With Valentine’s Day behind us, you may notice your roses are on their way out. With a little creativity, we can keep those beautiful roses in your lives a touch longer. We’ve pulled together 5 things you can do to get the most out of your rose petals.
(note: when using roses to make things for the skin, be sure to give them a good rinse first)
Just rose petals
If your petals are on their last legs but still passable, try taking them off of their stems and scattering them around your room for some post Valentine’s Day romance.
Bath salts
Take a load off at the end of a busy week with your own rose scented bath salts. You’ll need some epsom salts, a little bit of sea salt and an essential oil of your choice. First you’re going to need to dry your petals out again, crush these up a little bit to create smaller pieces.
Mix the salts, and the rose petals together and then add a couple drops of your essential oil. Mix it all together again and then store in an air tight container.
Tip: add some pink sea salt in to give the mixture a pinker tinge.
Rose infused oil
Crush your petals up until they start to release moisture. Put these into a jar and pour over a fragrance free oil, such as jojoba oil, almond oil or any other light oil good for the skin. Shake it up once a day for the next couple of days. Strain it and it’s ready to go! Rose infused oil is a handy addition to homemade soaps or fragrances. It's also good for casual use on the skin.
Potpourri
To keep the air rosy fresh, bring your wilting rose petals back to life by turning them into potpourri. Making potpourri is super easy, all you need to do is remove the rose petals from the bud, and lay them out to dry in a warm place for 2-3days. Then put your petals into a jar with some cinnamon sticks and cloves and a couple drops of your favourite essential oil. Seal the jar for at least 24 hours letting the essential oils absorb. and then display!
Top tip: your potpourri will be stronger for longer the longer you leave it in the jar, leave it up to 2 weeks in the jar before displaying for a stronger scent.
Rose water
To make homemade rose water add your petals into a pot on the stove and pour over enough water to cover them. Your petals can be dried or fresher. Let them simmer until the water has taken on some of the colour and the fragrance- this should be around 30 minutes (keep an eye on it!)
Lastly, strain the water into a jar this will be great for a toner, if your roses are organic it can even be used as addition to a cheeky cocktail.
How to dry out your flowers
A couple of the suggestions above require dried out rose petals. We’ll quickly talk you through the process of drying out your rose petals.
First you’ll need to lay them out on some cardboard or a plate.
Then, put them in a warm dry place for a few days (2-3 days). You’ll know they’re ready when they begin to curl up at the ends- that’s it folks! that’s how you dry out your flowers
