Written by Sarah Huerter
Imagine having radiant, glowing skin that turns heads everywhere you go. It’s not just a dream – it’s possible with proper hydration and skin health! In this blog post, we explore the benefits of hydration and skin health, discuss optimal water intake, and provide tips for enhancing skin hydration through diet, skincare, and lifestyle habits. Prepare to unlock the secret to a healthy, well-hydrated complexion that will leave you looking and feeling your best.
The Impact of Hydration on Skin Health
Maintaining skin hydration is key to preserving its health, appearance, and elasticity. As a means to flush toxins from the body, increase blood flow and support skin elasticity, drinking water is vital for skin hydration. In fact, adequate water intake can help restore sensitive, acne-ridden, or blotchy skin to a healthy state, providing a radiant and blemish-free complexion.
Nevertheless, if your daily hydration needs are already met, drinking excess water may not necessarily enhance your skin’s appearance even though it is imperative for skin health.
What strategy can you adopt to consume the right volume of water for maintaining a healthy, hydrated skin? We will examine the factors influencing your water needs and provide some hydration tips.
The Science Behind Hydration and Skin
The connection between hydration and skin health goes beyond simply drinking water. Proper hydration supports skin cell function, nutrient delivery, and toxin removal, all of which contribute to a healthier complexion. When water is absorbed into the bloodstream and filtered by the kidneys, it hydrates cells, which is crucial for maintaining healthy skin. In addition, staying properly hydrated can decrease swelling and puffiness in the face and help regulate body temperature.
Signs of Dehydration in Your Skin
If like me, you’ve ever experienced dull, dry, and tired-looking skin, dehydration might be the culprit. Dehydrated skin may appear lackluster, parched, and predisposed to fine lines, wrinkles, and other indications of aging. Consistent skin dehydration can lead to higher levels of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and a compromised skin barrier. This can result in premature aging and various skin issues, including frequent acne breakouts and severe dryness.
Environmental factors, such as dry air, can also contribute to dry skin and dehydration, making it essential to stay hydrated and protect your skin from these external stressors.
Optimal Water Intake for Glowing Skin
Drinking an amount of water equivalent to your body weight in fluid ounces daily is a commonly recommended guideline for maintaining hydration. However, it's crucial to understand that this isn't a universal rule. The necessary water intake can vary based on factors such as age, activity level, climate, and individual metabolic differences. For those who struggle to track their water intake, we recommend using water bottles with ounce markings for easier monitoring. To explore this further you can find a link to a glass water bottle with ounce markings here.
Avoid Tap Water
Tap water comes from your local water company and that varies depending on where you live. The majority of public water systems collect surface water from reservoirs, lakes, rivers, and streams. After that, our public water companies are legally required to “treat” water before it flows through the pipes and into our homes, ensuring that we’re “safe” from the potential diseases caused by waterborne microorganisms like bacteria and viruses.
Unfortunately, we’re doing more harm than good. What the public water suppliers mean when they “treat” our water, is adding more disinfectants and chemicals to our already polluted drinking water… mainly from the years of using chemicals in agriculture and other big industries. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, there are over 700 chemicals in our drinking water, including “clean” sources such as wells and springs. In addition to outrageously high amounts of chemicals, public water supplies are often littered with toxins, heavy metals, and even pharmaceuticals… Yikes! Of all the chemicals we consume on a daily basis, chlorine and fluoride are the two most prominent.
Clean Water Alternatives
Find a local spring: When we lived in the PNW we enjoyed loading up the truck and filling up our 5 gallon jugs from the local natural spring. Free water!! Spring water is the most pure water I’ve come across, with community members running quality assurance and quality control by testing and sharing the results publicly, so rest assured it can be trusted and it’s the best. It’s straight from the source of nature and doesn’t cost a dime. Fill up as many 5 gallon jugs as you can fit in the care, preferably glass or BPA free, and place them in a basin for easy water drinking at home. Look up local springs at Find A Spring
Have spring water delivered: The same delicious water, but delivered to your door. Mountain Valley Spring Water is a reputable company that has over 100 distributors nationwide. While that is a brand we love, there could be other companies around you to choose from. Look up local spring water delivery near you.
Drink reverse osmosis water: Now that we live in TX we take our jugs to the nearby grocery stores and fill up at their reverse osmosis stations. Reverse osmosis is a water purification process that removes contaminants and is one of the most effective ways in doing so. Unfortunately, healthy minerals get removed during the RO filtration process, so we add trace minerals back into our jug before consuming.
Invest in a filtration system: Consider investing in a water filtration system for your home. Berkey water filters are a great place to start. Berkeys purify the water at a reasonable cost. Do your research to find the best filtration system for you…you can also consider whole home filtration systems that will cover the water you bathe and shower in as well…this is next level water game!
Use glass or stainless steel: Most bottled water is no different than the contaminated and ordinary tap water. Plastic containers can also leach toxic chemicals and harmful shreds of plastic into the water, especially if it’s been exposed to heat. Plastic is not a good choice for our body or the environment. Opt for using glass or stainless steel water bottles, jugs, or cups to drink from.
Speak kindly to your water: Dr. Emoto, Doctor of Alternative Medicine, conducted studies and experiments exposing glasses of water to various words, pictures, and music then freezing the water and examining the frozen crystals under a microscope. Emoto claims that positive words, emotions, music, and prayer directed at the water produced beautiful crystals. Since water has a crystalline structure, it holds memory, like an absorbent crystalline mirror…magical! Practice speaking love and gratitude to your water or simply play beautiful music in your home. You can read more about the study here.
Tips and Ideas for Staying Hydrated, Especially When You're Not in the Mood for Water
Fruits with High Water Content
Fruits and vegetables with high water content, like cucumbers and watermelon, can contribute to skin hydration and provide essential nutrients for overall health. These nutrient-dense foods not only help keep your skin hydrated but also offer vitamins A, C, and E, as well as potassium, magnesium, and zinc, which support skin health and overall wellbeing.
To increase your intake of water-rich fruits and vegetables, try adding them to meals or snacks, or enjoy them in the form of smoothies or juices.
Hydrating Beverages
In addition to water-rich foods, hydrating beverages like herbal teas and infused water can offer additional hydration benefits and support skin health. For example, consuming lemon water provides a source of vitamin C, which can promote collagen production and aid in the cleansing of the liver, leading to a clearer and more luminous complexion.
Water infused with cinnamon sticks or basil leaves can also provide skin benefits, thanks to their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to stabilize blood sugar levels, which can help prevent acne breakouts and heat related skin eruptions.
Experiment with different hydrating beverages to find the ones that work best for you and your skin.
Electrolytes and Salt
Electrolytes are essential minerals like sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. They play a crucial role in regulating fluid balance, muscle function, and nerve function. When you sweat during exercise or in hot weather, you lose electrolytes along with fluids. Replacing them helps prevent imbalances and maintain normal bodily functions. Add electrolytes or salt to your water (in moderation) to keep your mineral levels in balance. We love LMNT.
Enhancing Skin Hydration Through Skincare
Besides maintaining hydration through diet and water intake, enhancing skin hydration via skincare is equally crucial. Using moisturizers, serums, and masks designed to lock in moisture and support skin health can help keep your skin hydrated and looking its best.
Tallow is an optimal skincare choice to keep your skin gorgeous. Grass-fed tallow is made by harvesting and rendering suet, the fat from pasture-raised cattle. A byproduct of the cow, tallow is collected and used for cooking purposes and other skincare products. Once rendered to a pure state, tallow offers an impressive profile of fatty acids in a similar structure to the cell membranes and proportions of human skin, making it easily absorbable. Fatty acids are considered the building blocks of skin cells, which makes them an important component for skin repair and regeneration. Tallow also supports hormonal health and fertility.
Our skin is an ecosystem of millions of bacteria, which is known as our microbiome or microbiota. The microbiome is in charge of keeping us feeling and looking good by creating a healthy skin barrier. Our microbiome can get out of balance when we use unnatural products, cosmetics, and soaps that destroy the good bacteria with chemicals, alcohol, and synthetic fragrances. This can cause acne and a host of other skin problems. To build back up a balanced microbiome on your skin, be mindful of what your skin absorbs.
Let's raise a glass of water to your skin's health and embark on the journey toward a more radiant, well-hydrated complexion. It's simple yet powerful steps towards looking and feeling your absolute best!