This article will explore a rather colourful topic: the use of distilled water in makeup, skincare, and other cosmetic and personal care products.

Cosmetic companies only use distilled water, due to its exceptional purity, when manufacturing their haircare, skin cleansing and moisturising, nail care or makeup products.  This highly purified water acts as a solvent in these personal care products as it dissolves the active ingredients in cleansing and moisturising agents.

Distilled water is also popular among the DIY and organic living enthusiasts as you are able to make many natural skincare products with simple ingredients you can find in your local drugstore.

Here are three simple DIY cosmetic uses for distilled water:

Cleaning your makeup brushes

Good quality makeup brushes are an investment.  Due to their extremely high cost, proper care should be taken to ensure their longevity.  Here is a simple recipe for a DIY makeup brush cleaner:

• 1 cup distilled water
• ½ cup witch hazel
• 1 teaspoon olive, coconut, avocado or almond oil
• 2 teaspoons mild baby shampoo

Mix all the ingredients together in a glass bottle or jar and shake before each use.  To clean your brushes, soak the tips in a small bowl with the cleaning solution for 5 to 10 minutes.  Rinse under the tap, reshape the bristles and hang upside down to dry.  Makeup brushes are quite sensitive, so you don't want any liquid getting into the handles as this will loosen the glue and cause bristles to fall out.  Hanging them upside down or placing them handle-up on a towel will ensure that any liquid runs out and your brushes retain their shape.

Makeup setting spray

There's no need to spend hundreds on setting sprays that end up leaving your skin dry and your makeup cakey. For an easy and effective homemade setting spray, all you need is:

• A small 2 oz. spray bottle
• 2 teaspoons of vegetable glycerine
• Distilled water
• A drop of your favourite essential oil (optional)

Add the glycerine and essential oil to the spray bottle and top up with distilled water. Shake for a few seconds and you're good to go.

Facial Toner

Whether you want to get rid of dead skin cells or simply add and retain moisture in your skin, a refreshing facial toner is the way to go.  Many store-bought toners contain high levels of alcohol, which not only dehydrate, but also irritates sensitive skin.  Below are two recipes for homemade toner:

To reduce oiliness, blend the following into a smooth liquid:

• Half a cucumber (skin on and chopped)
• 2 tablespoons distilled water
• 3 tablespoons witch hazel

Strain through a fine colander or sieve and refrigerate in an airtight bottle.  Simply apply with cotton pads.  This moisture-rich toner will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

To remove dead skin cells and restore the pH of your skin, mix:

• 1/3 organic apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 distilled water

Use clean cotton pads to apply to your face and neck.

Discover other uses of distilled water by clicking here.