Re: Fw: colognes using witch hazel

[Guest guest]

I am very excited about trying these. Have you attempted to

make the rose water yourself? I have been looking for directions

on making this...I found that steeping the petals in water

doesn't seem to produce a very strong fragrance that I have

found in shops.

Any ideas?

Peggy

Cat wrote:

>

> Using witch hazel as a base for colognes works well for the infused type of

> scents, called tinctures. It is too weak to emulsify pure essential oils

> without the addition of alcohol, however. Here are some recipes you might

> enjoy:

>

> Cologne

> 1/2 cup lavender

> 1/4 cup rosemary

> peel of 1 lemon

> peel of 1 orange

> 1/2 cup orange-mint leaves

> 1/2 cup lemon balm leaves

> 2 cups witch hazel or vodka

> 2 cups rosewater

> Steep 2 weeks; starin and bottle.

>

> Cologne

> 1 cup scented rose petals

> 1 cup witch hazel or vodka

> 1 1/2 tb. orange peel

> 1 1/2 tb. lemon or lime peel

> 1/2 tb. dried lavender

> 1/2 tb. dried rosemary

> 1/2 tb. dried peppermint

> Steep 1 week; strain and bottle.

>

> Spicy Cologne

> 1 oz. rose petals

> 2 tb. lavender

> 2 thin strips orange peel

> 1 (1-inch) stick cinnamon, crushed

> 1 tb. coriander seeds, bruised

> 10 oz. witch hazel or vodka

> Steep 3 weeks; strain and bottle.

>

> Herbal cologne

> 2 tb. rosemary

> 2 tb. lavender

> 1 tb. juniper berries, crushed

> 1 strip lemon rind

> 10 oz. witch hazel or vodka

> Steep 3 weeks; strain and bottle.

>

> Hungary Water

> 1 tb. rosemary

> 1 tsp. mint leaves

> Grated peel of 1/4 lemon

> Grated peel of 1/4 orange

> 1/4 cup witch hazel or vodka

> 1/2 cup rosewater

> Steep 2 weeks; strain and bottle.

>

> Bay Rum cologne

> 5 oz. witch hazel or vodka

> 1 oz. Jamaican rum

> 3 to 4 bay leaves

> 1/4 tsp. allspice

> 1 stick cinnamon

> 1/4 tsp. orange extract

> Steep 1 week; strain and bottle.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Peggy:

True rosewater is distilled, which is a slow process requiring special

(although not necessarily expensive) equipment. What you are making by

steeping the petals is actually an infusion, but here are some tips: be sure

the rose petals are absolutely fresh (difficult to do at this time of year)

from highly scented roses (the " old " varieties like Damask are recommended).

The dried petals lose a lot of their fragrance, and many of the newer

varieties of roses don't have any scent at all! :-(

Be sure the petals are clean and pour hot (not boiling) water over them to

barely submerge them. Cover the container and let steep until cool. Gently

reheat the infusion (don't let it boil), and resteep fresh petals in it

until the scent is a strong as desired. Strain and bottle the infusion and

keep it refrigerated.

If you want to try distilling rosewater, I will post instructions using an

inexpensive teapot still to the list.

Cat

> I am very excited about trying these. Have you attempted to

> make the rose water yourself? I have been looking for directions

> on making this...I found that steeping the petals in water

> doesn't seem to produce a very strong fragrance that I have

> found in shops.

> Any ideas?

[Guest guest]

Peggy, here is how I make my rose water,  I made so much last year I

still have about 20-26 oz. left in my fridge.  (I made one bottle with

Aloe Vera Gel and glycerine, put it in a spritz bottle and it worked

great for my kids sunburns).  Pick your rose petals between 10 and

noon(pick too early and oils will be hard to extract, pick too late and

they'll be all but gone).  Now, crush the petals lightly in your hands to

help break down the capillaries.   Put your petals in a glass jar, make

it as full as you can and cover with distilled water.  Make sure no

petals can rise above the water, they can mold or mildew and ruin it

all.  If you are not selling this, you can add a touch of vodka to help

kill bacteria on the petals and it will help prolong the scent.  Add

about 1Tbls to 1 quart of water.  I kept mine outside in a sunny spot and

it was ready by the end of the day.  Have a blessed day. 

[Guest guest]

Oh, Peggy.  You will find too get the strong scent you get in shops, you

will need to add rose fragrance or essential oil.  Or would anyone else

no a better way, by chance?

[Guest guest]

that sounds right.

Goddess Garden

http://www.demetria.com

Heart of Herbs Holistic Herbal Education

http://heartofherbs.com

Where Herbs are our Heartsong

Re: Fw: colognes using witch hazel

Oh, Peggy. You will find too get the strong scent you get in shops, you

will need to add rose fragrance or essential oil. Or would anyone else

no a better way, by chance?

[Guest guest]

Yes, I would love to try the teapot still!

I am also going to try the infusion, it sounds really nice.

thanks for sharing!

ttfn,

Peggy

Cat wrote:

>

> Hi Peggy:

> True rosewater is distilled, which is a slow process requiring special

> (although not necessarily expensive) equipment. What you are making by

> steeping the petals is actually an infusion, but here are some tips: be sure

> the rose petals are absolutely fresh (difficult to do at this time of year)

> from highly scented roses (the " old " varieties like Damask are recommended).

> The dried petals lose a lot of their fragrance, and many of the newer

> varieties of roses don't have any scent at all! :-(

> Be sure the petals are clean and pour hot (not boiling) water over them to

> barely submerge them. Cover the container and let steep until cool. Gently

> reheat the infusion (don't let it boil), and resteep fresh petals in it

> until the scent is a strong as desired. Strain and bottle the infusion and

> keep it refrigerated.

> If you want to try distilling rosewater, I will post instructions using an

> inexpensive teapot still to the list.

> Cat

>

> > I am very excited about trying these. Have you attempted to

> > make the rose water yourself? I have been looking for directions

> > on making this...I found that steeping the petals in water

> > doesn't seem to produce a very strong fragrance that I have

> > found in shops.

> > Any ideas?

>

>

[Guest guest]

WOW, that sounds like it's pretty versatile! I never would

have thought to use it for sunburns...thanks

blessed be

carrie a ivy wrote:

>

> Peggy, here is how I make my rose water, I made so much last year I

> still have about 20-26 oz. left in my fridge. (I made one bottle with

> Aloe Vera Gel and glycerine, put it in a spritz bottle and it worked

> great for my kids sunburns). Pick your rose petals between 10 and

> noon(pick too early and oils will be hard to extract, pick too late and

> they'll be all but gone). Now, crush the petals lightly in your hands to

> help break down the capillaries. Put your petals in a glass jar, make

> it as full as you can and cover with distilled water. Make sure no

> petals can rise above the water, they can mold or mildew and ruin it

> all. If you are not selling this, you can add a touch of vodka to help

> kill bacteria on the petals and it will help prolong the scent. Add

> about 1Tbls to 1 quart of water. I kept mine outside in a sunny spot and

> it was ready by the end of the day. Have a blessed day.

>

>

[Guest guest]

I am going to try to make the teapot still that Cat

wrote about...I'll let you know how strong the fragrance

gets! Wish me luck!

blessed be!

Peggy

carrie a ivy wrote:

>

> Oh, Peggy. You will find too get the strong scent you get in shops, you

> will need to add rose fragrance or essential oil. Or would anyone else

> no a better way, by chance?

>

>

>