A recent visit to Mottisfont Estate in Hampshire, reminded me how beautiful their walled rose garden is when in full bloom. It's home to the National Collection of pre-1900 old-fashioned roses and they have over 500 species of Rose.

These beautiful blooms reach their peak in June and the scent hits you as soon as you walk through the arched doorway and into the garden. Everyone who visits seem to wander around with a smile on their faces and it's hardly a surprise as Rose is such a calming and uplifting oil.

Rose Otto (Rosa damascena)

The petals from the delicate Damask roses are picked at sunrise, when the fragrance is at its most potent. It takes over 200 flowers to produce just a single drop of essential oil, luckily, you only need a tiny amount to reap its substantial therapeutic benefits.

It's also among the most complex, containing over a 100 different chemicals, amongst which are many trace elements responsible for its aromatic perfume.  The existence of these trace elements make it impossible for Rose to be synthetically copied exactly so if you're not a lover of Rose, what you really may dislike is an over-sweet, artificially produced, poor substitute for the real thing.

Therapeutically, its effects are purifying, regulating, cleansing and toning and so is helpful to support the female reproductive system. It is a powerful antidepressant and is said to boost self-confidence and self-esteem, which makes it ideal to help ease the symptoms of low mood during menopause.

Rose is also a powerful addition to natural skin care, regenerating cells, rehydrating all skin types and being particularly effective for dry, ageing and sensitive skins and I love to use it in Bespoke Serums.

It's a luxurious oil to use in blends, but is certainly worth the investment when used wisely and prudently to savour its aromatic and therapeutic beauty.