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Water options in underdeveloped countries.
I have always used only distilled water for everything I make.
A friend of mine in an underdeveloped country is asking me if there is another type of water she can use to make some cream with, because she has not been able to source distilled water and does not want to distill it herself.so what would her options be? I’m pretty sure tap water is a no, it’s not even safe to drink it in her country, but is bottled water ok?
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10 Replies
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Generally, if the water is drinkable, it’s probably ok for a cosmetic product. You might need extra chelating agents in your formula but it should otherwise be ok.
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In underdeveloped countries they drink any type of water they can find so that may not be an option.
If she can not filter wayer by herself, the good option will be to use mineral bottled water from reputable big brands to be sure that they are clean + chelating agent. -
Abdullah said:good option will be to use mineral bottled water from reputable big brands to be sure that they are clean + chelating agent.My thoughts as well.
Take one which is low in calcium. -
“In underdeveloped countries they drink any type of water they can find so that may not be an option.” - good point.
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This will depend a lot on where she is geographically - not just the country, but the location (state, city, urban or rural area, how is access to basic sanitation, etc). :#Sorry if this sounds rude, but it’s a little incorrect to label all underdeveloped countries (and all of their regions) in that way - and I say this because I live in one of them
. Even in developed countries like the United States there will be places where access to water is difficult and people need to “consume what they find”. 
Do you know exactly why she doesn’t want to distill the water? Would it be economical, due to equipment she doesn’t have, a very complex process, etc?In my opinion, tap water (when treated) is usually ok (of course, I’m generalizing on this statement). If the region where she is is less likely to have basic sanitation, she can boil the water to get rid of possible microorganisms and unwanted agents and filter it in some way less complex than the distillation itself.I agree with what you said about chelating agents. Add them even if the region’s water doesn’t have a history of being properly hard.Sorry again if I sounded rude, I didn’t mean to! (:
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Try to buy a bottle of flat bottled water, not mineral water infused with gas. If you use tap water from a 3rd world country I would firstly boil it then cool it. Then as Perry says use a higher dose of a chelator. Most of us use EDTA or the natural version is Sodium Phytate. Then make sure you use both vitamin E, tocopherol isomers for shelf life & to abate free radical product degradation.
Also, leave the water in the 1 spot for a few days to a week as there may be sedimentation in the water column. If so that will precipitate out whilst stable with no movement and you will find it at the bottom. Then transfer the clear water to another vessel. And your ready to go! -
Regarding the statement of @”Dr Catherine Pratt” : If you want to let ‘dirty’ water sit around, do so in a PET bottle in bright sunshine. The green house effect and the fact that PET is enough UV permeable kills most microbes and other bugs within a few days. It’s also a good way to reuse PET bottles (mind, only PET works properly and remains intact). HERE‘s one of the sites about this ‘survival hack’.
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UV does penetrate PET but wonder at an intensity adequate to kill bugs with or without “greenhouse.”.
3rd world cosmetics are typically contaminated. Let’s not imagine some contrivance to establish a quality fantasy. -
To be fair, you can’t drink the water in Jackson, Mississippi, USA today
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A workaround that you might like to try. I discovered this when I was upgrading labs at an Indonesian University campus. A lot of it was advanced analytical equipment (mass spectrometers, chromatographs spectrometers (AAS, and fluorescence),The water from the airconditioners tested pure. The trick was to pipe it directly into a clean container. As they were running 24/7, and there were a few AC,s the water they produced was adequate.
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