DIY Rosewater Glycerin Moisturizing Spray
It’s been several years since I first shared my recipe for a homemade glycerin and water moisturizing spray. It’s a super simple mixture but it’s an option I think many people don’t realize is available to them. It can give your skin a different kind of moisturizing than the store bought lotions and it’s a great option to have around especially during the long cold winter months than can be so drying on our skin. It’s also a nice way to make a homemade moisturizer that’s not oily or greasy.
So once again this winter I’m mixing up a batch of this glycerin moisturizer that I’ve really come to love, but wanted to give it a slightly different twist. This year I’m adding some rosewater to the mixture too.
Can you use Glycerin as a moisturizer?
The first thing you may be wondering is if you can really use glycerin as a moisturizer. The answer is yes, and it makes a very good one! That’s because glycerin is a “humectant” meaning it can attract and draw water which is good news for dry skin. However glycerin is a somewhat sticky substance so the trick I use is to dilute it with distilled water in a 4:1 ratio (4 parts water to 1 part glycerin). This also puts it into a form that can be misted on your skin for hydration.
And if you are wondering “what can I mix with glycerin for my face?”, this dilution method is a great option too! By diluting the sticky glycerin with some distilled water it makes a perfect mist for hydrating faces.
Now, what about adding some rosewater?
What is Rosewater good for?
My first thought with adding some rosewater is that I simply wanted some fragrance. However after a little research I learned that rosewater has anti-inflammatory properties as well as being a good toner and cleanser for the skin that can help clean clogged pores. This is more good news for our faces and our skin in general!
Once I bought some rosewater (I bought the 4 oz Heritage Store Rosewater brand), I also learned that the fragrance is quite subtle, which I liked. I’m not one who likes heavy perfumes or smells so this also made rosewater a good fit for me. (Eventually I’m hoping to learn how to make my own rosewater!)
One more item to note is that you may think from looking at the bottles of rosewater that you are buying a pink liquid. Nope. My experience was that just the bottle is pink and the liquid inside is clear.
How to Make a Glycerin and Rosewater Moisturizer
As already mentioned above, the strategy for making a glycerin moisturizer is to dilute the glycerin with some distilled water in a 4:1 ratio. It’s important to use distilled water (rather than tap water) to keep bacteria from growing in your mixture as it sits. Distilled water is an easy and cheap product you can find in almost all grocery stores, usually sold in gallon size jugs. To make a rosewater version, I simply subbed in rosewater for half of the distilled water. Here are the measurements I used:
- 1/4 cup Distilled Water
- 1/4 cup Rosewater
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Glycerin
- Mist Bottle (I used this 8 oz glass bottle)
To make the spray: Pour the distilled water and the rosewater into your mist bottle. Then add the glycerin and gently swirl to mix the contents. (You may find a funnel helpful for getting your ingredients into your bottle).
To use: Mist the mixture onto your skin and then gently rub into your skin until absorbed.
A Few More Notes:
~ ~ I find the 4:1 ratio to be a good mix of the liquid and glycerin. However if you find the mixture still too sticky, simply dilute it with a bit more distilled water – OR – if you want more moisturizing, add a bit more glycerin. When you make your own you can customize it as needed!
~ ~ Also, if you don’t want to add the rosewater, simply do 1/2 cup distilled water + 2 tablespoons of glycerin. ( I often make a larger batch too using 1 cup liquid + 1/4 cup glycerin).
~ ~ I much prefer mist bottles for this mixture as opposed to spray bottles. The mist bottles provide a gentler, friendlier way to apply this to your skin as opposed to a blast from a spray bottle. Mist bottles are not always easy to find in the stores though, and like me, you may have to order what you want online. Another place to look for mist bottles is at beauty supply stores. Also if using a glass bottle, use care as your hands will become a little wet after rubbing the mixture onto your skin and you don’t want the glass bottle to slip out of your hands.
I hope you enjoy this quick, easy, and natural approach to keeping dry skin hydrated. It’s been a great homemade solution for me, and I think you’ll enjoy it too!
DIY Natural Rosewater Glycerin Moisturizing Spray
Materials:
- 1/4 cup Distilled Water
- 1/4 cup Rosewater
- 2 Tbl Vegetable Glycerin
- Empty Mist (or spray) Bottle (at least 6 oz size)
Instructions:
- Pour the distilled water and the rosewater into your mist bottle.
- Add the glycerin and slowly swirl to mix the contents
- To use: Mist the mixture onto your skin and then gently rub into your skin until absorbed.
Notes:
Related Reading:
- How to make a Semi-Homemade Body Lotion
- How to make an Olive Oil Moisturizer
- 3 Ways to Use Coconut Oil on Dry Skin
Hi Beverly…
Wanted to know if this mixture needs to be refrigerated or is good to use at room temperature….
Because it is made with distilled water, it will be OK at room temperature with no need to refrigerate. It’s also more pleasant to use on your skin when it’s at room temperature too!
No preservative at all?
I have found when using distilled water, that no preservative is needed, and that during the many months it took me to use up my spray there was no problems and the mixture was fine.
Hiya thank you for the recipe, I was wondering how long the rosewater with glycerin added will last for
This mixture has lasted for many months for me until I’ve used it up. The distilled water helps to keep this mixture very shelf stable.
Hi Beverly!
Just wondering how the distilled water acts as a preservative? if we made this with just rose water and glycerin would it still be preserved or does the distilled water help with that?
Thanks!
Any time water is added to a version of a recipe like this, I always recommend distilled water because it’s shelf stable and has had impurities removed and is a more pure option than regular tap water. However if you are making this with just rose water, the rose water already doesn’t have the worries of tap water, so you’re good.
Love these recipes. I have very dry skin so thank you for these moisturizing recipies. Also love the fact that the ingredients are easy to find in stores. Appreciate you sharing!
My glycerin sprays have helped me with my dry skin too. I’m glad you’ve had positive results as well!
Just discovered your site while looking for a padding compound glue and as is often the case online, one thing leads to another and I’m now enjoying your glycerin spray moisturizer recipe too!
Thanks so much for sharing with us.
Louise
from(“Way-up-North”) Quebec, Canada
Thank you for the measurements.
Hi, found your site while googling skin moisturizers with glycerine, made the one you are using a month ago and..wow, really really good. Does great on my aging spots also, and the crinkly skin on my arms is looking so much better, now misting post shower for that lovely all over feeling of wellbeing.
Thank you for sharing,
Chris
Hi I’m trying to make a natural toner for my customers and I was wondering do we have to put a preservative in the toner
I always use distilled water in my mixtures and they stay fine for the several months it takes me to use them up. So if you use distilled water, I don’t think you would need to add a preservative.
Hello.
I just want to know if I can add pure GLYCERINE to my body lotion. It’s not moisturizing at all . It also has sunscreen inside.
Will adding the glycerine affect anything in the lotion?
I also want to know if I can use glycerine and rosewater as my moisturizer daily going out with it. Can I apply sunscreen after using the mixture or I should add sunscreen to the mixture.
Hmmm, I’ve never tried to add glycerin to a ready-made lotion but perhaps that would work. I think though that you could all the benefits of glycerin by just mixing it with distilled water and have a more natural mixture too. If you also want to use sunscreen, I would use your rosewater/glycerin spray first and rub it into your skin, and then finish up with a later of sunscreen.
Great recipe, if we added a hyaluronic acid to this mix would it work too?
I’m not familiar with the consistency of hyaluronic acid, but I think you could add it to this mixture if it is not so thick that it would make the mixture hard to spray.
What if I don’t want to add the distilled water and just want to use the Rosewater? Is that ok? Or is it a MUST to add the distilled water?
I think you could use all Rosewater if you wished. My preference is to dilute the rosewater, but I don’t think you necessarily have to.
Hey what if I don’t use the rose water from heritage what if I made my own 1/4 rose water with the real roses added glycerin and the essential oil would it preserve still
As long as you use distilled water in this spray should preserve OK, and I think it would work fine to substitute in your homemade rose water.
Thanks Beverly for your great recipe.
Do we still need a preservative?
No preservative is needed. The distilled water keeps the mixture good, and it’s always stayed fine for me during the several months it takes me to use it up.
What if i add some dried flowers/flower powders to the mixture? Will i need a preservative?
Hmm, I’m not sure if that would work. Because this is a liquid mixture, I tend to think that any ingredient should be in a liquid form.
Thanks for the recipe. How long will this mixture last, approximately?
It usually takes me about 6 months to use up a batch and it does not go bad in any way during that time. I think it would actually last and stay good for many months beyond this too because of the distilled water in the mixture.
I add Rose Water to my Witch Hazel for a toner (they sell EXPENSIVE toners identical to this). For my Rose Water I go to a local grocery that sells foods from all over the world. I find it in the Middle Eastern section of the store. A bottle that’s probably 16 oz is a mere $1.75
Yes, adding rosewater to witch hazel is also an option, especially if you want to make a homemade toner for your face. And lucky for you that you can find rosewater for only $1.75 in your local store. That’s a great deal!
The rose water sold in grocery stores is rose water flavor which is an artificial flavor not actually rose water. It is mainly used in cooking. It is best to buy pure rose water for use on the skin.