June 28, 2017

Holy Water!

Whenever I would go to Vitamin Shoppe to buy essential oils, I would always notice bottles of rosewater and never really know the purpose. It was when a friend of mine was spritzing it all over her face, that this holy water was introduced to me.

In India, Rosewater has been a holy grail beauty staple for thousands of years. They use it for everything from hair, to skin, even in cooking! But rosewater isn’t just found in India, woman all over the world have used it for centuries. It is said that Cleopatra used it on her skin, I wonder if that’s true.

The Benefits of Rosewater

Rosewater helps moisturize, hydrate and rejuvenate the skin.
It has anti-inflammatory properties, giving it the ability to reduce redness and inflammation, helps fight acne and skin disorders like eczema and dermatitis.
It is an amazing cleanser for the skin, and helps remove oil and dirt in the pores.
It helps maintain the skin’s PH balance and controls excess oil.
Rosewater has antibacterial properties as well! It can reduce the appearance of scars and help heal cuts and wounds.
The antioxidants in rosewater help strengthen skin cells and regenerate skin tissues.
The scent of rosewater is said to be a powerful mood enhancer. It reduces feelings of anxiety and can help with relaxation.
Rosewater has properties of astringent, it is an amazing skin toner. Applying it after steaming will tighten the capillaries, reduce blotchiness and redness in the skin.
Rosewater can also be used on the hair. It has been used in India for thousands of years as a hair conditioner. It’s moisturizing and nourishing, helping rejuvenation and preventing breakage. It can help with mild scalp infections and even with dandruff. It also promotes hair growth!
It helps with skin aging keeping fine lines and wrinkles away.

Use it like This

If you have dry hair, rosewater is a great natural remedy to help moisturize it. Get rosewater with glycerin, apply to scalp and massage in for a few minutes. Put some excess on the ends of your hair. Let sit for 30 minutes and rinse with shampoo. You can add more when you finish conditioning, use it as a leave-in-conditioner.
Spritz it all over your face! Spray it on your face before your moisturizer. Having a moist face will help your lotion absorb better.
Spritz AGAIN! Use it as a make-up setting spray. Why go out and buy a separate setting spray when rosewater will do the trick? Fill a small spray bottle and throw it in your makeup bag for when your on the go.
Use it as a face cleanser. Wash your face with a mild face wash. Add a few drops of glycerin to one tablespoon of rosewater (or just buy the rosewater with glycerin already added) and apply it on your face. The antibacterial and astringent properties will do their magic for hours.
Bye-bye Puffy Eyes! Add chilled rosewater onto a cotton pad and press it under the eyes. It will help reduce any inflammation, redness or swelling.
Tone your skin. Just add some chilled rosewater onto a cotton pad and dab it all over a clean face. The astringent properties will tighten your pores and help with skin discoloration.
Hair conditioner is a traditional use. Add between 1/2 – 1 cup as a final rinse to your hair. The results are amazing, your hair will be silky smooth and give you a beautiful shine.
Makeup Remover: I have never tried this but apparently it works great. Add a few drops of coconut oil to rosewater, put on a cotton pad, and clean your face. It removes makeup and deeply nourishes your skin at the same time.
Try it for Acne. Add 1 tbsp of lemon juice to 1 tbsp to rosewater. Put it on problem areas of the skin and let sit for 20-30 minutes. Wash with fresh water.
RELAX! Add it to your bathwater for a wonderful scent and to moisturize your skin. Add it to essential oils. It is a great stress reducer.
Get rid of the stink! I use it on my dogs as a deodorizer to make them smell good lol. It can be used as a light body spray. I also add it to a spray bottle with some lavender essential oil and use it as an air freshener on the couches and furniture.

Products I’ve Tried

There is some rosewater out there that is very expensive, $20+ for a bottle. You do want pure rosewater with no added chemicals, but you don’t need to spend a ton of money to get that. Heritage Store is the most common and is on the shelves at many stores like Vitamin Shoppe and Whole Foods. Because of its endless uses I buy a big bottle, then separate it into smaller bottles depending what I’m using it for. I have a small bottle for a facial spray, another one as an air freshener mixed with lavender oil, an astringent for my dogs. Yes I am a rosewater addict.

I wanted to get one with glycerin because I didn’t want to mix it myself on a daily basis. Heritage Store does make one with glycerin added. I tried the Reviva Labs Rosewater Facial Spray. I love this product. It has aloe, herbs, minerals & hyaluronic

Acid. It is for normal to dry skin. It works great as a moisturizer but I really use it as a makeup setting spray. Two sprays on my face and my makeup stays put all day long. Plus the bottle is 8 ounces and it cost about $6, vs. setting sprays that come in small 2-3oz bottles for the same price or more. The only downside to this product is that a lot comes out of the spray nozzle. I have to make sure to really hold it away far from my face, if I spray it to close it shoots out like a water gun rather than a light mist.

There are a lot of other brands out there, but what I am personally very curious about is some of the more expensive ones. There is pure Bulgarian rosewater that is over $20 a bottle and I want to know if there is a difference between that and Heritage Store. If you have tried any other products tell me what you think, otherwise I will have to splurge and find out on my own!

Reviva Labs Rosewater Facial Spray– $5.49

Heritage Store Rosewater– $7.08

Heritage Store Rosewater with Glycerin– $9,49