Your skincare routine doesn’t have to start with store-bought jars and bottles. Right outside your door, your garden can be a natural beauty cabinet filled with flowers that soothe, heal, and nourish your skin.
These blooms offer gentle yet powerful benefits, from calming redness to restoring moisture. You can turn them into teas, oils, creams, or baths with just a few simple steps.
Best of all, they’re fresh, organic, and free from harsh chemicals. Here are 11 lovely flowers you can grow and use to keep your skin looking and feeling its best.
#1 Borage
Borage is a skin-loving flower that softens and refreshes tired complexions. You can make a simple eye compress by soaking a clean cloth in cooled borage flower tea and resting it over your eyelids.
The petals can also be infused into creams along with chamomile to ease inflammation. To grow borage, plant it in full sun and keep the soil moist. Harvest fresh flowers as they bloom for the best potency.
#2 Rose
Roses are more than romantic; they’re a skincare treasure. Their petals and hips can be used to calm irritation and add a natural glow.
Try washing your face with rose-infused honey for a clear, smooth finish. You can also scatter petals in a warm bath to relax your skin and mind. For the healthiest blooms, plant roses in rich soil with plenty of sunlight.
#3 Yarrow
Yarrow is a powerful healer with clusters of tiny white blossoms and feathery leaves. It’s often used to help cuts close and speed up recovery.
To use, steep the flowers in hot water and apply the cooled liquid to minor wounds with a clean cloth. It grows well in sunny, dry spots and is very low-maintenance. Keep a few dried yarrow sprigs on hand for quick, natural first aid.
#4 Elder
Elderflowers bring a gentle touch to uneven or blotchy skin. A cooled infusion can be used as a refreshing facial rinse to smooth and even your complexion.
They’re also lovely added to homemade toners. Plant elder in a sunny to partly shaded spot with good drainage. Pick flowers when they’re fully open for the best fragrance and effect.
#5 Calendula
Calendula is a go-to for soothing dry, irritated, or sunburned skin. Its petals are often added to balms, salves, and creams for their calming effect.
You can make a simple calendula oil by steeping petals in olive oil for a few weeks, then straining. Grow calendula in full sun and keep picking blooms to encourage more flowers. Use fresh or dried petals, depending on your recipe.
#6 Chamomile
Chamomile’s gentle touch is perfect for tired eyes and sensitive skin. A warm chamomile compress can help reduce puffiness, while a bath infused with the blossoms eases dryness and tension.
You can also blend chamomile with lavender in an ointment for itchy spots. Plant it in a sunny location and harvest flowers as soon as they open. Dry them quickly to keep their soothing power.
#7 Violet
Violets offer soft, soothing care for delicate skin. They can be used in baths for babies or made into poultices for cystic acne.
Combine violet with chamomile in a cream to help relieve itchiness in young children. These flowers prefer partial shade and moist soil. Pick fresh leaves and blooms for the most gentle results.
#8 St. John’s Wort
St. John’s Wort produces cheerful yellow flowers that, when steeped in oil, turn a deep red. This oil works well for burns, muscle soreness, and inflamed skin.
To make it, cover fresh flowers with olive oil and leave them in a sunny spot for a few weeks before straining. The plant grows easily in sunny areas with well-drained soil. Store the oil in a cool place to preserve its healing properties.
#9 Lavender
Lavender cleanses, calms, and refreshes the skin while also relaxing the senses. You can dab cooled lavender tea on bug bites or sunburn, or add dried blooms to a soothing bath.
For small cuts, a diluted lavender oil can help keep them clean. Plant lavender in sunny, well-drained spots and prune after flowering to keep plants healthy. Harvest flowers when the buds just start to open for the best scent.
#10 Comfrey
Comfrey’s purple blooms and leafy stems are famous for their skin-repairing abilities. Infuse the leaves and flowers in almond or olive oil to create a nourishing skin tonic.
It’s great for rough patches and minor scrapes. Comfrey grows quickly in moist, rich soil and partial sun. Always wash fresh leaves before using to remove any dirt.
#11 Lady’s Mantle
Lady’s Mantle is known for calming weeping eczema and soothing sores. A bath with these leaves, borage, and chamomile can help reduce irritation.
You can also blend it into an ointment for targeted care. Plant in partial shade with moist soil to keep it lush. Avoid using during pregnancy, as it has stimulating effects on the uterus.