Does drinking 8 glasses of water a day hydrates skin?
Rumour has it, this healthy habit heals dry skin. You won’t have to deal with it ever again.
But, if it were that easy to get rid of dry skin, why are people still suffering from it? Are they not drinking enough water?
Not really…
Can Drinking 8 Glasses Of Water Cure Dry Skin?
Skin needs water – no doubt about that. Water makes up about 60% of your body, and just like all your other organs, skin needs its fair share to function well. And, we need at least 2 liters a day, according to the experts.
Can’t bear the thought of drinking that much water? You don’t have to. Food contains water too, so you can get part of your needed daily intake from it. Cool, huh?
Of course, if you want to drink your 8 glasses of water every day, go ahead and do it. Water is my fave drink (boring, I know!), and I always keep a bottle on my desk and one in my bag. I drink at least 1.5 liters every day, BUT I drink it when I’m thirsty, not to improve the condition of my skin.
Here’s the deal: when your skin has all the water it needs, it’s natural softer, plumper and brighter. But when you drink more water than your body needs, you’re not helping cure your dry skin. You’ll just spend more time in the bathroom.
Related: If Your Skin Is Perfectly Hydrated, Do You Need To Worry About Anti-Aging?
Struggling to put together a skincare routine that banishes dryness and makes your skin supple and dewy? Download your FREE “Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin” to get started (it features product recommendations + right application order):
Why Drinking Water Won’t Hydrate Skin
Dry skin desperately needs hydration. Water hydrates, so the more you drink, the more hydrated your skin is, right?
Wrong. The REAL reason dry skin is dry is because it can’t retain moisture well.
You see, your skin has a natural protective barrier than keeps moisture in. If this is damaged (and when you have dry skin, it IS damaged) moisture evaporates.
It doesn’t matter how many glasses of water you drink everyday, adding water to your skin without fixing its protective barrier first is useless. The moisture you put in will simply go out again.
Related: The Best Skincare Routine For Dry Skin
SHOP BEST PRODUCTS FOR DRY SKIN
The Bottom Line
Drinking 8 glasses of water a day may be good for your health, but it won’t cure dry skin. If that’s what you’re after, you’re better off using occlusive moisturisers to repair your skin’s damaged protective barrier.
Hahaa more beauty gimmicks, thanks to the media and all. Of course drinking sufficient amount of water is important, but if water is all I need, I wouldn’t spend too many time trying out moisturizers nor applying it 2x daily.
So, does those ‘designer’ water like evian or Perrier any different?
.-= HaNNa´s last blog ..Shu Uemura on Zizi’s wedding =-.
The recommended 2 liters of water per day does not constitute only the amount of water we drink. You are right. The food we eat esp fruits and vegetables also contributes to the recommended 2 liters.
While drinking that much water does not have a direct effect on preventing dry skin, it does help by flushing out wastes and toxins from our body which when accumulated over long term in our body, would be a contributing factor to poor skin condition such as dullness, yellowish skin tone.
.-= Vonvon´s last blog ..My New Skin Concern – Emerging Spots! =-.
Hanna, exactly! If water was all that was needed to hydrate skin, no one would use moisturizers and no one would have dry skin anymore! Designers water aren’t much better either. They contain more magnesium or calcium, which the body needs, than other brands of water, but for the skin they won’t do much. And calcium and magnesium can be found in food too so I don’t really feel the need to spend more money to buy these expensive waters either.
Vonvon, you are right. Water helps the kidneys to work properly and flush out toxins from the body, which would have a negative effect on the skin. I’m not sure that drinking too much water would help that though. Of course, you’d be running to the bathroom all the time, but since that is one of the many functions water has in our body, I always though the recommended amount of water we need (2 liters ingested with both food and drinks) was enough to help the kidneys do their job.
I totally agree with this. When I’m sitting in front of my PC all day, I keep a bottle with water near me all the time and by the end of the day it’s all empty. 🙂
.-= Tavia´s last blog ..MAC Cosmetics Spring – Summer 2010 Makeup Trends =-.
Tavia, I do that too. When you keep a bottl near you all day, it’s easy to finish it up. 🙂
I think it helps with skincare and other things but it cant just moisturize. It does not moisturize your skin. Thats why lotions and creams and stuff are here.
Prettykitty, I think water definitely helps keep skin in good condition,but to a certain extent. It’s not a substitute for moisturizers especially if your skin is very dry.
Well it moisturizes a bit maybe???
Prettykitty, I know it helps but I’m not sure it moisturizes. I know that in beauty products it is usually used as a solvent for other ingredients rather than to moisturize skin.