Drinking Water for Beautiful Skin?
Look at a random list of nutrition tips for beautiful skin and there is a good chance that drinking water is in between, especially a lot of water. Because I’m asked so often, I still want to pay special attention to it… eh☺
Table of Content
Does drinking water help with dry skin?
Not really. You can’t just drink away dry skin at the tap. Water passes through the body too quickly to have this effect on the skin. Moreover, simply put, water arrives last in the skin, after it first passes through all your organs.
But what if you increase the amount for some time? Drinking extra water every day might make your skin glow more? That question is not so easy to answer either. There is still a lack of well-designed studies. There are a few studies that show that drinking extra water (an extra one or two liters per day for 30 to 42 days) can provide increased hydration in the skin. These effects were mainly found in people who drank (too) little. We also know that the reverse applies: you will see a real moisture deficiency in your skin. The result is a lack of elasticity.
When do you drink too little water?
It is important for your body, and therefore also for your skin, that you consume about one and a half to two liters of fluid per day. With that one and a half liters, every cup or glass counts, so also your coffee and glass of soda. Of course, for many reasons, it is better to opt for water or tea than soft drinks. Anyway, to get to one and a half liters, you need to drink about eight glasses a day. Are you always way below that? Then a few extra glasses a day could yield some profit. For your gut to begin with; sufficient water is very important for good digestion. It is not inconceivable that you will eventually see this reflected in your skin condition. Because there are more and more indications that many skin complaints are related to the functioning of the intestines.
Hydration Jiffy
Like it hard enough (water) to drink? Try putting some mint leaves, a few raspberries, or grapefruit + rosemary in your glass. Also tasty: cucumber or orange. Looks great and turns your hydration moment into a little party. Prepare your drink the night before and keep it in the fridge to allow the flavors to infuse.
Water to detox?
And what about the argument that drinking a lot of water ensures that you get rid of waste products faster? A kind of detox, which would also make your skin glow. As I wrote above, water is very important for our body. Water is necessary for all kinds of processes to run smoothly. But the removal of waste takes place throughout the day. Your body is constantly detoxing.
Now I know that there are a lot of drinks on the market with special salts that are said to cleanse your body and also promise that your skin will improve. Unfortunately, I’ve come across little evidence for this. I did find a somewhat older study that described the effect of drinking a type of deep-sea water in people with eczema. Their complaints improved. Super interesting, although I wouldn’t dare recommend this myself… I’m curious about the follow-up studies.
Also Read: Eating Healthy During Your Pregnancy
Dry skin? Time to hydrate, but then like this
If you have dehydrated skin, it is especially important that you give your skin barrier a helping hand. Not only do you prevent too much moisture from evaporating, but you also ensure that various processes in your skin run better. How do you do that? Have good ingredients in your skincare. Substances that protect and strengthen your skin such as vitamin C and niacinamide.
In addition, it is good to provide plenty of moisturizing substances. Both substances retain moisture in the skin ( hyaluronic acid and glycerine) and substances that prevent moisture from escaping (dimethicone).
My tips:
- Use a Toner with Niacinamide;
- Immediately apply a good moisturizer that contains hyaluronic acid and vitamin C;
- Add a Glycolic Acid Exfoliant to your skincare regimen. This improves the moisture balance and ensures that dead skin cells are shed more easily. If you are just starting out or if you have sensitive skin, it is better to start with salicylic acid.
For a quick glow
Exfoliating regularly and a good peeling every now and then is still the fastest way to make your skin glow.