the mask on for 15 minutes, and then rinse with cool water.
Face scrub: Make a delicate scrub that cleanses the skin with roses, chamomile, and oats.
Face toner: Rose water tightens the pores and leaves the skin feeling smooth instead of dry. Get the rose water toner recipe here.
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I tried this diy and mold grew in the jar after a week, what should I do different if I try it again?
Hi Ella Rose, this is a lovely story with a lovely ending. I hope the kitten was a nice surprise! Well done for including some speech and for having a go at using speech marks. For next time, don’t forget that every time a new person talks you should use a new line. Keep writing!
Love this idea! Do the roses need to be fresh or can they be dried?
can’t wait to use my leftover roses from valentines day to make some of these great diys!! THANKS for the tips xoxo
Can’t wait for my roses to bloom to try this! TFS
Its so great to see you back to blogging! These are fantastic ideas! Going to have to pin it!
Hope you and baby are doing wonderfully.
Have a great week Stephanie!
The only problem with this is the amount of pesticide residue that commercially grown flowers have … and then transferred to the oil.
That is exactly what I was thinking! I have been wanting to do this for a while, but don’t think that I would use store-bought flowers…. *sigh* Looks like I’m going to have to put off these projects a little longer!
This is the best post ever! I’m so going to use my roses next time…I always let them dry out thinking I will use them somewhere, then I end up throwing them out anyway! I LOVE the idea of putting them in Almond Oil, or as a face mask! Genius!
Jo-Anna
My roses are looking pretty pitiful too! I would love to try the rose almond body oil…just need to get some almond oil :) thanks for the sweet comment on my blog, hope your pregnancy is going well!
So so smart! I love these ideas.
My skin is SO painfully dry lately, so I love this idea. And I also love the flavor of roses! I need to make rose cupcakes one of these days…
Wonderful! My roses are starting to look pretty sad and I hate to just throw them away!
These are some great ideas! My roses are wilting too, but this would be a great way to prolong their life!
Stephanie, I just shared your post on FB,twitter and linkedin.
I used to sign in here with my name and website. Now that sign up box is gone,why ?
WOW ! I will have a rose petal bubble bath. Stephanie, you should write a book about all your great ideas. I hear an E-book is easy to do. Think about it.
This sounds lovely Stephanie. After a very hot summer, I can use all the moisture I can get!
Anne xx