What To Do With Rose Petals: 16 Fun and Useful Ideas

Roses are frequently linked with romance and beauty. They’re the go-to flowers for people to buy their lovers for special occasions and they’re also popular flowers to grow in your flower garden.

Roses are available in a wide variety of beautiful flowers, such as the traditional red, but also pink, white, yellow, and black.

However, what do you do with your roses once they’ve started to fade?

What if you have more roses than you can give as gifts? Don’t worry! You don’t need to throw away your roses as there are so many useful ways you can use the petals of a rose. 

Rose petals are not only beautiful, but they’re full of health benefits. Many of them are edible and are packed with vitamins and nutrients and their beautiful fragrance leads to many other uses as well.

In this article, we will give you some ideas of what to do with rose petals. We have 16 fun and useful ideas for you to choose from for both fresh and dried rose petals.

Let’s get started!

Which Rose Petals Should I Choose?

Be careful with rose petals that have been bought at a florist.

Most roses that are grown for wholesale use are grown with fertilizer and chemicals. These flowers are great for display but they shouldn’t be used in any ideas that are consumed.

Only use roses that you are 100 percent certain are organic for purposes such as these. If you’ve grown your own roses then you can control whether any insecticides or fungicides are used.

This is harder to control if you purchase flowers from a florist, however.

Some online florists are completely organic and only sell flowers that have been grown without any fertilizer or chemicals. You may be lucky enough to have an organic florist in your region as well.

If you’re lucky, you may even be able to find some wild roses growing in your local area that you can forage for.

It’s also possible to buy bags of rose petals. You can get both fresh and dried rose petals in bags from retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and many garden centers.

What Are The Benefits of Rose Petals?

There are so many different ways that you can use rose petals. Although we’ve picked the 16 best ideas in this article, there are so many other ideas out there.

Don’t be afraid to think of your own ideas and give them a try! 

Good ideas for rose petals take advantage of the benefits of rose petals. These benefits include:

• Beautiful colors
• Seen as luxurious and expensive flowers
• Delicate fragrances
• Biodegradable material
• Packed with vitamins, especially vitamin C
• Good source of antioxidants and phytonutrients
• Often organic
• Easy to source

As you can see, roses have so many benefits beyond just looking beautiful and smelling great! They have many benefits that make them ideal for beauty products and as ingredients in food and drink.

Now let’s look at some of those uses.

How Can I Use Rose Petals?

Before we get into some specific ideas for rose petals, let’s look at them in more general terms. Our ideas are far from an exhaustive list and there are so many more ideas out there!

Don’t throw away your beautiful rose petals when there are so many wonderful ways to use them.

Most of our ideas fall into one of the following categories and these categories should give you an idea of how they can be used:

• Crafts
• Homemade beauty products
• Rose-scented confetti and potpourri
• Rose petal compost
• Rose tea
• Candy and compotes

There are plenty of ideas for both dried and fresh rose petals. You’ll never throw another rose petal away after looking at our ideas!

What To Do With Fresh Rose Petals?

Let’s begin by looking at fun and useful ideas for fresh rose petals. These are the ideas you can use when your roses are fresh and haven’t had a chance to dry out yet.

Fresh rose petals are luxurious, fragrant, and romantic and this lends them to many different ideas. No matter what you’re looking for, there is sure to be an idea here for you.

1. Home-Made Rose Water

Rose water is a popular beauty product that you will find on the shelves of many stores that stock cosmetics. It has a variety of different benefits such as soothing skin irritations and reducing redness.

It can also help to balance the pH of your skin and may even reduce any fine lines or wrinkles.

It’s very delicate and gentle and has a wonderful subtle scent of rose. 

As well as being used in a skincare routine, rose water is also commonly used for a variety of uses such as in cuisine as ingesting rose water also has a long list of benefits.

It can help your digestive system by reducing the flow of bile, can reduce bloating, and can even work as a laxative.

Rose water is also simple to make. All you need are organic and fresh rose petals and distilled water. Once made, you can store your rose water for up to six months in the fridge.

2. Homemade Rose Essential Oil

Essential oils can be used for a wide variety of purposes and rose essential oils are one of the more popular oils available. There’s no need to buy these in the store when you can make your own!

Essential oils can be used when you bathe to scent your water and make it even more relaxing. They can become part of your skincare routine as an essential oil scrub, massage oil, or as a moisturizer.

You can also place the oil in a diffuser to add some fragrance to the air and reduce stress and anxiety.

Make sure you use organic rose petals for this and that you clean them thoroughly to ensure there is no dirt or bugs still on them.

Making essential oils will take a couple of days as you will need to leave the oil in a warm area for 24 hours for it to develop.

3. Homemade Rose Soap

Making your own soap at home has become very popular in recent years. It allows people to have complete control over the ingredients in their soap and tailor the fragrance to their tastes.

It is also a great gift to give as it not only shows that you care but looks amazing and unique.

You can use either fresh or dried rose petals for this soap. It also uses some rose essential oils and rosehip seed oil to add even more rose fragrance.

Making rose soap is a little involved and can irritate the skin, so make sure that you have the appropriate safety equipment in place before starting.

4. Homemade Rose Tea

Rose tea is a very underrated type of tea. There are many different herbal teas out there that are made from a variety of different plants and flowers and rose tea is one of the most delicious, in our opinion!

It has a very delicate taste and aroma that reflects the fragrance of roses and when brewed, is a pretty pink color.

You can use either fresh or dried rose petals to make your own rose tea.

The tutorial that we have linked to uses fresh petals, however. As you are going to be consuming aspects of the rose petals, you must ensure that they are organically grown and have not been treated with fertilizers or chemicals.

There are several different ways you can make rose tea. You can add a little rose flavor to your favorite green or black tea by simply adding a few petals as it brews.

To make a rose-only tea, just add petals to boiling water and give them time to infuse before removing the petals and drinking the tea.

5. Rose Petal Jam

Homemade jam is very popular and if you’re looking for something a little more unusual than strawberry or raspberry jam, then rose petal jam might be what you are looking for.

Rose petals make deliciously light jam that is perfect as a topping for scones or toast or can be added to ice cream or cake.

This rose petal jam is best made with the fresh petals of wild roses, but you can use it with dried petals or petals from other roses as well. Whichever petals you decide to use, make sure that they are pesticide and chemical free.

Making the jam is easy and will only take 40 minutes in total! You will need filtered water, organic cane sugar, lemon juice, and some Pomona’s fruit pectin as well as your petals.

Everyone is sure to love this rose petal jam!

6. Rose Petal Vinegar

Vinegar can be made from so many different sources, but have you ever heard of rose petal vinegar before?

As well as being suitable for many common uses associated with vinegar such as being an ingredient in vinaigrette, you can use it in many other ways as well.

It can be used as a hair rinse, as a soothing solution for sunburn and other types of itchy skin, and as an after-shave splash as well.

You will need fresh rose petals and they should be organic. You will get a more vivid color in your vinegar if you use the freshest petals possible. 

The rose petals are then added to heated vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is best, but you can use other types of vinegar as well. Let the vinegar and rose petals mix cool and then store in a sealed jar for a few weeks.

The jar should be kept in a cool and dark place. During this time, the rose flavors will infuse into the vinegar and it should become a lovely pink-red color.

7. Rose Petal Syrup

If you want to add some rose flavors to your favorite summer cocktails, then this homemade rose petal syrup is what you need. It’s for more than just cocktails, however, as you can also add some to your favorite green or herbal teas.

It can also be drizzled over pancakes and crepes to make your breakfast even more delicious.

There are many different ways to make rose petal syrup but the tutorial we’ve linked is one of the easiest we’ve found. It only requires four ingredients, which are rose petals, water, organic lemon, and sugar.

As you will be consuming the rose petals, make sure they’re organic and pesticide free.

Although making the syrup is easy, you will need to allow it to infuse for 24 hours. After it is infused, the rose petals will be removed and the sugar added. 

8. Crystallized Rose Petal Candies

Did you know that you can make candy out of rose petals? These lightly candied rose petals can be eaten as a sweet snack on their own but they’re especially great when used as decorations on cakes or cupcakes. 

They’re simple to make as well! All you need are some fresh rose petals, an egg white, and caster sugar.

Make sure that your rose petals are both fresh and organic as you don’t want your candied rose petals to be covered in pesticides!

In the recipe we’ve linked, you will need to leave the petals to dry for a couple of hours.

Once made, they’re good for up to four months! If you’re vegan, then you can follow this recipe instead which uses aquafaba in place of eggs.

9. Petal Mixed Media Art

Flower petals such as those from roses can be used to make mixed media art. These are pieces of art, usually made with pen and pencil, that then have petals attached to them to give them some extra life and layers.

They can be made by children and adults of all ages and even by those that have no art skills whatsoever!

As the petals are not going to be consumed or applied to the skin in any way, this is a great option for florist-bought flowers as well.

The petals don’t need to be organic, just make sure you wash the petals and your hands to remove any chemicals that may still be present.

The example in our attached link shows a woman or girl wearing a dress or skirt. The clothes are then brought to life by having petals glued to the page.

This is just one idea, however, and you can use rose petals to add more dimensions to any drawing you can think of!

10. Pressed Flower Bookmarks

This craft can be completed with any type of flower petal but is a great way to preserve rose petals.

If you’ve been given a bouquet of flowers for a special occasion, why not commemorate the flowers by making a bookmark from the petals?

This is another craft that is suitable for all ages. Pressing flowers has long been a popular craft and it can be used to make many different items and not just bookmarks. 

All you need is some parchment paper to absorb any excess moisture from your flowers and some card or paper for your bookmarks.

You will need to press your flowers underneath something heavy and the tutorial linked uses some books for this task. 

Pressing the flowers can take several days so don’t expect overnight results! However, when finished you will have a beautiful and unique bookmark.

What To Do With Dried Rose Petals?

There are just as many wonderful ideas that you can make with dried rose petals as well! You can dry the rose petals yourself or purchase bags of petals that have already been dried.

Usually, dried and dead rose petals are simply thrown away but the suggestions we’ve listed below will give you a wide variety of ideas on how to use these petals.

1. Pink Rose Salt Soak Recipe

Bath soaks are a great way to relax after a long and hard day. Simply pour some salt soak into your bathwater and enjoy the relaxing aroma and how it helps your tired muscles to unwind.

Homemade bath soaks are also a great gift idea as well!

Of all the different types of bath salt soaks that are available, some of the most popular are rose-scented. Rose is a wonderfully sweet, delicate, and relaxing scent and this makes it ideal for bath soaks.

To make this soak, you will need dried rose petals, pink Himalayan salt, Epsom salts, almond oil, and some rose essential oils. You can store it in a mason jar and make a cute label if you are planning to give it as a gift.

2. Rose Petal Bath Bombs

Another popular option that compares baths and dried rose petals are bath bombs. These fun items will add some fun to your bath time while also helping you to relax and unwind from a tough day.

They’re another great gift as well!

If you want to make the best and most professional-looking bath bombs possible, it’s best to use a bath bomb mold set. You can use these molds to make more than just rose petal bombs of course, so they’re worth the investment. 

The bombs are made with baking soda, citric acid, witch hazel (or water) pink Himalayan salts, bronze powder, and dried rose petals.

Taking a bath in rose petals has long been seen as relaxing and decadent and the bath bombs will add some petals to your bath water.

3. Homemade Potpourri

This is probably one of the easiest and most obvious uses for dried rose petals.

If you’ve ever used any potpourri at home you will have no doubt noticed that dried rose petals are one of the most common items included in the mix.

Their pretty colors and beautiful fragrance make them a must for potpourri.

You can use any dried flower petals that you wish for this potpourri. It’s best to use a mix of different petals so we don’t recommend using only rose petals but you could if you want to!

Mix together the dried flower petals and half-fill a vase of your choice. You can then add a few splashes of any essential oil before filling the vase with the rest of your dried flower petals.

Why not use the homemade rose essential oil that we linked to earlier in this article?

4. Rose Scented Shortbread

Shortbread is delicious and surprisingly easy to make at home. If you’re getting a little bored of regular plain shortbread, however, why not try this rose-scented shortbread?

Its unique flavors are sure to delight everyone who tries it!

This recipe uses both rose water and rose petals to get the rose fragrance and flavor. As you are going to be eating the roses in this recipe, you need to be extra careful with where they are sourced from.

If in doubt, use culinary rose petals as you can be certain that these are safe for consumption.

There is a fair amount of preparation involved with this recipe, but if you’re looking for something special for an equally special occasion, then this recipe is for you.

5. Dried Rose Petal Serving Tray

If you’re looking for a more complex and involved craft project that uses dried rose petals, then this option might be what you’re looking for.

By following this tutorial, you can make a beautiful, handcrafted serving tray that is completely unique.

This would be useful in any home and would make a great wedding or new home gift.

Before you start making this tray, you will need to press your rose petals and make sure that they’re fully dried out first.

You can purchase petals that are already dried and pressed, but doing it yourself gives you complete control over the petals you will use.

This process will take two to three weeks.

If you’re handy with wood, you can make your own serving tray from scratch. However, the tutorial we have linked uses a store-bought wooden tray.

The rose petals and any other decorations are placed on the tray and then it is covered in resin to seal everything in place.

6. Wild Rose And Yarrow Soap

This is our second soap tutorial on this list. In the case of this tutorial, however, it uses dried rose petals and adds some dried yarrow flowers as well.

This gives the soap a different smell and color from our other soap. 

This soap has a beautiful light pink color that is produced by the inclusion of some rose clay.

Making the soap is a little involved and requires many ingredients, but once you’ve made one type of soap you’ll be able to make other soaps quickly and easily.

As you’re using lye to make the soap, make sure that you have the appropriate safety equipment. You will need both safety glasses and rubber gloves to protect your skin.

You’ll also need a soap mold to shape your soap and you can either purchase some molds for this or make your own!

Final Thoughts

In this article, we introduced 16 different fun and useful ideas that you can make with rose petals.

We chose 10 ideas for fresh petals and six for dried petals, but some of the fresh petal ideas can be adapted to work for dried petals as well.

We picked a wide variety of different ideas for you to choose from.

There are many beauty products, such as soap, rose water, and bath bombs. We also chose a few food and drink ideas like rose syrup, rose-scented shortbread, and rose tea that you are sure to find delicious.

Finally, we included some craft ideas as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYUKFNuZUOM