How to Keep your Skin Hydrated

Your body is 70 % water, so we don’t have to tell you that hydration is important.  Due to normal tasks of living water is depleted through sweat, evaporation and usage.  You have to replace that water for your body to function the way it was designed to and to look and feel it’s best.  This includes your skin.  Even slight dehydration can cause flaky irritable skin, dermatitis, and eczema .  Your body is in need of constant rehydration.

Adequate water intake promotes the body's natural healing process.  It flushes out toxins, such as chemicals and free radicals, which can be very damaging.  There are also more vanity conscious reasons to keep your skin hydrated.  Properly hydrated skin becomes more plump, diminishing the appearance of lines and wrinkles and supplying a radiant glow.  Not to mention it will feel better on the inside and out.  

So how much water do we really need to drink in a day?  The Institute of Medicine (IOM) established some general guidelines for water intake in 2004. Healthy adult women need around 91 ounces of total water and healthy adult men need about 125 ounces every day.   However, keep in mind that you don’t have to stand around throwing back cups of water all day.  Some of that tally comes from water that’s in your food or other beverages, even tea or coffee.  Remember that if you’re working out, pregnant or breastfeeding you will require a little extra water.  Also,  keep in mind that if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated.  Thirst is a symptom.  Make sure you sip on water slowly throughout the day so it has a chance to get equally distributed throughout your body.  

Another dry skin culprit that people miss is their home.  Due to most of our homes being temperature regulated with filtered air our skin can become dry.  An easy remedy to this is to run a humidifier.  If you don’t wish to run one all day long, placing a small humidifier in your bedroom and run it while you sleep. It will make a world of difference!