Infusing Rose Oil

Up until about a week ago, my roses were putting on a nice Fall display of blooms.  But as the days grew shorter and the nights turned colder, I knew the end was coming.  I wanted to make a final batch of rose-infused oil before it was too late, so I decided to take action before I lost the last of those fragrant, vitamin-rich petals.

Roses are extremely high in vitamin C and have been used in beauty treatments for centuries.  When rose petals are infused in olive oil, they release their beneficial properties into the oil, which can then be applied to the skin.  Whether used on it's own, added to lotions, or used in balms, rose-infused oil is a wonderful skin enhancer.  It's excellent for dry or sensitive skin, can help alleviate redness, and has been shown to counteract the effects of aging. 

That last part is what sold me on it.  Does that make me shallow?

Oh well, I don't care.  Especially when it keeps me from buying all those expensive anti-aging creams at the store!  I like saving money.

And for me, saving money means gleaning from the garden. 

So, I slipped on my garden gloves, grabbed a basket and my clippers, and made a beeline to the rose bushes.

Actually, I didn't really need my clippers because once I grasped the blossoms, the petals simply fell off into the basket.  I guess when they saw my shiny clippers coming, they figured they might as well surrender.   Smart move.

I brought the basket inside and left the petals to dry for a few days.  I wanted to remove a little bit of the moisture, so there would be no chance of mold forming later on.  Every once in a while I gave them a shake just to get some air circulating around them. 

Once the petals had dried out slightly, they were ready to go into a jar.  I had enough petals to fill a pint-sized mason jar, and so that's what I did.  I'm a practical person.

I then poured enough olive oil over them to completely cover all the petals. 

The next step was to set the rose-filled jar into a pan of warm water (about 100 degrees) on the stove burner.   There it would stay for the next three hours or so, while the heat infused the oil with the fragrant essence of the roses. 

This is actually the shortcut method--and I'm all about shortcuts.  But the other option is to cap the jar and let it set in the windowsill for 3-4 weeks, allowing the sunlight to slow-infuse the oil. 

I do this when there is actually sunlight coming steadily through my window for 3-4 weeks at a time.  However, this time of year it's hard to come by that much sunlight for that length of time.

Thank goodness I had that other option.  Plan B's come in handy a lot at my house.

I went about my other chores, checking and maintaining the water temperature from time to time.  Then, later that afternoon, it was finally straining time.

I like to use a tea strainer and a measuring cup to do this.  Basically the goal is to filter the infused oil off of the petals and into another container. 

There are many ways to do this task, but these tools seem to do the job well for me.  The tea strainer catches the petals and particles while allowing the oil to flow through, and the measuring cup shows me how much oil I end up with.  

I start by pouring the oil from the jar into the strainer, and as the petals flow out, I take my fingers and press them down.  This squeezes the oil-soaked petals and gets as much of the infused oil out as possible.  

And it makes my fingers smell all nice and rosy.  Bonus!

After the straining is done, I'm left with my finished product:  Liquid rose-scented gold. 

The pint-size jar of rose petals netted me about 10 ounces of rose-infused oil, and I was very pleased with that amount.   I could feel my skin yearning for it already.

But my skin had to be patient.  Although, I did have a special treat in mind for later...

And it involved all those oil-drenched petals that were left over after the straining. 

Since I'm not a professional rose oil infuser-ista, I'm never able to get every last bit of oil out of the petals.  I can't stand to toss them away, so I leave them on the counter until nighttime, and then (here's the kicker) I add them to my nice warm bath.  The petals release such a heavenly scent when immersed in the steaming water, and the olive oil is extremely moisturizing.  The soothing effects are nothing short of glorious.  Do I hear angels singing?

The ancient Greeks used to bathe this way, and so of course, I have to also. 
It's all very goddess-like.  I said goddess-like.  As in, I would like to be a goddess.

I think I have a long way to go...but it's a job I just might accept if offered. 

Who wouldn't, if they get to bathe like that?!