Body, natural beauty

Natural Rosehip Oil for Vibrant Skin

Natural rosehip oil for glowing, vibrant skin is super easy to make at home. Follow the steps below to make your own, today!

Rosehips are the bright red fruit of the Rosa Canina that look a little like a cherry tomatoes. Once the rose flower has had its moment in the spotlight, bloomed in all its fragrant glory — because my oh my it’s oh, so fragrant — at the base of this flower, appears the humble rosehip.

The rose plant is a wild edible, from root to petal, and its gentle healing properties make a wonderful addition to the herbal apothecary into balms and nourishing lotions. Fun fact: bears feast on rosehips before hibernation as an emergency food. So if it can get them through winter feeling rejuvenated in the spring, you can put me in the queue.

While the floral scent of rose petals is commonly distilled into rose water, or pressed and made into perfumes, the rosehip has a more earthy, woodsy aroma and can be used in a variety of forms.

Today, I’ve decided to infuse the medicinal properties of this bulb into some organic almond and jojoba oil to use as a face (and body) oil. Rosehip oil for skin has been used since the dawn of time basically — dating back more than 4,000 years in various parts of the world– the ancient Egyptians swore by rosehip oil in their natural skincare routine as it is full of every nourishing element you could think of. The benefits of this oil have been since passed down from generation to generation.

The wonders of natural rosehip oil

Marvellous Moisturiser

Rosehips are packed with essential fatty acids like omega-3 (linoleic acid) and omega-6, which form a protective barrier to seal in moisture and soften your skin effortlessly.

Aids in Anti-Aging

Nothing against ageing over here! But who doesn’t want to age with grace and flair. Rosehip oil will have you ageing like a fine wine. Rosehips are packed with fatty acids, as well as potent antioxidants such as beta-carotene, which plays a vital role in keeping skin rejuvenated. It reduces fine lines and wrinkles and enhances your skin’s natural glow.

Soothes the Skin

With plenty of vitamin E and anthocyanin to go around, rosehip oil helps to reduce irritation and actively addresses eczema, hyperpigmentation, acne scars, rosacea, and dullness.

Cuticle care

Natural rosehip oil is not only beneficial to the face but also for overall skincare, especially cuticle care. In fact, the properties in rosehip oil also boost healthy nail growth. Rub some natural rosehip oil into your cuticles next time you gift yourself a manicure or pedicure!

Reduces Redness – Even Steven

Rosehips contain the mother of all vitamins– Vitamin C. This vitamin works like a charm to efficiently heal wounds, even out skin tones and reduce scars.

So, have I convinced you with this beautifully alliterated list to get out there and forage some rosehips? You’ll find them in wooded areas as well as urban areas from late summer into fall. Depending on your local climate, you may be able to harvest even up until December. Now, let’s make some natural rosehip oil.

How to Make Natural Rosehip Oil

Makes: 150ml Natural Rosehip Oil
Prep Time: 1 hour or less (harvesting + cleaning)
Infusion Time: up to 8 hours

Ingredients: 

  • 100g fresh rosehips
  • 150ml organic carrier oil of choice (almond or jojoba work well)

Yup, that’s it!

Directions:

  1. Venture out into nature and carefully collect ripe rosehips. You’ll know they’re ready when they’re beautifully rich red in colour and still firm to the touch. Watch out for thorns and the prickly stems.
  2. Head back home and remove all stems and leaves from the rosehips, then gently rinse off any dirt and debris with cool water.
  3. Using a wooden spoon (or mortar + pestle) smoosh the rosehips. This allows for all the medicinal properties from within the fruit as well as the seeds to be more easily released and absorbed into the oil.
  4. Pour your oil of choice into a small pot and mix in the rosehips.
  5. Over bain-marie or double boiler on the lowest heat setting (and ideally using a heat diffuser to prevent over-heating) start to delicately heat the rosehip oil. If it starts to boil, remove it from the heat temporarily.
  6. Give the mixture a stir occasionally and allow the oil to infuse for up to 8 hours on this really low heat. The higher the temperature, the more risk that the minerals and vitamins within the rosehip will lose some of their potency, so ideally work with really low temperatures here.
  7. When you’re happy with the level of infusion, sieve out the rosehip pulp and seeds using a fine-mesh sieve and potentially also a cheesecloth to make sure all the little bits of pulp are separated from the oil.
  8. Pour the oil into a dark glass pipette bottle or other bottle of your preference. I love a glass pipette as it makes for easy application. Make sure to keep the bottle out of direct sunlight. You can refrigerate it for longer storage. The oil will keep about 2-3 months out of the refrigerator in a cool dark place when made with fresh rosehips. Refridgerated this oil can keep up to one year.

Important Notes Before Using

Perform a patch test! Why? To make sure your skin won’t have adverse effects to any of the ingredients, it is a good idea (as with first time use of all beauty products, especially when exposing your skin to foreign ingredients) to test a small portion of your skin before applying the product to your entire body. 

  1. Apply a small amount of the product to your forearm. Wait for 24 hours (or more if necessary for your skin sensitivity) and keep an eye on the area for rashes or irritation. 
  2. After 24 hours, if no signs of redness or irritation have appeared, the product is compatible with your skin. 

Patch testing properly can prevent severe allergic reactions and acne. Before incorporating new beauty products into your regular skincare routine, it is a good idea to patch test absolutely everything. Be patient with your body, with your skin, get to know it to understand which oils and ingredients are a good fit.

Daily Use

Apply a few drops of oil with clean fingers onto a freshly washed face and massage evenly. Don’t forget your neck and décolleté! I personally use this oil morning and evening or whenever I feel like my skin needs a little extra boost.

I hope you’ll give it a go and enjoy the miraculous benefits of this golden oil. Don’t be afraid to leave me a comment or any questions below!