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snowcloud
June 20th, 2012, 09:07 AM
:blossom::blossom::blossom::blossom::blossom:

Ok so I figured.. Everybody loves floral water. Lets hear some ideas! :flowers:

I want to start this thread to investigate which flowers can be used in floral water and what kind of healing powers these flowers possess. There are obviously certain species of flowers that are not meant for topical application so, which flowers are best? What are the benefits of floral water? Internally and externally..

So, I will start with roses.. They are quite curious to me.. :roll:

The jar on top is fresh jasmine picked from the bush at night and soaked in sweet almond oil. Pink rose pedal water is on the bottom.


http://allyouneedtoknow.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rose-jasmine-floral-infusions.jpg


Rose water has many healing benefits for the skin but when taken internally, it can promote all sorts of well being for your insides too. Rose water can be made into an icy and refreshing drink that is rich in anti-oxidants, flavonoids and many essential vitamins like A, C, D, E and niacin. Drinking rose water on occasion is said to increase sexual desire and put the mind at ease. One cold glass of rosy water makes for a heart-healthy tonic that cleanses the body while aiding in proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. Historically, rose pedals are well known for being one of Queen Cleopatra's best kept beauty secrets. It is known that she used rose water in many facial masks to maintain her youthful, glowing skin. Rose blossoms work to meld the tones and textures from their pedals into your skin, smoothing out fine lines and evening colors. Rose water helps to boost elasticity and collagen while also helping to hide the appearance of veins in the upper layers of skin. Furthermore, The rose blossom makes for a powerful natural soothing agent and healing emollient that has potent anti-inflammatory properties. This makes them good for healing burns, rashes, bites, and many other malformed skin reactions, even those brought on by allergies or other plants. Rose pedal water works to heal the skin and promotes healthy skin cell regeneration. Not to mention, the aroma of roses is known to be a highly potent aphrodisiac.

But.. What I really want to know is.. What color rose pedals can you use? What are the benefits of different colored rose pedal waters? I am pretty sure you can make use of white, pink, red and peach colored rose pedals but, what of blue? :confused:

Ok somebody do the next flower.. I know there are some floral fanatics out there!! :blossom:

didrash
June 20th, 2012, 09:11 AM
Rose water is indeed great for the skin and hair, but I am not sure this is the same rose water you make. In Bulgaria, what we call Rose water is a by-product of rose oil distillation from Rosa damascena. The rose petals are heated to extract the oil and water evaporates from them, which is condensed and collected. We do not make it by soaking rose petals in water, but maybe this works too...

snowcloud
June 20th, 2012, 09:14 AM
Rose water is indeed great for the skin and hair, but I am not sure this is the same rose water you make. In Bulgaria, what we call Rose water is a by-product of rose oil distillation from Rosa damascena. The rose petals are heated to extract the oil and water evaporates from them, which is condensed and collected. We do not make it by soaking rose petals in water, but maybe this works too...

That is like super intense rose water :cool: I like to just cold steep them for a few days and then blend the rose water with some ice.. Rose flavored smoothie anyone?

LadyHazel
June 20th, 2012, 04:08 PM
I use the distillation method :) long winded but gives solid results, rose water is also holy in some religions and is used in ceramonies, there's a random fact for you : P

Blackfire
June 20th, 2012, 07:56 PM
That is like super intense rose water :cool: I like to just cold steep them for a few days and then blend the rose water with some ice.. Rose flavored smoothie anyone?


I have a bottle from the grocery store that smells OMFG sexy! what kind of roses do you use for this and how?? Drinkable rose water sounds so leffing awesome!

IvanaGil
June 20th, 2012, 08:01 PM
I LOVE anything rose! Sooooo good. I make rose pudding, but as for hair, I've been doing hibiscus rinses :D

snowcloud
June 20th, 2012, 09:47 PM
I use the distillation method :) long winded but gives solid results, rose water is also holy in some religions and is used in ceramonies, there's a random fact for you : P

How do you do your steam distillation?.. I have this thing about heating roses.. I just don't like it. Roses have the most delicate and complex floral aroma on the planet. I feel you kinda F with it when you heat it. Plus boiling the roses destroys some of the beneficial enzymes and what not inside the pedal. That is just my take on it.. :cool:

snowcloud
June 20th, 2012, 09:53 PM
I have a bottle from the grocery store that smells OMFG sexy! what kind of roses do you use for this and how?? Drinkable rose water sounds so leffing awesome!

That is my question.. I know you can use white ones and like red, peach and pink colored ones. But are there any other colored rose pedals?.. I found out earlier that blue roses don't actually exist so, yah.. :p

HintOfMint
June 20th, 2012, 10:39 PM
My mother soaked a few jasmine blossoms in cold water and the scent is gorgeous! I don't know about it's effect on hair, but it's nice to have a bottle around.

jeanniet
June 20th, 2012, 10:46 PM
That is my question.. I know you can use white ones and like red, peach and pink colored ones. But are there any other colored rose pedals?.. I found out earlier that blue roses don't actually exist so, yah.. :p

Yellow, silver, orange/coral, and of course all kinds of multi-colored ones. I have an absolutely stunning yellow rose bush--blooms heavily all summer.

WaterMusic
June 21st, 2012, 01:18 AM
^ We might have the same variety. Bright yellow, and blooms for at least 8 months (I live in a very temperate climate).

Dovetail
June 21st, 2012, 02:36 PM
Huh, would rose petals which are being chewed on by beetles be ok (not to eat obviously Ew..)? I'm still trying to get rid of the pests, but the blooms still smell lovely in spite of it.

snowcloud
June 21st, 2012, 11:46 PM
Huh, would rose petals which are being chewed on by beetles be ok (not to eat obviously Ew..)? I'm still trying to get rid of the pests, but the blooms still smell lovely in spite of it.

I think those bettles have already laid claim to those roses.. Its over :bigtongue:

cherry blossom
June 22nd, 2012, 12:12 AM
Regarding floral water ..I love rose water - a great astringent for my acne prone skin as well as a lovely scenty goody to go into my conditioning mixture. I buy mine at local Indian store (says Dabur Gulabari on the label). Never tried making floral water though.
Sorry for a slight digression here - But, talking about flowers in general, it is common to use jasmine, rose very commonly to adorn the braid, back in India. Also grinding just dried hibiscus flowers with water/yogurt and using it as hair mask is said to be benefecial.

jeanniet
June 22nd, 2012, 01:07 AM
^ We might have the same variety. Bright yellow, and blooms for at least 8 months (I live in a very temperate climate).
Mine is a Henry Fonda hybrid tea. My sons gave it to me for Mother's Day a few years ago. It's amazing--bright yellow!

snowcloud
June 23rd, 2012, 07:12 AM
Somebody highlight the next flower... If I get sometime I will write down some facts about jasmine.

RobieFlakes
June 23rd, 2012, 07:37 AM
Last year I collected a fabric grocery store bag full of rose petals from a huge hedge by a highway (dont judge me lol), it took a long time, new respect for flower pickers.

I made a crude distiller. Just filled a big pot with water, a brick, and then laid a bowel on the brick. I filled the water with the petals and boiled it, and covered the whole thing with a big metal bowl.

The steam rose, hit the big bowl and dripped into the little bowl. The water in the little bowl is rose attar, it contains rose essential oil. This is clear.

The water just boiled is rose water, it's slightly pink. I strained the rose water and put it into dollar store sprayers.

This is a great toner and perfume hair spritz. If you have an entire day to spend on it, you can have a years supply of rose water and one small bottle of rose attar.

**They were pink wild roses

RobieFlakes
June 23rd, 2012, 07:44 AM
I just wanted to mention because someone asked about other flowers to be used in this manner,

my climate wont allow it but orange blossoms can be used, Ive seen the water sold in ethnic markets. Neroli is a perfume oil derived from orange blossoms and it smells fantastic.

Lisabunny
June 23rd, 2012, 07:48 AM
I love rosewater!!! I get mine from the Desi grocers and keep it in the fridge! I love it on my hair and its great on my skin too:inlove:

SeaLamb
June 23rd, 2012, 03:01 PM
sorry i can't really add any floral facts to this thread right now. however, i have really been wanting to make some rose water for the past few months because of all the hair and skin benefits and now for all the internal benefits as well (thanks OP) :).

when i saw this thread i told my DBF about it and how i wanted to make rose water and he said that there's tons of markets around where we live that will most definitely sell it and it's pretty cheap to just buy, so we're going to go get some soon. :cheese:

in the mean time i'll read up on another flower that has good benfits to hair, skin and body so i can contribute to the thread :blossom:.

morrigan*
June 24th, 2012, 11:11 AM
Last year I collected a fabric grocery store bag full of rose petals from a huge hedge by a highway (dont judge me lol), it took a long time, new respect for flower pickers.

I made a crude distiller. Just filled a big pot with water, a brick, and then laid a bowel on the brick. I filled the water with the petals and boiled it, and covered the whole thing with a big metal bowl.

The steam rose, hit the big bowl and dripped into the little bowl. The water in the little bowl is rose attar, it contains rose essential oil. This is clear.

The water just boiled is rose water, it's slightly pink. I strained the rose water and put it into dollar store sprayers.

This is a great toner and perfume hair spritz. If you have an entire day to spend on it, you can have a years supply of rose water and one small bottle of rose attar.

**They were pink wild roses

Did you add anything to preserve it?

SeaLamb
June 24th, 2012, 11:40 PM
so i've searched and i've searched and i barely could find any info about flowers that can be used in a floral water. besides roses, the flowers that came up the most were orange blossom/flower and jasmine and even then i couldn't find too many specific things that these flowers can do. :(

all that really came up was how to make the floral water and different flowers that can be made into a perfume.

i did find that the caledula variety of marigolds have tons of antioxidants so they protect against free radicals and help fight and prevent cancer when the petals are steeped into a tea.

sorry i couldn't find more info, but i look foward to reading anything else you all come up with. :)

also, RobieFlakes, i'm wondering like morrigan*, how did you get the rose water to keep for so long? did you just put it in the fridge and that made it stay fresh, or did you add some kind of preservative?

LizTheLyre
June 25th, 2012, 12:17 AM
wow, y'all read my mind, i was just about to search for a thread about floral waters when this appeared on the homepage of LHC. ha! anyway, i guess i'm a little confused on how exactly you use the floral waters. dot you use them as rinses or just spray them on your hair as someone else said?

morrigan*
June 25th, 2012, 12:43 AM
SeaLamb you can use variety of flovers and leaves, like lavender, linden blossoms, sage, rosemary, nettle, mint, jasmine flowers, calendula flower, chamomile, hibiscus ect.
I would like to try make orchid flower water :D

I was thinking if i could just add glycerine to it and if this would make it more durable?

Tabitha
June 25th, 2012, 12:35 PM
are there any other colored rose pedals?.. I found out earlier that blue roses don't actually exist so, yah.. :p
Nearest to blue is Blue Moon (http://www.classicroses.co.uk/products/roses/blue-moon/) which is more like a lavender shade. Any that you see which are really blue have been made that way, by sitting the cut flower in ink or food colouring for a while so that capillary action draws the dye into the flower.

SeaLamb
June 25th, 2012, 05:02 PM
SeaLamb you can use variety of flovers and leaves, like lavender, linden blossoms, sage, rosemary, nettle, mint, jasmine flowers, calendula flower, chamomile, hibiscus ect.
I would like to try make orchid flower water :D

I was thinking if i could just add glycerine to it and if this would make it more durable?

woah i'll have to try some of those out :). however, do you think rosemary water would make hair darker like the oil does?

orchid flower water seems like it'd be amazing! would you just use it as a spray? or does it have any benefits?

i think glycerine would work, unless you wanted to make a flowery oil like snowcloud. also, i know cirtic acid is a natural preservative for food, so i wonder if that would work for floral water as well or if it would make it too drying or something? :shrug:

morrigan*
June 26th, 2012, 02:41 AM
woah i'll have to try some of those out :). however, do you think rosemary water would make hair darker like the oil does?

orchid flower water seems like it'd be amazing! would you just use it as a spray? or does it have any benefits?

i think glycerine would work, unless you wanted to make a flowery oil like snowcloud. also, i know cirtic acid is a natural preservative for food, so i wonder if that would work for floral water as well or if it would make it too drying or something? :shrug:


I have no idea about darkening, but i do have brown hair and i don't mind some darkening.
I doubt orchid would have any properties, but it just sound nice :D

I would like to add something to preserve it so i can use it as a rinse after s&c or as a mist spray for whole body and hair that would smell nice and i don't have to store it in fridge.

SeaLamb
July 1st, 2012, 02:36 AM
I have no idea about darkening, but i do have brown hair and i don't mind some darkening.
I doubt orchid would have any properties, but it just sound nice :D

I would like to add something to preserve it so i can use it as a rinse after s&c or as a mist spray for whole body and hair that would smell nice and i don't have to store it in fridge.

i just read up to see if rosemary water will darken hair and apparently it doesn't darken hair too much, but i don't know what color hair the person who said that had. i guess i'll try and see what happens :D.

it does sound very nice. i hope it works out well :).

starry
July 1st, 2012, 02:51 AM
I made my first batch- a spritzer with rosemary, roses and daffodils (here in aus its winter). The rosemary is revolting, smell wise.

great fun though... I'm wo and product free so flower scent is welcome.

LizTheLyre
July 16th, 2012, 08:51 PM
I've just sealed up a jar of rose water and a jar of lavender and set them outside to steep, like a floral sun tea! i'm hoping this works. i'm a little tentative about the lavender because sometimes lavender ends up smelling like piss to me, and that's not what i want...
but, my best friend has fallen in love with lavender and i'm trying to get her more on the LHC path so if this works, and she likes it then possibly she'll be up to more LHC remedies. :)
i'll tell you how my floral waters work out in a few days when i collect them from my stone wall outside.