The Healing Powers of Rose
The rose is an extremely heart-opening, and healing flower. It has been admired and respected for many years in ancient texts, Ayurveda and Chinese medicine.
The flower of the rose can be distilled to create essential oil or floral water and has been used as a key beauty ingredient for many years. The seed of a rose is cold-processed to create Rosehip seed oil, a highly fragrant oil with many beneficial properties. The buds and petals of the flower can also be crushed to make a powder after being left in the open air for several days to dry out. Rose water and essential oils have been used the most in ancient remedies to ward off the signs of ageing and boost the skin tone. Rose is extremely high in Vitamin C, E and fatty acids which is beneficial for dull, tired and lifeless looking skin. It also contains gallic acid which is a well-documented antioxidant, linoleic acid which protects the skin form exposure, nourishing and preventing it from drying out and Pro-vitamin A which helps process skin regeneration.
Rose water is a classic beauty product that no bathroom should go without. Simply adding some water to a cotton pad or spraying it directly onto the face will brighten the skin tone and boost your complexion. The same goes with adding a few drops of rosehip seed oil to your face just before bed, as it can heal dry, tired looking skin.
Just a few fresh petals from your garden can be used in many ways to add a bit of luxury to your beauty routine. Sprinkle a few into your bath and let the healing properties infuse in the warm water. Steam the petals over your face in a hot bowl of water for a full cleanse packed with fragrance or use dried and crushed petals added to some rosehip seed oil (or any other oil of your choosing) to make a gentle, stimulating facial scrub.
I personally also like to add some dried rose petals to hot water as a delicious tea. This can be drunk hot or as a cold beverage in the summer! Rose blends well with other sweet herbs or fruits so get creative and see what remedies you can make.
If in doubt, please always check with your GP before consuming any herbs or applying oils topically. Do NOT ingest essential oils.
