Rose Petal Vinegar + 7 Ways to Use It

glass jar filled with red rose infused vinegar, text says "Rose Petal Vinegar"

This stunningly beautiful rose petal vinegar is super easy to make and has tons of great uses!

It will keep for at least a year, though the color is most brilliant during the first few months.

If you have an abundance of roses and want to preserve some of that beauty – try making rose petal vinegar today!

Rose Petals Collected in a glass jar on a wooden background

Step 1

Gather fresh rose petals. (If you don’t have fresh, you can use dried, though the color might not be as bright.)

Dark pink or red petals makes the most vivid colored vinegar, but you can use any type you have on hand.

I always let the flowers sit outside on the porch for a little while to make sure any bugs have time to escape. (Bug vinegar is NOT so appealing!)

Step 2

Heat some vinegar almost to a simmer, then pour into the jar filled with petals, all the way to the top.

You don’t have to heat the vinegar first, it just helps jump-start the infusing process and makes the color appear faster.

It doesn’t really matter what kind of vinegar you use, though apple cider vinegar is considered by many to be best because it’s least processed.

Step 3

Use a plastic top, or cover the jar with a layer of plastic wrap then a lid, and let sit in a cool, dark place for a few weeks or until the desired color is reached.

(Vinegar will eat away at metal, so don’t let it directly contact metal lids.)

Strain and decant into pretty glass bottles for storage or gift giving.

Store your rose petal vinegar in an area away from direct sun as the light will make the color fade faster.

7 Uses for Rose Petal Vinegar

7 Uses for Rose Petal Vinegar

Rose petal vinegar is not only pretty to look at, it’s quite useful too!

1. It’s very cooling, so think of putting it on things that are inflamed such as bug bites and itchy spots.

2. Dilute with water and store in a spray bottle in the refrigerator to relieve the pain of sunburn.

3. It’s reported to be a great treatment for rosacea, though I’ve no experience using it for that.

4. This also makes a lovely hair rinse or…

5. a refreshing addition to your bathwater.

6. Mixed with around 3 parts witch hazel to 1 part vinegar, it makes a nice after shave splash.

7. You can also use this gorgeous vinegar in your favorite vinaigrette recipe.

Some links on this site are affiliate links; I only recommend products I personally use and enjoy. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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83 Comments

  1. Just stopping by from the Blog Carnival and Wow! This looks so great. As soon as my roses bloom, I will be trying this!

  2. This is so pretty! Thanks for the idea, I may be trying it out soon! (I’m the one who replicated your violet jelly)

  3. Okay, I need to try this, too! I just love your ideas! I have
    Rosacea, and although I never would have thought to put vinegar on my sensitive skin, I’ll try anything once. :) I’ll let you know how it works out, although it will be awhile because the roses aren’t blooming here yet.

    1. I’d love to know how it goes! I did a quick google check and it seems that just plain vinegar might help too, diluted with water 50/50. I’d think infused with herbs or flowers though would give a bigger boost of healing properties. I wonder how violet vinegar would do… the leaves are so good for the skin. It’s an interesting concept for sure and like you said, doesn’t hurt to give it a try! :)

  4. Why couldn’t you use this as a disinfectant? I make the same thing using citrus peels and it works just great on the counters or other surfaces I want to clean. Seems like the vinegar is the active cleaning agent no matter what you diffuse in it. I am going to try this right now with my birthday roses that are starting to fade!

    1. That’s a great idea that I haven’t tried yet! I have a lemon peel homemade cleaner too and LOVE it. The only thing I can think of is that rose vinegar is a very dark rose color, so I’m not sure if it would stain light surfaces? I’ll try it out on a test spot though! Thanks! :)

    1. Hi Jenny! Thanks for stopping by. :) I’m glad you found the post useful! I have more rose concoctions brewing in my kitchen now that I hope to post about soon!

  5. It is beautiful! I’ve never tried this – but we don’t have many roses. Just little wild ones.

    You can tour Polyface any day but Sundays – they have an open door policy so you just show up and walk around!

    1. Oh I love wild roses! :) That is great to know about Polyface. We REALLY admire Joel Salatin & his work. Thanks for the info!

    1. I have some of these, that even my husband accidentally dumping the salt water from the ice cream maker on didn’t kill. (It killed all the other surrounding plants.) I think they are pretty tough! They’re quite thorny, but provide me with loads upon loads of flowers, plus rose hips.

    2. Go where they will teach, you how to grow roses. Find a local chapter and you will be a happy rose grower. American Rose Society will direct you to local chapters.

  6. What a beautiful color! I love all the uses you’ve listed for it. I will certainly try this when my roses bloom.

  7. This is so awesome, Jan! I use vinegar as a rinse after I shampoo, but having gorgeous rose petal vinegar sounds divine! I also like the idea of putting it on sunburns too! Very cool stuff. Thanks so much for linking up with us this week at Tiny Tip Tuesday!

  8. Loving this idea! Definitely going to try it.

    Thank you for sharing at Rural Thursdays this week. xoxo

  9. I have some roses with no smell. Does that matter? I believe they may be the root stock of hybrids.

    1. I have several types mixed in mine – some wild behaving rosa rugosas, some tea roses, an antique rose, and one just like you mention – that I think is the root stock from a hybrid my hubby dug up years ago when he decided to redo the front flower beds. (It WAS a yellow rose, but it came back up the next year as a small, red, barely scented one that doesn’t smell that great.) I mixed that in there with the rest because I loved the darker color, so I think it will be fine to try and see how you like it!

      1. You may be the proud owner of “Dr. Huey” – the root stock often used for hybrid tea roses.

        1. I looked it up and yes! That is my rose! I’m glad to know its name now! It adds such a pretty color to my rose projects – so I’m glad it survived my husband’s landscaping! :)

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  12. That is gorgeous! Wish I had more roses to sacrifice! The bug bite juice sounds great to have around this summer.

  13. Your post side-tracked me so that I forgot to thank you for linking up with Farm Fresh Friday!! Have a Rosy Day!

    1. I saw Let This Mind Be In You mention Farm Fresh Friday on her facebook page and had to check it out – it looked lovely! Thanks for letting me join in! :)

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  15. I will be sure to give this a try and am delighted to have found your blog:-) I would feel honoured if your were to share your posts with us at Seasonal Celebration Sunday @ Natural Mothers Network! Rebecca x

    1. Hi Rebecca! I just submitted my post. You have a lovely site! Thank you so much for the invite! :)

  16. Jan- I am so happy that you linked this up at Seasonal Celebration Sunday. I am your latest fan-just love what you are doing! Rebecca x

  17. This is a great idea! I love how pretty it looks. I bet this would be great for my hair rince too.

    1. It makes a great hair rinse! And the smell is rather pleasant once it ages – not too vinegary like plain vinegar can be. :)

  18. Very interesting! I’d never heard of rose petal vinegar. Thanks for stopping by Taking Time To Create and commenting on my Jam Labels post!

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  20. I love the idea of this vinegar. One note of caution, however – be sure to make it with only organically grown roses. The sad fact is that the majority of purchased roses are shipped in from other countries where pesticide rules are lax or non-existent. I don’t really enjoy florist roses – all I can see are the poison soaked fields – and workers – in South America. The best roses to use, of course, are your own pesticide free roses. An added bonus to using your own is that the carbon footprint of your flowers is very very small.

    1. That is a great point to mention! I don’t enjoy florist flowers as much as I should either, because of the same reasons. One of the sweetest and most appreciated gestures from my husband, is when he comes in from working outside with a handful of randomly gathered flowers for me. FAR more meaningful than anything he could ever buy! :)

  21. I love your site! I am just starting lotions, soaps and balm making. We have been homemade detergent and dishwasher soap for months. Feels great to rid my family of toxic materials.

    1. Thanks! It is indeed a great feeling to create your own pure and natural goodies – and so much fun! :)

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  23. You said it should be stored with a non-matalic lid. would a canning jar work since the inside of the lide is not metalic? or can you put plastic wrap over the top and then screw the lid on?

    1. Hi Jessica! I tried storing one of my first batches of infused vinegars with a regular canning lid and it still began to corrode all around the ring area. Definitely put a layer of plastic wrap between the lid/ring and the jar so that no vinegar can come in contact with the metal and occasionally check to see if it needs replacing. Lately, I’ve been storing my various vinegars in corked bottles I bought from Specialty Bottle. They’re so pretty & I don’t have to worry about the metal rusting.
      Hope this helped! :)

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  25. Thank you so much for this recipe! I love vinegar uses. Now I have a plan to recycle the roses from my valentine bouquet. Just hated the thought of throwing them away.

    1. Hi Kelly! It will be lovely! Florist or store-bought roses shouldn’t be used for eating or putting on your skin (too many pesticides not approved for humans), but you could use it for cleaning! :)

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    1. Hi Jodie! If you are just spot applying it to a bug bite or two, you can dab it on straight. It really depends on your skin type. Pure vinegar can sting, so the more sensitive your skin, the more water you could add. The best way to find out is to do a little spot test on the inside of your arm and adjust the water from there.

  30. I had some roses that didn`t smell , but couldn`t resist trying this . I forgot to heat the vinegar and just poured it over my petals. It`s only been a couple of hours and the color is amazing . Will it effect the outcome that I didn`t heat the vinegar first ?

    1. Hi Sandy! The heat only jump starts the process & makes the color start developing faster. So, your vinegar will be just fine! :)

  31. I made this lovely rose petal vinegar and it is beautiful . I gave some to my daughter to try after getting sun burned and she said it did cool the burn but also she didn`t peel . I did half its strength with water ! Thank you so much !

  32. Is the heating necessary? I prefer to use raw ACV and wouldn’t want to kill all the rawesome goodness. :)

    1. Hi! You don’t have to use the heat. It just jump starts the color process for those of us who are sometimes on the less-than-patient side. ;)

  33. I absolutely love this idea. I usuallt use the “No Poo” method for my hair and this would be a great addition for the smell.

    Would letting it sit the full 6 weeks improve the smell benefits?

    Also, what do you use to strain yours with?

    1. It seems to me that by week 3 you have pretty much the smell that it will end up with for a while – to me it smells mildly fruity with a hint of vinegar. As it ages, the color will fade – I just went and looked at a bottle I had left from last year and it is now orange tinged and smells a bit like wine! I use a fine mesh metal strainer. Normally, metal and vinegar is a no-no but I do it so quickly and rinse the strainer right away and haven’t had trouble. (I’ve had that strainer for 15 years and it was my mom’s before that!) :)

  34. Will bringing apple cider vinegar to a simmer kill “the mother”? I’ve heard a lot about all the goodies the mother has to offer and that you should buy raw acv because the heat from pasteurization kills the mother. Is is possible to make rose petal vinegar without heating the vinegar? Does it just have to sit to infuse longer or is heating mandatory?

    1. Hi Annessa! The heat only jump starts the process and makes the color develop quicker (for visual folks, like me.) It is just as effective to avoid heating.

  35. Have you run into any problems with staining?? I have a batch of rose vinegar and just did some lavendar vinegar and orange & cinnamon vinegar. I want to use for fabric softener but I’m concerned about them all staining the clothes. The vinegar turns such beautiful colors! I almost hate to use them!

    1. Hi Jasmin, I know what you mean – they are almost too pretty to use! I’ve not had trouble with staining as far as lavender and citrus vinegars. I haven’t tried cinnamon or rose petal in the wash though. Since my rose vinegar is such a deep red, I was a bit worried about it staining too, so haven’t really tried it other than cleaning a spot on my light colored counter. (Which didn’t stain.)

  36. Hello! I just made my very own lavender and rose vinegar! Whoo-hoo!!

    Thank you for sharing your insights and learnings — I love it! I too have a(budding) interest in edible/useful plants so often neglected or forgotten. So I appreciate your blog.

    God bless you!

  37. This so interesting not to mention how pretty it looks. I can’t wait for spring so I can plant a rose bush and make this, I have an idea of a recipe to use it in, I’ll be sure to let you know how well it works.

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