Benefits of Drinking Water for Skin (Updated 2024)

Attention all humans, ever: we invite you to think of your skin as a garden… and water it! Benefit, upon benefit, upon benefit — that’s what benefits of drinking water for skin can bring into your experience. Don’t take our word for it, though; we’ve rounded up our band of industry professionals to bring you the ins and outs of this very accessible “treatment”.

In this article we discuss the following:

What are the Benefits of Drinking Water?
How Long does it Take to See Benefits of Drinking Water
Benefits of Drinking Water for Skin Before and After
Conclusion

What are the Benefits of Drinking Water?

Well, we’re not going to list the 100 benefits of drinking water for skin, but we will list a few that we find most poignant. If you weren’t raised being told the drinking a gallon of water a day benefits, not to worry — Jake Dickson, certified personal trainer at Bar Bend, was. According to him, the top 3 benefits of water for skin are as follows:

Improves Skin Tone

“I feel that drinking enough water assists the body in eliminating pollutants and promotes healthier skin. Even two cups of water can enhance blood flow to the skin, resulting in a smoother complexion.”

Prevents Untimely Aging

“I feel that staying hydrated increases the skin’s elasticity by keeping it hydrated for longer, so postponing sagging and the premature emergence of wrinkles and fine lines.”

Promotes Rapid Recovery

“I feel that consuming water can hasten the recovery of conditions such as sunburns, headaches, and viral infections,” adds Jake.

Benefits of Drinking Hot Water for Skin

Funny enough, water doesn’t need to be cold in order to deliver skin benefits. Drinking hot water offers the same, and sometimes more, benefits as room temperature water would. This is because hot water has a way of rapidly repairing damaged skin cells throughout the body.

More than this, hot water is said to promote collagen production to a more significant amount compared to cold. Certified dietitian, Joseph Tucker, weighed in on the collagen debate, stating that “Water helps in collagen production as the molecules bind with collagen to form its helical shape. Collagen is a key ingredient for skin health and high elasticity.”

Benefits of Drinking Water for Weight Loss

In and amongst the drinking 2 litres of water a day benefits, there comes the weight loss factor. There are a number of reasons as to why drinking water could prompt a loss of weight in the human body. For starters, water is a natural appetite suppressant. Ever feel starving and then drink a large glass of water, and forget the hunger entirely?

Water also increases calorie burning, naturally, and while it does this, it works to flush toxins out of the body. You see, water allows you to sweat in higher excess, which means toxins are leaving, and so are stubborn fat molecules. All the while, circulation is improved and the body is less likely to gain weight, too.

Lisa Dietrich, co-founder at Remote Canteen, shared her view on this, stating that “Water helps to flush out toxins and impurities from the body, which can also lead to healthier-looking skin. Drinking plenty of water is a great way to improve circulation, giving your skin a healthy glow. So next time you’re reaching for a beauty product, reach for a glass of water first. It just might be the best thing you can do for your skin and body.”

Drinking Water Benefits for Face

Let’s face it (ha!), the skin on our upper region is where we all hope to see the most amount of benefit from any skincare routine we opt to try. No one is tossing back 2 gallons of water a day in hopes of glowing knee caps.

The face is where the magic happens. Kimberly Silva, CEO of Find People First, maintains that water helps you from the inside out. “For your skin’s sake, it’s one of the easiest and best beauty treatments you can do. No, you might not be able to get rid of all your favorite beauty products just because you’re drinking more water, but it will definitely help.”

Kimberly wants everyone to remember that the skin is an organ. “In fact, it’s the largest organ in your body, and it’s mostly made up of water. Without water, your skin can’t function at its best . If your skin doesn’t get enough water, not only will it become dry, tight, and flaky, but it will also become even more prone to aging. The truth is that your body loses large quantities of water every day, so if you don’t replace it by drinking more water, your skin will suffer the consequences. It’s easy to see the visible difference that hydration can make for your skin. Some other benefits of drinking water for the skin are fewer wrinkles, fair complexion, reduced puffiness, clear acne, etc.”

Benefits of Drinking Water for Skin Acne

If anyone knows about the relationship between clean water and acne, it’s Theola Tinny, CEO at Vin Pit. “We all have heard that drinking water helps you look younger by making your skin healthy, but did you know that water could help to clear acne and shrink pores? Acne is a common skin issue that can be cured by drinking enough water as it balances the oil and water content of your face. This results in less acne and clogged pores!”

Always remember the fact that oil and water don’t mix, so when there is an excess of one in the face, the result will either be breakouts or clarity, respectively.

Benefits of Drinking Water in Empty Stomach

If you’ve ever tried water fasting, you’ll know what benefits come from consuming large amounts of water on an empty stomach. It seems to make the benefits of the minerals more readily available to the rest of the body, providing much needed oxygen to organs and cleaning the kidneys more thoroughly in the process.

Muscles and joints are better protected when water is consumed on an empty stomach, and the body becomes more active in absorbing nutrients.

Benefits of Drinking Water in the Morning

In and amongst the drinking 4 litres of water a day benefits, it is always advised that almost half of this amount be consumed first thing in the morning, before anything else has had the privilege of entering the body.

Drinking water first thing is a great way to boost your energy levels before the labor of the day has had a chance to set in. It is said to speed up your metabolism, too, which means that you’ll digest food more easily and absorb the nutrients quickly.

Maria Saenz, CEO at Fasttitleloans, adds that drinking water in the morning helps our body maintain optimal homeostasis and functioning by flushing out toxins, regulating hormones and other bodily functions. “When you drink enough water in the form of hydration-rich juices and teas it helps reduce inflammation, calm the nervous system, boost circulation, strengthen the immune system, support healthy digestion and metabolism, and energize your body. Drinking enough water also flushes out toxins in your body so it’s important to keep yourself well-hydrated,” says Maria.

Benefits of Drinking Water Before Bed

When we sleep, the body typically goes into a dehydrated state. Think about it; how often do you go 8 or more hours in the day without at least having a sip of something hydrating? The sleep state may be good for the body, but it is never easy on one’s hydration levels.

Drinking a fair amount of water before bed is crucial in order to prevent your body from slipping beneath the hydration line and into dehydrated territory. At a cellular level, your body will thank you, too. You are less likely to wake up puffy and swollen when the body has had enough water to drink the night before.

According to Theola, who we heard from earlier, when the body becomes dehydrated, its natural instinct is to retain water, resulting in puffed skin. Thus, staying hydrated will reduce swelling and puffiness. This is why so many people wake up this way — overnight dehydration!

Benefits of Drinking Water with Lemon

Adding lemon to your water does actually provide a lot of benefit to the skin and body — it’s not just a classy rumor! Lemon alkalizes the water to an extent, which immediately makes it superior to any regular purified drinking water out there.

glass pitcher of lemon water Benefits of Drinking Water for Skin

The acid in the lemon water will help your body to better break down food in the gut, and in addition it prevents oxidation. What’s more, even a small slice of lemon in an average glass of water provides a much needed daily dose of vitamin C and potassium.

People who drink lemon water are less likely to contact kidney stones. Lemon water is also weight loss friendly, adding no extra calories but definitely making plain water more appealing in taste.

Mineral Water Benefits for Skin

Yes, there are benefits of drinking 5 litres of water a day (when spaced out carefully), and those benefits are doubled when said water is of mineral composition. Mineral water is something that can either be man made (by adding mineral salts to regular water), or natural (soured from mountain springs).

Mineral water is, without a doubt, one of the best things a person can feed to their body, bringing a myriad of benefits to every drinker. Not only will you get all of the listed skincare benefits that come with drinking enough water every day, but mineral water also delivers a healthy dose of vitamins and mineral compounds to the body, both inside and out.

If there’s one thing the skin loves, it’s vitamins and minerals! Zinc, magnesium, iodine, calcium — these are all crucial for healthy skin, organs and bones, so to be able to get them from your water consumption is quite a wonderful thing!

Mineral water tends to contain significant amounts of silica; an imperative mineral for skin health and collagen production.

Benefits of Drinking Cinnamon Water for Skin

Cinnamon water happens to be one of the best things to drink for problem skin. If you suffer from clogged pores, acne and bacterial spreads, then cinnamon water may just be your new best friend.

Cinnamon contains strong anti-bacterial components, so much so that it can directly impact the skin organ from the inside out. This occurs on a cellular level, and Dr. Enrizza P. Factor, a clinical dermatologist, explained how this occurs:

“A well-balanced diet full of antioxidants (like cinnamon) and omega-3 fatty acids help provide the necessary building blocks for healthy skin cell function. When it comes to skin looking supple and glowing, things like good overall nutrition, exercise, limiting alcohol consumption, not smoking, getting a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night, eliminating or at least significantly limiting processed foods and sugars, plus having a great skincare regimen are key factors. When you’re properly hydrated, your urine will be pale and clear.”, says Dr. Factor.

Benefits of Drinking Clove Water for Skin

Like cinnamon, clove too has a myriad of benefits to offer human skin. Clove is a natural antiseptic, and is thus also great for the treatment of acne and pimples. If you often suffer, or are suffering, from a yeast infection, clove water can make a huge difference to flushing out the bacteria ASAP.

Rumor has it that consuming clove infused water may also prevent acne scarring, or at least keep it from being too severe!

How Long does it Take to See Benefits of Drinking Water

Ironically, the benefits of drinking water can be seen and felt within hours of consumption. This is not like other treatments and routines that take months for results to show — water is always welcomed by the body, quick to be absorbed, and even quicker to get to work.

That said, we did hear some contradicting advice from Dr. Factor, who told us that it’s a myth that drinking water will help keep your skin hydrated. “There’s no data to support the idea that drinking a glass of water helps hydrate the skin. On the other hand, there’s no data to show that drinking fewer than eight glasses of water per day is harmful. The only caveat is that if

you are severely dehydrated, it will take a toll on your skin.”

Dr. Factor adds that in terms of hydration, topical moisturizers can be much more effective

than drinking water. “Moisturizers contain three types of ingredients that work together to help the skin. Occlusives, such as white petrolatum, form a protective seal over the skin; humectants, such as glycerin, act as a sponge to pull in hydration to the outer skin layers; and emollients, such as natural oils, smooth the rough edges between cells in the outer layer.”

Benefits of Drinking Water for Skin Before and After

With something as simple as drinking more water, it can be of enormous benefit to just try it out for yourself and see what comes of it. No harm, no foul.

Before and after imagery is available online, from people who claim that switching to 2 or more liters of water per day has drastically improved the look and feel of their skin. While this may be true, there are also a ton of other environmental factors that can affect the appearance of one’s skin. If a before photo was taken in the dead of winter, and the after in the peak of summer, it’s definitely going to look like a major shift has taken place.

In truth, it could also have been that the winter chill took all of the moisture out of the skin of the person in question, and now in the after photo, the summer has replenished the supply, boosted the melanin count and given the skin a natural perspiring glow.

Conclusion

So there may or may not be a bunch of beauty benefits of water — the bottom line is that there is no harm in having an excess of it in your daily routine. If anything, it will show you that you can break habits and form new ones, even if it doesn’t necessarily bring about the full spectrum of benefits that the industry professionals claim it can.

Drink up!

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