Rose water - what's the difference?

I've heard that rose water is great as a toner or a general mist for your face but I'm really confused by all these different types of rose water. I know many websites that sell essential oils also sell rose water and they are usually a by product of making the essential oil. But then there are all these DIY rose water tutorial where you can just boil rose petal (which doesn't seem very potent to me). I also have a bottle of food grade rose water (I use it to make Persian ice cream) but the ingredient just says rose water with no other information. Does anyone know which type works the best as a toner or which one is real rose water?

I have a bottle of rose water. I am not sure about the ones you make, but this one Ihave is really nice. I too have heard it's good for your skin. Same with witch hazel, that is suppose to be a good toner, and I have seen witch hazel and rose water mixes being sold. But what I do is put some witch hazel on, then some rose water afterwards. I love the smell of it and it feels cool and calming on my skin.

Ooh I have some witch hazel so maybe I will try a combo with my food grade rose water and see how that turns out. Since its edible i can't imagine it damaging anything. Thanks for the tip!

I would love to try a recipe with the rosewater sometime. But for now, my face gets to appreciates it. /emoticons/[email protected] 2x" width="20" height="20" />

Most rose water is made from Rosa Damascena. Rose water is just Rosa Damascena rose petals boiled in water. Rose water carries a very small amount of rose oil, phenylethyl alcohol (this is the floral scent) and a few other things which are obtained from the rose petals. Rose oil is very expensive because it requires tons of roses to get just a little bit. There are other oils like rose hip oil, but that's not the same as rose oil. Rose water is also just a by product of the production of rose oil. If you want it to be more specific you need to look up the production of rose oil.

I use Thayer's Rose Petal Witch Hazel Alcohol Free and I love the way it feels on my skin. It feels moisturizing and the rose water covers up the funky smell of witch hazel! 

I looked up the brand of rose water I have and it said this about it:

Product Description This is a food grade rose water that can be used for cooking, flavoring your drinks, icing, or to use in your moroccan rose water sprinkler to sprinkle on you and your guests after dinner. Use also as a lovely fragrant rinse for your hair, a fresh and fragrant body splash, or as a toner for the skin. (The brand I have is Cortas - my health food store sells it and it's pretty cheap, like under $5 last time I got some.)
 
 
I love how strong of a rose scent the rose water has for such an inexpensive price.
 
I wouldn't put rose oil on my face, or any part of my skin, not whole strength. Rose essential oil is meant to be mixed with other things like lotions or sprays. Only a few drops is needed to go a long way in using it to make herbal and cosmetic products. I have an unscented lotion I was thinking of adding some rose oil to. But my other thought is maybe adding some jasmine oil and orange oil. I had a hand cream once that was orange jasmine scented and it was really nice.