Handmade Rose Water

I like to make natural soap and other natural handmade beauty products. I once tried a face mask recipe that called for Rose Water, and I was clueless at the time what this was or where to find it, so I stepped into the mothership of body products, Bath & Body Works. To my delight, they had rose water! At $15 a pop! I bought it anyway, loved the aroma. But my homemade face mask that included ingredients like honey and oatmeal became way more expensive than I anticipated. Luckily, I discovered you can buy rose water and other floral waters (orange blossom, etc.) in Middle Eastern grocery stores and in the ethnic food aisle of some supermarkets for much, much less. They are a wonderful addition to body and face recipes like masks, toners, and washes. I've tried all that I've been able to find locally (rose, orange blossom, jasmine, and lavender), and have used them for years. 


Rose is my favorite, and since I have rose bushes around my home, and also because I like to try things out on my own, I started looking for ways to make my own rose water. I picked up some books and checked out some blogs, and have adapted the recipe to my liking. Here goes:


You'll need to start with a dozen (or more for stronger fragrance) fresh roses. If you don't grow your own, make sure you buy some that are not dyed and have a good, strong fragrance. Who wants roses that don't smell anyway?


You'll need:

• Dozen natural roses (enjoy them first if you want and wait until they begin to wilt)
• Large stock pot
• Water (spring,distilled, or filtered) 
• 2 ceramic bowls that will fit inside the stock pot with about a 1-inch space between the lip of the bowl and the stock pot. One bowl will placed upside down in the bottom of the stock pot, and the other will sit right-side up on top. 
• A stainless steel lid (or bowl) that will fit over the top of the stockpot to create a double-bowler effect, but not too deep. There needs to be an inch or two of space between the bottom of the stainless steel bowl and the ceramic bowl to catch the distillation. 
• Ice

To make:

• Place one of the ceramic bowls upside down in the stockpot and place the second ceramic bowl right-side up on top of the first. 

• Remove the rose petals from the stem and place around the bottom ceramic bowl in the pot.
  
• Add enough water to just cover the top of the roses.
  
• Place the stainless steel lid inverted on the top of the pot (or use a stainless steel bowl).
  
• Add ice to the inverted lid

• Turn the burner on low and let it simmer for 3 hours. You will need to replace the ice during the 3 hours as it melts.
  
• After the 3 hours, the distilled rose water will have collected in the upper ceramic bowl.
  
• Pour into a bottle or jar. It will keep for a long time refrigerated, but check after 6 months. If you're like me, it will be gone by then anyway!