Water is well known for its health benefits. The human body is approximately 70% water, so keeping our body hydrated is essential to maintain our health.
Water aids the body’s key functions including digestion, muscle function, lubricating joints, as well as flushing out toxins and waste. Water is also vital for our skin’s health, find out more below.
Water and Skin Health
Skin is the body’s largest organ; its cells are mostly made up of water. It is recommended that we drink around 2 litres (six to eight glasses) of water per day to stop us getting dehydrated.
If you are not consuming enough water, your skin will start to look dull, dry, flaky, and feel tight. Skin that doesn’t get enough water is also more prone to premature ageing, so keeping your body topped up with water means fewer wrinkles and fine lines.
Being dehydrated causes all sorts of skin woes, so it’s important that we drink plenty of H2o. Water will help with various skin issues such as acne, psoriasis and eczema, it helps because the water flushes all the nasty toxins from your body helping your skin to maintain a healthy pH balance, resulting in a radiant glowing complexion.
Dehydration will cause us to retain water, this is done to protect us as the body thinks there is water scarcity, so it holds onto water in the body resulting in swelling and puffiness.
Water is great for tightening skin as water helps improve skin's elasticity, so if you have sagging skin through weight loss or ageing, water will help your skin bounce back making it look younger and healthier.
Bathing Beauty
You don’t just have to consume water for it to be beneficial to your skin, bathing in cold water will calm and cool irritated red skin. Water will close pores and tighten them - preventing them from getting clogged, this is especially beneficial to acne or blemish-prone skin.
Using ice-cold water compress for under-eye puffiness will ease swelling. The waters cooling effect will naturally lower the temperature of the skin reducing any redness and puffiness. This is why cold compresses are often used on sports injuries. Cold water reduces pain and swelling, and when applied as ice will restrict blood flow to slow or stop bleeding.
Water is a great skin detoxifier and was once thought to be a miracle cure for many things. Back in the day, people would flock to bathhouses in spa towns such as Bath, where the natural thermal spa was said to heal and cure people of all sorts of elements, this was known as ‘taking the waters. Natural spas are very good for the skin because of their high mineral content.
Leaf TV says, “When applied directly to the skin, mineral-rich hot-spring water can help to naturally relieve certain skin conditions. The high silica content found in hot springs can smooth and soften dry, rough skin. Similarly, the medicinal properties of the water's sulphur content can relieve uncomfortable eczema and psoriasis symptoms.”