The Beauty of Rose Water

Lately I have found myself craving the scent of rose. Not a rose perfume, mind you, but soft sweet and simple rose. Rose water is perfect for this, but, not all rose waters are created equally. Rose, to my nose, can turn either sour or cloyingly powdery. A lot of rose soliflore perfumes can be stringent and sour on me- that is what happened with Creed Un Fleur de Thé Rose Bulgare and Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater. Conversely I love the Crabtree & Evelyn Rosewater Hand Cream and Room Spray but the scent fails as soon as it becomes a perfume. Rose water is a by-product of the production of rose  oil for use in perfumes, is used to flavour foods, as a component for medical and cosmetic purposes, and also for religious purposes. In aromatherapy, the scent of rose is used in treatment of depression, mental stress and anxiety. It is also used to treat reproductive issues in women. I do find this interesting. Without going into TMI territory, I will say that after my hysterectomy a few years ago, I found myself craving rose perfumes- completely out of the blue. I had never really liked them, and usually wore sultry spicy woody delights. The shift to rose felt like my body telling me I needed to heal. Ok- new age moment ovah….

 

Rose water is soothing and gentle on skin. It moisturizes naturally without clogging pores, and soothes burns and rashes. It is said to reduct lines and signs of aging with regular use. You can actually see a measurable radiance to the skin immediately after applying rose water. Rose water can be spritzed or applied with a cotton pad, both methods work well. I love a spritz of rose water after applying moisturizer at night or after applying make up in the morning (pre mascara….) as it sets the make up beautifully and eliminates that make up-y powdery look. I keep a small refillable bottle in my purse for spritzes throughout the day- dewy skin in a bottle. However lately I have been on a search for a double threat rose water- one that works that rose magic on my skin and smells heavenly.

So I decided to turn to the 24 hour coffee break we call Twitter and ask my beauty mavens for recommendations! Turns out lots of these lovely ladies enjoy a nice rose water spritz too, so I have to thank them for their wonderful information! They are fun to chat with and share interesting stuff too so follow them for more gags & giggles! @HeatherInOttawa loves nail fun and perfume as well as rosewater- thanks Heather! @m0ff alerted me to wonderful holistic brand I never even knew I could find in Ottawa, thanks M! And the Uber Organic & Natural Guru @Glamology has told me about a lovely rosewater brand I will be ordering from her. She is relentless in her pursuit of all things healthy & safe, so thank you Charmaine for sharing that wisdom with us!

My first rosewater is the Essencia Eau Florale (Floral Water). It comes in an elegant cobalt glass bottle, which would also protect the rose water from light. Although frankly I go through this stuff so quickly that there is little chance of the product turning on me. Essencia is lovely, a basic and quiet rose water and only that. The only listed ingredients are roses and water, and this is the simplest purest rose water I’ve tried. The scent is very light and not quite as sweet enough. It feels wonderful post cleansing, but the sprayer is too powerful and focused to use after make up. I have it in a little spray bottle for travelling which is much better. After a day in the heat and sun in the summer I love to spray it head to toe, it just makes my skin glow. If you have very sensitive skin and do not want a strongly scented rose water, Essencia would be a perfect choice. It is available in most health food stores for around $15.

Thayers Rose Petal Witch Hazel is quite simply, amazing. It has a much more distinct rose scent, despite the witch hazel base. Burt’s Bees has a Witch Hazel Rosewater which smelled yucky and medicinal to my nose (which is why it is not in this review…) but its listed midway through the ingredients which include goodies like aloe, glycerin and vitamin e, in addition to the sublime rose water. The aloe and glycerin combination adds a silky texture to this that is felt immediately on the skin. Dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, skin with blemishes or rashes will be soothed by this. It is *almost* enough to act as a moisturizer on its own. This one is the strongest rose scent of the bunch, but it is a soft gentle and true rose. It makes me think of pink roses, not red, if that makes any sense. The bottle is a generic plastic one but the label is charming & has retro appeal. Available at health food stores for around $10. (EDIT: Thayers Rose Petal is my favourite. I use it head to toe!)