The scent of roses can ignite young love as well as fond memories of the backyard.
But did you know that roses are more than just an enchanting fragrance? These beautiful flowers also have incredible health benefits.
Rose oil has been used for thousands of years to improve health conditions and natural beauty.
What are the uses of rose essential oil?
Research and personal experience tell us that rose essential oil can improve acne, balance hormones, relieve anxiety, improve depression, rosacea, and enhance libido.
Traditionally, rose oil has been used to relieve grief, nervousness, coughs, wound healing, and general skin health issues, allergies, headaches, and inflammation.
Where does rose essential oil come from?
It is usually extracted from Rosa damascena, but also from Rosa centifolia.
The essential oil is extracted from the flowers by steam distillation.
Damascus rose essential oil is also known as Bulgarian rose otto.
Bulgaria and Turkey are the main producers of rose otto, the essential oil of the rose plant.
Have you ever stopped to smell the roses?
Yes, the aroma of rose essential oil will certainly bring back memories, but the scent of the oil is even stronger.
Rose essential oil has a very multi-layered floral scent that is both sweet and a little spicy.
Researchers have found that rose oil contains the following compounds with healing properties:
- Citronellol,28%: an effective mosquito repellent. It is also contained in geranium and Ceylon lemongrass.
- Citral,2%: A component necessary for the synthesis of vitamin A. It is a powerful antibacterial agent. It is also contained in lemon mahogany, lemongrass, and hickory pepper.
- Carvone,0%: A component that aids in digestion. Also commonly found in Tibetan fennel and dill. (We do not see this ingredient in the information we have)
- Citronellyl Acetate 0.6%: The pleasant aroma of roses comes from this ingredient, which is why it is more widely used in skincare and beauty products and is more abundant in bitter water rose oil (3.8%) and also in Douglas fir.
- Eugenol 1.6%: A strong antioxidant, clove contains high levels of eugenol.
- Farnesol,2.2%: moisturizing, whitening, skincare very good ingredients, in the neroli, jasmine, and ylang-ylang can find this ingredient, Pin Yin rose essential oil contains more (3.8%).
- Methyl eugenol,1.6%: topical antiseptic and anesthetic. It is also contained in cinnamon and creek tea tree essential oils.
- Nerol,11%: Aromatic odor, relieves depression and melancholy. It is also contained in lemon basil, neroli, and perpetual flower essential oils.
- Phenylethanol,1%: sweet-smelling and aromatic compound.
- Geraniol, 20%: usually used in perfumes and fruit flavorings, strong antifungal power.
In addition to the above, rose essential oil actually contains a high percentage of alkane components (commonly known as rose wax), accounting for about 17%. Alkanes are less present in other essential oils and are mild in nature, with soothing nerve and anti-allergic properties.
However, this ingredient is also responsible for the tendency of rose essential oil to crystallize and solidify in colder temperatures.
6 benefits of rose essential oil
Help with depression and anxiety
One of the greatest benefits of rose oil is its emotional uplifting power.
When our ancestors were in a low state of mind or otherwise hurt, they were unconsciously drawn to the beauty and fragrance of the flowers around them.
It’s hard not to smile when you smell the strong scent of roses.
The journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice recently published a study designed to demonstrate these types of natural responses when rose aromatherapy is used on human subjects with depression or anxiety disorders.
The researchers used 28 postpartum women as study subjects and divided them into two groups: one group used aromatherapy with a mixture of rose and lavender oils for 15 minutes twice a week for a total of four weeks; the other group was a control group.
Fight against acne
The many properties of rose oil make it a great “natural medicine” for skin care.
The antibacterial and aromatherapy benefits alone are worth adding a few drops of oil to your homemade lotions and creams.
In 2010, researchers published a report that found that rose, thyme, and cinnamon had the strongest antiseptic activity compared to 10 other essential oils.
A blend of rose and thyme, lavender and cinnamon essential oils, diluted at 0.25%, completely destroyed Propionibacterium acnes (the bacteria that cause acne) in just five minutes.
Anti-aging
There is no doubt that rose essential oil is often ranked as one of the top anti-aging essential oils.
Why does rose essential oil promote healthy skin and possibly slow down the aging process?
There are several reasons.
First of all, it has a powerful anti-inflammatory effect.
In addition, it contains antioxidants that fight free radicals, which can lead to skin damage and skin aging.
Free radicals also damage skin tissue, leading to wrinkles, fine lines and moisture loss.
Enhancement of sexual desire
Because rose essential oil is an anxiolytic, it can greatly help men suffering from sexual dysfunction that exhibits anxiety and stress-related disorders.
It may also help to balance sex hormones and thus increase sexual desire.
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial published in 2015 studied the effects of rosehip oil on 60 men with major depressive disorder who were taking conventional antidepressants known as serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) inhibitors), which are conventional antidepressants, developed sexual dysfunction.
The results are impressive! Damascus rose oil improved sexual dysfunction in male patients.
In addition, as the sexual dysfunction improved, so did the symptoms of depression.
Improve menstrual pain
A clinical study published in 2016 looked at the effects of rose oil on women with primary dysmenorrhea.
Primary dysmenorrhea is medically defined as small abdominal cramps that occur before or during menstruation, but without the presence of other conditions, such as endometriosis.
The researchers divided 100 patients into two groups, one receiving NSAIDs and the other taking anti-inflammatory drugs along with aromatherapy containing 2% rose oil.
After 10 minutes, there was no significant difference between the two groups.
After 30 minutes, the group using rose oil aromatherapy had less pain than the other group.
Overall, the researchers concluded, “The present study suggests that aromatherapy with rose oil is a non-pharmacological treatment that may help reduce pain in patients with primary dysmenorrhea as an adjunct to conventional treatment methods.”
Natural Perfume
The fragrance industry commonly uses rose oil for perfumes and various cosmetics.
Rose essential oil has a sweet floral and slightly spicy scent that can be used as a natural fragrance on its own.
With just a drop or two, you can kill all the perfumes on the market today that are full of dangerous synthetic scents.
Why is rose essential oil so expensive?
Pure rose essential oil is very expensive because it takes about 10,000 pounds (4536 kg) of rose petals to extract just one pound (about 454 grams) of essential oil!
You may see “rose absolute” in health food stores.
This is a mixture of rose flavor (extracted by solvent extraction) and a carrier oil such as jojoba oil.
This is a more affordable option.
However, it is not as therapeutic.
It is also a concentrate of rose perfume that is obtained by using chemical solvents rather than steam distillation or the more desirable CO2 (carbon dioxide) extraction method.
High-quality rose oil is of course expensive, but it is also the best and purest, and a small bottle will last a long time.
How to use rose essential oil?
More specific ways to obtain various health benefits with rose oil.
For depression and anxiety
Mix rose and lavender essential oils and diffuse, or apply 1 or 2 drops to the wrists and back of the neck.
Acne
If you suffer from acne, try applying 1 drop of pure rose oil to the affected area three times a day.
Make sure to use a sterile cotton swab. If you feel the antibacterial power is too strong, you can also dilute it with coconut oil and apply it.
Enhance sexual desire
Diffuse, or apply 2 to 3 drops of essential oil to the neck or chest.
You can also dilute a carrier oil such as jojoba, coconut or olive oil with rose oil and massage to help boost libido.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Diffuse, or dilute with a carrier oil and apply to the lower abdomen.
Skin Health
Apply essential oils to the skin or add to a cleanser, body wash, or lotion to apply to the skin.
Natural Perfume
Simply apply 1 to 2 drops of rose oil to your ears or wrists
If you would like to use rose essential oil in a compound of your own blend, then the following oils are suitable for use with rose essential oil:
- bergamot oil
- chamomile oil
- sage oil
- sweet fennel oil
- geranium oil
- perpetual flower oil
- lavender oil
- lemon oil
- neroli oil
- patchouli oil
- sandalwood oil
- ylang-ylang oil
How many ways to use rose essential oil?
There are several main ways, but most use,
Aromatherapy
You can use a diffuser to diffuse around your home, or you can just sniff the scent of essential oils.
To make a natural room freshener, pour a few drops of oil and water together into a spray bottle and spray the room.
Application on skin
It has many benefits for the skin and can be used undiluted.
However, it is always a good idea to dilute essential oils with a carrier oil such as coconut oil or jojoba oil in a 1:1 ratio before applying topically.
Once the oil is diluted, a larger area can be applied and a small skin test can be done before application.
If there are no adverse reactions, then you can add a few drops of essential oil to your cream, lotion, warm bath or body wash.
If you use rose essence, then there is no need to dilute it as it is usually already diluted.
Considerations for using rose essential oil
Can rose oil be taken internally?
No, rose oil is not recommended for internal use.
And do not get any essential oil on your eyes.
If you have sensitive skin, then dilute rose essential oil with a carrier oil and try it on a small area of skin first.
Always keep essential oils out of the reach of children or pets.
But, based on the book “Essential Oil Safety” by Titus Salander, the eugenol methyl ether (Methyl eugenol) in rose oil is a potentially risky ingredient, although he also believes that another ingredient, geraniol, may counteract the toxicity of eugenol methyl ether.
In a controversial situation, it is reasonable for the authors not to recommend internal use.
On the other hand, why do we need to take it internally?
Some people want to “get it into their stomachs without wasting it”, but internal consumption is mainly through the digestive tract.
The most prominent effect of rose oil is on the skin, on the emotions, on the endocrine effect, and applying it is the most direct and faster way to deliver.
Conclusion
Rose essential oil usually comes from the Rosa damascena plant and it takes about 10,000 pounds (about 4,536 kg) of rose petals to extract one pound (about 454 grams) of rose essential oil, which is why it is one of the most expensive essential oils.