WHY USING FILTERED WATER IN DIY PROducts IS A MUST
UPDATED April 2020
When I first started making DIY beauty products years ago I remember in many of the ingredients list it would say filtered water. There was never an explanation as to why so I always thought it was more of a suggestion.
As I do with most things in my life I started researching how to properly preserve my homemade beauty products and I quickly realized I was making a mistake by not using filtered/ distilled water.
Anything that contains water can potentially spoil, mold, or grow bacteria. Check out why you need to be using filtered water in your DIY projects and a few more tips to keeping your homemade goods free of bad bacteria and mold.
Always use distilled, filtered Or boiled water When making your own products.
I know this can be a tough adjustment especially if you are like me and hate having extra steps in your DIY projects. However, what comes out of your tap water contains bacteria, some good, but some bad. If you let that bacteria sit out for more than a day or so things are going to start to grow.
Using distilled, filtered or boiled water (minimum of 10 minutes) will really cuts down on the chance that you’re introducing a contaminant to your recipe.
I love my Berkey Water Filter and use it for all my DIY products that call for water! Having a good water filter is a must, not just for your DIY products! Have you ever looked looked to see the contaminants that are found in your local tap water? Check out the EWG Tao Water Database for more information.
Sanitize everything
All the spoons, bowls, measuring cups, lids, need to be sterilized. Boil for at least 10 minutes to make sure all the bacteria has been killed. I reuse my jars and containers for my homemade beauty products, between each batch I make sure that I first wash with soap and then boil all parts of the container.
Make small batches
Especially when it comes to mixing oil with water; these two things LOVE to grow bacteria together. I know this can be a little time consuming but trust me you don't want to be running moldy products all over yourself. I try to have my most of my products last about a week or two but I also add natural preservatives like essential oils and Vitamin E oil to help extend the life of my products, more on that below!
Consider Storing your Homemade Goods in the Fridge
When it comes to you DIY products, water based creations specifically are are best stored in the fridge if you intend to keep them around for a while. If you live in a warm or humid climate, or it is summer, storing your goods in the fridge is a great way to extend the shelf life.
What are Natural Preservatives to add to DIY Products?
As I discuss above use distilled or filtered water is a must but I also highly recommend adding a preservative to your DIY products! Adding one or multiple preservatives will not allow your products to last as long as store bought but it will extend its shelf life and likely prevent any bacteria from growing.
1.) Vitamin E
Both Vitamin E Oil and Rosemary essential oil are considered antioxidants not actual preservatives. With that being said they do help to slow the oxidation in vulnerable ingredients. Oxidation is what happens when exposure to air or oxygen starts to compromise the oils or other ingredients
2.) Essential Oils (Rosemary)
Another great examples of natural stabilizers and can be found in scentless form if you don’t want all your products to smell like rosemary. This is one you can find in products like Simple Mills Crackers.
3.) Alcohol
This can be rubbing alcohol or spirits like vodka or brandy. I’ve even added a bit of gin to my DIY room sprays. Keep in mind that alcohol doesn't mix well with all fats, so using alcohol is a great option for water-based formulas.
Thinking about watering down a store bought products, think again…
This probably isn’t something that you think about but store-bought products include preservatives that are formulated for their original water content. This includes natural or synthetic preservative.
Who is to say the preservatives in the original product aren’t enough to protect bacterial growth if you add water? But do you want to risk bacteria growing?
Glass Containers for DIY products
I get asked all the time where I get my glass containers! Check out the links below for some of my favorites!
Clear Glass Spray Bottle :I use for my all purpose spray and I have one filled with water to mist my plants.
Amber Spray Bottle : Same style as the clear linked above but preferred for recipes that use essential oils, I go back and forth between the clear and amber spray bottles.
Amber Glass Rollers: (perfect for making essential oil blends and make cute gifts!
Clear Glass Jars: I love these for making teething rub, balms, creams, small sugar scrub, and other little DIY products.
Final Thoughts on Water based DIY products
As a rule, water-based creations will have a much shorter shelf life than oil- or butter-based ones, because water breeds life! There are ways to extend the life of the product, like adding an antioxidant or natural preservative or storing in the fridge! Whatever you decide to do I hope you feel a bit more educated on the importance of using filtered water in your DIY products , because who wants to rub mold all over yourself? No thanks!
