Roses are red. They are pink, white, yellow, orange, black. They are carefully pruned in gardens and enclosed in glass walls, and they are carelessly sprawling up mountains and through forests all thorny and wild. They are the drop of blood. They are the velvety bandage. They are an emblem of passion and adoration, also grief and rage. They are ancient, pagan. They are empire, sovereign.
It almost doesn’t seem right to talk about Roses in January. For me, they are the essence of barefoot summer days, and right now the earth is still covered with snow. But we are quickly approaching Valentine’s Day, when more Roses are bought and given than on any other day of the year.
And besides that, I have been using Roses all winter in my skincare ritual. Nothing has been hitting the spot more. I even traded my beloved sea buckthorn oil for the rose gold elixir this winter. Traded my blue chamomile toner for the rose otto one. And I’ve been infusing Roses into my body creams, not to mention literally drenching my skin in Rosehip infused jojoba oil at will.
Despite all the new wonders hitting the market, here’s why we all keep coming back to Roses…
Historical tidbits
What other flower is more linked to human affairs that the Rose? It appears in the fossil record at least 35 million years ago. How many generations is that who have been swooned and swayed by these fragrant, spiraling beauties?
In the 17th century, Roses were even used as currency.
Though they were known most intimately by the peasants who planted, pruned and harvested them, Roses are highly desired by royalty. Cleopatra allegedly filled her chamber with rose petals, wanting to be remembered as the ruler who smelled like Roses. Legend has it that she even soaked her ship’s sails in rosewater so that the scent would travel with her wherever she went. Perhaps she chose the Rose due to its origin myths.
According to Greek mythology, Roses were created by Aphrodite, Goddess of Love. They grew out of her lover’s blood and her own tears.
This ancient mythology spilled over into Roman mythology (Venus, Cupid) and still lingers today in our displays and celebrations of love on the 14th of February.
There are some 150 varieties of Roses in the world these days, the result of cultivations and many hybridizations.
Roses for the Skin
The Moisture Barrier
With excellent moisturizing and conditioning properties, Roses keep skin soft and supple.
Roses can act as an emollient and support the moisture barrier, which plays a large role in keeping the skin hydrated within, but also keeping toxins, free radicals and bacteria out.
It also helps regulate nutrient intake and uptake, so it really supports the overall immune system in many ways.
Gentle astringent
Roses are gentle astringents, which means it tightens and tones any inflamed skin tissue. This doesn’t sound like much, but it’s really quite a profound property. Our skin is taking a lot of hits for us.
For example, we get sunburned. Even after cooling the burn, our skin is still red and burning, maybe even puffy and painful. Nutrients cannot get in, and waste products cannot get out. This is a huge stress for our immune system. What an astringent can do is address the inflammation, remove excess fluid and, ultimately, speed up healing time.
Poor tissue tone, or poor blood vessel tone, etc. is a growing issue these days, and the gentle astringent properties of Roses can really come to our rescue.
Highly nutritious
Roses are loaded with the coveted phenolic compounds, which give them all kinds of antioxidant activity. Its flower petals have especially high flavonoid compound content, including anthocyanins. The value of antioxidants is their ability to scavenge free radicals and downshift oxidative stress.
Roses also contain lots of vitamins like C, A and E – vitamins known for promoting healthy skin – as well as minerals like calcium and trace amounts of iron.
Clearly calming
Highly anti-inflammatory, Roses calm skin irritations and redness, while natural antibacterial properties keep skin clear.
New studies are showing that molecules present in Roses may stimulate the production of keratinocytes, which are very healing cells in the skin. Keratinocytes might be able to do all sorts of things, from fading scars, tackling inflammation and bacteria that would otherwise cause acne, and stimulate the production of collagen which can keep our skin looking fresh.
A little on Rosewater
Pure Rosewater has added pH balancing qualities, which also contributes to clearer, healthier skin. And those gentle astringent properties discussed above are also present in Rose water, helping to tone the skin and reduce puffiness. Not to mention how good it is for your mood (more on that below)!
And Rosehips – a whole other category
So loaded with nutrients are Rosehips that they are considered a superfood. We’re talking very high levels of vitamins and minerals, powerful fatty acids, flavonoid-rich antioxidants, carotenoids and more. They can be used internally to prevent and treat all sorts of chronic and acute conditions, from warding off cold and flu viruses to preventing cancer and arthritis.
When used topically on our skin, Rosehips have been found to work on a cellular level, improving cell longevity and building up the main structural protein in our skin, collagen. When collagen breaks down, so does our skin, leading to dullness, flabbiness, discoloration, wrinkles and dryness. Thankfully, Rosehips contain an enormous of vitamin C, which helps build up collagen.
The antioxidants in Rosehips also make them highly anti-inflammatory and helpful with skin issues like eczema and psoriasis. They can protect us from sun damage and reduce fine lines.
Perhaps most importantly, Rosehips keep our overall immune system strong and healthy. With proper nutrients and intra-cellular activity, the stress on our skin is reduced, allowing it to function more smoothly – which is good news for our entire body.
Roses for the Heart
A lot of people enjoy using Rose based products for its warm, calming scent. Study after study shows the relaxing effect that Roses have on people, even those who are clinically depressed or highly stressed.
In some ways, we are becoming more enlightened and more empathetic people, and yet in other ways it feels like the world is becoming increasingly aggressive. In the workplace, politics, on the roads, all over social media, whether liberal or conservative, everyone seems to be duking it out somehow.
Roses are a wonderful antidote to both anxiety and aggression, because they are sensual.
And heart opening.
If you look at the rose, you’ll see it happening – how it unfolds into hundreds of layers, all the way down to the deepest core.
Roses have long been used for tuning into the deepest self, releasing fears and grief, even trauma, and paving the path to peace. They also attune us to the healing power of love. There must be some reason why its association with love has survived all of these millennia, right?
Roses guide us to our center.
And when we are living from a place of love, peace and open heartedness, our entire immune and energy system functions at its best. This is true health and beauty, I believe.
We are all aging and cannot stop aging, but what we can do is age beautifully. Roses know how.
Find organic Roses in our rose gold elixir, bare naked body cream and sunburn relief spray. Rose petals are also ground into our terra firma clay mask.
Our rose otto toner is made with pure damask Rose waters.
We also use essential oils of Rose in our lavender orange hand and body soap and rose gold elixir.
Oh, and we wildcraft Rosehips from Swedish nature and infuse them into our rose gold elixir and caffeine skin polishing oil.
Wow, I never realized how many of our products contained Roses in some form!
Stay tuned for more in the Ingredient Spotlight series!
Thus far we’ve sung our praises to:
Elder – and separately Elderberry