Alright, let’s go deeper into one of the biggest questions when it comes to beauty but maybe not discussed as much—what is hydration?
I know we hear it all the time: ‘drink more water for glowing skin.
And yet I often get the impression that people still do not realize how much your skin, nails, hair and energy levels can improve with just water.
Well, today I am going to tell you the importance of drinking water for beauty, particularly for glowing skin and beautiful nails.
Why Water Is the Ultimate Beauty Elixir
We all get excited about buying a new face serum or nail strengthener; what if I told you the best thing you can do is already in your hand?
It’s water!
Yes, as basic as it may sound, proper hydration will go a long way towards improving skin and nails.
Just think, your body composition is about seventy percent water, isn’t it?
That’s a lot, right?
That already indicates just how important water is for every organ within your body, let alone your skin and nail health.
When you are dry you suddenly find your body taking water from the areas which are not very important, such as the skin, nails, and hair, and ensuring that important organs run well.
Well, when you do not take enough water, guess what shows the first sign?
Oh yeah – your skin loses this glorious shine that it used to have, your nails become incredibly fragile and your skin just loses that lovely sparkle it used to have.
How Water Keeps Your Skin Healthy
Dehydration is like that backstage crew member in a theater performance—it’s not noticeable, yet without them, everything looks awful.
When your skin is well moisturized it attains a supple, healthy and youthful appearance with rights.
When it’s not?
Hello there fine lines, dryness, and dullness, I’ve missed you more than words can say!
Moisture from the Inside Out
Drinking water is one of the most important things you can engage in because it helps to hydrate the skin from within.
As much as creams and serums help make skin look supple, nothing beats internal hydration of the skin.
Consuming adequate water regularly enhances the normal functionality of skin cells meaning your skin will not have issues like pimples and blemishes.
It also allows them to drink plenty of water, which has a cleansing effect that clears out the skin from impurities that cause such conditions as acne, irritation among other skin complications.
You won’t believe this, but dehydrated skin is not the same thing as dry skin.
Still, dehydrated skin conditions may occur in those with an oily or combination skin type.
Further, lack of water can actually encourage the skin to produce oil thus the pores get blocked and you develop acne.
In other words, whether your skin type is dry, normal, oily, combination or sensitive, you simply have to hydrate.
The Glow Factor
You know the face that looks fresh and young as if it had just emerged from the rain?
Well, that’s what hydration can do for ya.
Basically when the skin cells are hydrated they have better reflection of light hence making your skin glow naturally.
I find this one to be quite useful because it’s like having a little highlighter under your fingers to easily see what you’re entering.
It also helps keep your skin young through elasticity since it is made of water.
Drinking water is essential with skin as it makes the skin smooth and tight to avoid formation of wrinkles.
As a result there are fewer crow’s feet and smile lines when that age approaches.
Additionally, hydrated skin heals itself faster which means that those awful pimples or those tiny cuts on the face will heal faster if you are taking enough water.
The Connection Between Water and Your Nails
Okay, so we all know that water is really good for your skin if you are asking about your nails then what?
Well, turns out they need to be hydrated as much as we do.
Nails are not born but rather composed of keratin, a protein, as is your skin, and what we need to supply our nails for toughness is moisture.
Preventing Brittle Nails
Ever had a hang nail that peels, cracks or breaks away easily?
That’s often a sign that your nails are dehydrated. Just like your skin, if your nails don’t get enough moisture, they weaken, and each bend becomes more easily broken.
When you want to have healthy nails without these problems mentioned above, ensure that you take a lot of water.
One must bear in mind as he trims his nails that nails are indicators of what is happening inside your body.
The problem is that if you are dehydrated, the first sign of this is always going to be your nails. In contrast, whenever you are well-hydrated, your nails are likely to grow faster, and more flexible that they cannot so easily split or break.
Supporting Nail Growth
The last role of hydration for your nails is growth promoting which presents itself mainly in the improved growth rates of nails in general.
Your nail matrix which is slightly beneath the nail bed responsible for producing cells and protein needs water to do its work.
Ample water replenishes the body and allows new nail cells to be produced thus increasing the nail growing rate.
How Much Water Should You Actually Be Drinking?
It has been confirmed that water is one of the beauty necessities but how many cups per day should be consumed for the purpose of formation of beauty?
Yeah, I bet you know the eight-glasses-a-day thing, but, in fact, the amount of water you need every day depends on your lifestyle, the climate you live in, and some other circumstances.
Another guideline is to try and divide your body weight in two and drink that many ounces of water daily.
Thus, if you are 150 pounds, then you should take 75 ounces of water per day.
But that’s just a starting point—if you are moving, doing some physical activity or being near a heat source like a stove, oven, heater, etc., you are going to need more water to replace water lost through sweat.
Another pro tip?
Listen to your body!
What do you use to know when you need a drink?
Thirst is a good signal but by the time you get thirsty, you may already be dehydrated.
Thus, it is advisable to keep water levels on the high side throughout the day as the body would need water to regular its functions.
Beyond Water: Other Ways to Hydrate
Okay, you can never go wrong with just plain water, but there is so much more you can do to help your body drink more water.
And no, I am not referring to gallons of soda or coffee – much as you may love them.
To be honest with you, too much caffeine dehydrates the body!
Hydrating Foods
Want you to be aware that almost one-fifth of daily water intake is obtained from the diet.
Water-rich foods to eat more of include fruits, vegetables and dried fruits that will help improve your skin and nails.
You should also think of foods that are composed of large amounts of water such as cucumber, watermelon, oranges, and even some types of vegetables like lettuce and spinach.
These foods are good for a dry throat because you need to avoid refreshing your throat with water all the time.
Apart from being very healthy for your body as they contain several vitamins and minerals that are essential for healthy skin and nails.
Herbal Teas
Another effective method of getting some water in yourself is through herbal teas; this especially so if you are not inclined to take plain water.
Avoid intake of hot products that contain caffeine such as coffee, green tea and others while going for herbal teas such as camomile, peppermint or hibiscus teas because they also contain water and antioxidants that are very essential in enhancing skin complexion.
In fact, it can be compared with having a beauty treatment in a cup!
Common Hydration Myths
To begin with, permit me to blow the whistle on some gigantic misconceptions people have as far as water intake and skin health is concerned.
Myth 1: Drinking Water Will Instantly Cure Dry Skin
Bang! Your Dry Skin Disappears with a Glass of Drinking Water
Drinking water is healthy for the skin but will not immediately change severely dry skin into soft spectacular skin.
Other external influences such as climate, skin care practice, and general way of living are also influential.
Therefore, water is important, but don’t neglect your moisturizers and serums – the concept of hydration is best achieved from the inside and out.
Myth 2: Drinking Water Can Replace Moisturizer
I wish it was not so; nonetheless, even if you consume gallons of water, your skin requires application of topical products to remain replenished.
Drinking water helps the skin at the cellular level but you have to seal that moisture in which is where topical creams come from.
That is where your moisturizer has a role to play by working together, teamwork don’t they say ‘the dream work’?
Myth 3: If You’re Not Thirsty, You’re Not Dehydrated
Lack of thirst isn’t a sign that the body is not in need of the fluid at all.
As a matter of fact, you can be considered to be slightly dehydrated when you start to feel thirsty.
So, don’t wait until you feel thirsty, just drink fluids all day long!
Final Thoughts
It is very obvious that one can forget to take water at some points in life when busy working or doing many other things.
However, believe me, drinking water is one of the easiest and most effective things to do when it comes to preparations for beautification.
Regardless of whether one is maintaining a healthy complexion or a healthy set of nails – the basics all revolve around water.
Well, next time when you are deciding which beauty products to use, maybe it is high time you went to the kitchen to take a glass of water.
People can only relate this to a fountain of youth—and the best thing is It’s free!
To ensure we are well quenched as ladies as well as glittering in our looks!
