Oh my, its Rose Oil.

One aroma that is more moving than any other aroma is the oil of rose. The deeply floral, divinely sweet and rich aromatic fragrance is exclusive to our most revered flower, the rose. Though the rose is known for its abundant fragrance, the flower actually contains by weight very little oil.

To make one ounce of oil, it will actually take about 60,000 roses. So the ratio per drop of oil is about 60 roses per one drop of oil. Bringing the high cost of rose oil a little bit more into perspective.

The Love Flower

The things that make the rose a gardeners dream are the hardy nature of the thorny rose bush and the flowers overall beauty. In the Genus Rosa there are over 150 species around the world, everywhere from your mothers or grandmothers backyard garden to the vast fields of roses in Bulgaria’s Valley of Roses. The unique past of the rose is somewhat interesting and is riddled with extravagant displays of affection. The flower’s first association with devotion was expressed with the Roman’s. Their banquet halls being carpeted with rose petals.

Marc Anthony once walked through a room knee deep in rose petals to see his love Cleopatra. Through the years roses have become the unmatched symbol of love, given as a sign of affection.

Now do you really wonder why the oil has such great healing properties? Both physically and emotionally, for the heart of a human.

The Health Benefits of the Rose

From ancient civilizations of Persia, Egypt, India, Greece and Rome. The therapeutic effects of the flower of all flowers has had its place in medicine and perfume. The most modern uses of, the extract of rose, in alternative medicines did not begin until the 17th century with a physician by the name of Nicholas Culpeper. In his writings he described the use of red roses to strengthen the heart, its cooling and astringent benefits as well as its effect on headaches and tired eyes.

He also went on to suggest its use as a remedy for a variety of skin afflictions. Therefore inspiring its use as a beauty tonic.

When used in aromatherapy, rose oil has been used to successfully boost the physiology of a person with a broken heart or other emotional wounds. The oil inspires happiness and well-being by calming and supporting the heart.

Rose oil can bring about a gentle comfort and an emotional reopening of a rejection or loss that a person has suffered. Creating the ability to either love yourself or those around you once again.

The use of Rose Oil in Aromatherapy

The rose oil most often used in aromatherapy is the Bulgarian Damask Rose or Rosa Damacena. The oil from this rose is available in two forms: “otto”, or true essential oil and “absolute”. These flowers are harvested in early mornings, before the sun has a chance to warm away the aroma of the flower.

“Otto” is made from a two step distillation process; Out of this first step there is an essential oil and a large amount of “rose water”.
The “rose water” is then distilled again, producing an oil that is combined with the oil from the first step.

“Absolute” uses a completely different process. In this process the petals of the flowers are pressed in a solvent to create a wax-like concrete product. The concrete is then extracted to create rose”absolute”. In this method the yield of oil is much more efficient, producing about 7 pounds of oil per 10,000 pounds of roses (distillation only yields about 1 pound of oil per 10,000 pounds of roses).

Which process produces the better oil? While there is a debate over the subject; One side arguing that traces of solvent are like to exist in the “absolute”, The other side arguing that the heat of distillation does not result in the true representation of the rose.

With either method, the quality of any oil depends on the care taken by the manufacturer – the truth lies with the individual that is using the oil.

The Use of Rose Oil

Rose oil can be used in a number of ways; it can be used directly on the skin, because it is a gentle oil, mixed in a massage oil, in a bath, or in a diffuser. Absolute can be used as a perfume, it can be worn directly on the skin and the aroma will slowly be released for many hours.

Therapeutically for emotions, a dilution of 10% otto or absolute in jojoba oil, massage into the area over the heart. The use of a diffuser is also very effective for this purpose. Absolute or otto can also be added in small amounts to a favorite skin cream. Although a home made mixture is sometimes the best.

For use as a mild astringent with toning properties, the use of rose water or hydrosol is acceptable. This rose water is from the distillation process of rose otto.

To make a rose and lavender facial cream, try the following recipe:

In a double broiler melt 4 ounces of jojoba and 1/2 ounce of beeswax. Add 3 ounces of distilled water stirring vigorously with a wire whisk. Remove from heat, continue stirring while adding 20 drops of rose oil and 15 drops of lavender. Allow to cool before using this wonderful cream for sensitive skin.

There are many beneficial ways to enjoy rose oil. From the beauty of its aroma, to its physiological and emotional healing.

The depth and sweetness of rose oil, is very much appreciated by anyone who experiences this natural wonder.

Tags: alternative, aromatherapy, beauty, extracts, headaches, Health, home, lavender, massage, medicine, natural, oil, rose, writing

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