Valentine’s Day has come and gone, and some of you sentimental (and practical) people have saved your roses – and may be wondering… now what? You can use fresh petals from your garden or you can use those roses from Valentine’s Day!
Uses for fresh rose petals:
- Candied rose petals – wash them, pat them dry, and paint with egg whites. Dip in superfine sugar until well coated, place on paper towels on a cooling rack until hardened. Feed to your lover to enhance your love life.
- Sprinkle fresh white rose petals at the corners of your property to bless your home and promote tranquility and peace.
- You can sprinkle rose petals of any color over your vehicle to ask for safe travels.
- Use fresh rose petals on your altar to honor the goddesses of fertility and love.
- Use fresh rose petals and lavender in your bath, to create a spell of love – ask that the fragrant petals attract a lover, and dispel negativity.
There are many spells that can be enhanced with the use of dried rose petals. You will need to first dry your roses, and there are a few methods that work quite well.
To Dry Roses:
Quick and Easy – Microwave Method: Pluck the petals right from the base of the rose, and arrange them in a single layer on a paper towel. Microwave them in 30-second intervals, checking in between sessions to see how much moisture is left. You don’t want to overdo it, as they can burn and char and then won’t smell very nice. This process usually takes between 2 and 3 minutes. Once they are as moisture free as possible, lay them on a cookie sheet and leave them for 24 hours. They should be ready to go at that point. Store them in a sealed jar until ready to use. (I like this method the best because I tend to be impatient, and sometimes find that drying them in a closet can make them smell a bit musty.)
Best way to dry to retain their color: Hang them by the stem in a dark, moisture-free area. Sunlight will make them fade more than you may want, so try inside a closet or in a room that gets very little direct sunlight. This drying process can take quite a bit longer (up to a week or more), but if retaining the color is important to you (like for use in potpourri) this method is best.
Drying in a regular oven: Set oven to 200°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and lay the single rose petals in a layer on the parchment. Bake at 10 minute intervals until they are dried and crispy. They can get pretty fragile using this method, so try not to overbake them, or they will crumble when you try to pick them up.
So now that you have your pretties all dried and fragrant, here are some magical ways to use them:
- Create a sachet – place rose petals, a vanilla bean and a cinnamon stick in a small mesh square, tie with a pink or red ribbon, and use in your lingerie drawer.
- Create potpourri – mix with dried lavender, dried rosemary, and other dried flowers, set in an open dish to scent small areas (like bathrooms)
- Make homemade rosewater – take 2 cups of rose petals, and place in a pot. Cover with about 3 cups of distilled water. Bring to a simmer, and simmer for approximately 20 minutes, long enough for the rose petals to have lost some of their color. Strain the rose petals out of the water, and store the water in a glass jar. You can spritz this water on your skin after your shower, it smells wonderful!
- Make a rose “tea” – this can be used to soothe your skin, helps with rosacea and eczema and can also be added to honey jars to sweeten relationships.
- Use rosewater in a beauty spell, washing your face with it and asking for your inner beauty to shine through you and sweeten your reflection and your outlook.
- Create a heart chakra opener: In a small velvet pouch (or something similar) add dried rose petals, a spritz of rose water, and a small piece of rose quartz. On the first night, lay the pouch on your chest over your heart and say “Open my heart to love, open my heart to healing, open my heart to truth.” During the day, carry your rose pouch with you. Repeat for three nights. After the third night, empty the contents of the pouch out onto the ground and allow the wind to blow the petals away. You can save the rose quartz and keep on your altar. This can be repeated as necessary to open your heart chakra.
- Make Florida Water: (used to cleanse your home of negative energies) Use 1 tbsp each of fresh mint, basil, and rosemary, three tbsp each of dried rose petals and lavender buds, 1 tbsp each of orange or lemon peel, some allspice and cinnamon – mix all of this with two cups of vodka. Let simmer for 40 minutes. Strain, saving the water. This Florida water can be used when working with spirit, to cleanse the area when done.
When using roses to eat, make sure that you are using organic roses, that have not been sprayed or treated with pesticides or “flower food” (commonly used at flower shops). These are generally not safe! For other uses, such as in spells and potions, wash your petals thoroughly before using or drying to ensure that they are chemical and bug free! Consider drying the other flowers that came in your bouquet for similar uses – baby’s breath and ferns are excellent to use in spell work! We love using roses in our spellwork, and we use rose petals in our Cherish Salt and rose essential oil in our Sugar Goddess Aphrodite sugar scrub. How do you use your rose petals? Leave a comment and let us know!