Skip to Content

How to Make Rose Water Toner

Beauty

Last Updated on January 23, 2024

Enjoy the benefits and learn how to make rose water at home that is refreshing, beautifully floral, and an anti-inflammatory dream for your skin.

bottle of rose water

Rose water toner is fragrant, eco friendly and it’s made with two simple ingredients without making any trash! This fresh rose toner is the multitasking MVP every beauty lover should have in their fridge or their cabinet. 

I love simple solutions that can be made from my own backyard. 

why you should DIY your rose water toner

Some things are difficult to DIY like foundation and concealer. I would never recommend you making those. It’s practically impossible to get right. 

Some things are more time consuming to DIY like sunscreen or soap. Thankfully, some things are really, really easy to make like rose water spray!

The first ingredient is roses. I have a rose bush outside of the house, and it’s been so hot they’re all starting to wilt. 

I decided I couldn’t let these beauties go to waste, and thought I should make some rose water!

bunch of roses

rose water benefits for skin

Why is rose water so cool? Because it can do everything. 

  • Rose water toner is anti-inflammatory which will help reduce redness and help acne.
  • It’s antibacterial and helps to heal scars and open wounds like that pimple you popped yesterday.
  • It’s hydrating keeping your skin balanced and relieves that dry, itchy feeling. 
  • Fresh rose toner balances pH. You have to be careful when DIYing your beauty routine that you keep the pH balanced. If it’s out of wack it can lead to breakouts and other problems. 
  • It controls excess oil without dehydrating your skin. 
  • It’s an antioxidant which helps regenerate new skin cells.
  • Rose water spray is astringent to help clean pores, reduce redness, and tone the skin.
  • Helps to soften fine lines and wrinkles.
  • The rose scent helps you to relax similar to lavender.
roses to make rose water toner

what’s so great about witch hazel: 

The second ingredient is alcohol-free witch hazel.  I know, I said these products could easily be found without trash. I know not everyone has a rainbow grocery near them. But, I recently stumbled on to the Refill Revolution where they have witch hazel in bulk. 

Witch hazel is another awesome product to keep around your beauty cabinet and your emergency kit.

  • It’s an anti-inflammatory which helps to reduce swelling and redness. 
  • It’s an antioxidant preventing free radical damage from UV rays, pollution, stress, and poor diet etc. 
  • Apply topically to help heal cuts and wounds, cracked heels, razor burn, ingrown hairs, even hemorrhoids 
  • Helps soothe itchiness from a dry scalp to bug bites and even poison ivy.

Both of these ingredients are great for your skin. Witch hazel is considered one of the best natural ingredients for fighting acne. This toner is soothing, light, super easy to make, but most importantly – it works really well!! 

If you’ve been a reader for a while, you know I’ve struggled with acne. You can read more in this post. My skin is better now, but I’m never sure what will set it off. The oil cleansing method did not go over very well for me.

Everything still seems to be a guessing game, but I noticed a huge improvement when switching to rose water and witch hazel. If you struggle with skin texture, redness, dry skin, or overly oily skin, I would highly recommend you give this a try.  

dropping rose petals into pan

how to make rose water toner: 

Ingredients

  • roses any color you like
  • filtered water 
  • witch hazel

Steps

  1. Pick all of the petals off of the roses. I used 7-8 roses.
  2. Rinse the rose petals washing off any dirt or bugs. 
  3. Place the petals in a pot and cover with filtered water. The water should just be covering the petals. I covered my petals with 2 cups of water.
  4. Turn the stove on low heat, cover with a lid, and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. My petals were on the stove for an hour. 
  5. Check on it every 15 minutes to keep an eye on the water level. My water level decreased by half. 
  6. Strain out the rose petals and you have rose water! 
  7. Pour one part rose water and one part witch hazel into a vessel to use as toner. 
  8. Keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks. 
simmering roses for rose water spray

how to use rose water spray

The ingredients can be bought fairly inexpensively, and if you don’t like the toner, there are TONS of other things you can do with rose water to better your life.

  • Can be used to set your makeup
  • Spray on after a long day to feel refreshed and rejuvenated
  • Bags under your eyes, forget cucumbers. Apply chilled rose water with a reusable cotton pad for five minutes
  • Apply rose water to damp hair, wait thirty minutes and rinse. Get’s rid of frizzy hair, deeply conditions, and adds shine
  • Add one cup to your bath to hydrate your skin and relax
  • Spritz the rose water spray and use it as an all natural perfume. Smells amazing and no yucky chemicals!
  • Freshen your linens by misting on your towels and bedding.
bottle of finished rose water

how long does rose water spray last?

It lasts up to two weeks if stored properly. It should be stored in a container (preferably glass) in the fridge. Chilling it will make it last longer and it’s cool and refreshing when you use it.

**Pro tip: freeze any leftover rose water in an ice cube tray. This will keep perfectly portioned 2 tablespoon cubes ready for all your future DIYing. 

can I use dried rose petals?

Making rose water with dried or fresh rose petals works well. Using dried rose petals is a great option when your roses aren’t blooming.

For best results, dry your own rose petals to use throughout the year. If you do need to purchase them, find rose petals that haven’t been treated with any chemicals or pesticides (YUCK!) and that are food-grade and organic.

8 Comments
Join The Conversation

Share Your Thoughts

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    1. I use the pads from Refill Revolution which I linked to in the blog post for the witch hazel. I throw them in the wash with my lingerie bag with my undies to keep them all together.