The Relationship between Water and Skin

Men and women spend billions of dollars every year just to look good; in fact the global beauty industry rakes in over $160 billion dollars annually. Americans in particular spend more each year on beauty products than they do on education, crazy! From lotions and creams to the myriad cosmetics that are on the market, it’s obvious that we value our appearance. Surprisingly though, many overlook the cheapest and simplest path to glowing, fresh looking skin. Water! Drinking water is easy, inexpensive and can help clear up blemishes, minimize the appearance of pores and give you a gorgeous healthy glow.
It has been estimated that as many as 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated. This is certainly hard on the body and will negatively affect internal organs, but is also affects the appearance of the skin. The skin is an organ just as much as any other organ of the body and it is made up of cells that are predominately water. When the body does not have enough fluid, the skin will become dry, less resilient and prone to excessive wrinkling. Drinking at least 8 cups of filtered water a day will help alleviate these symptoms; many experts recommend at least 12 cups of water per day for women and 15 cups a day for men for optimal hydration.
Water can affect our skin in other ways as well. Let’s take a moment to look at what effect hard water can have on our skin. The compounds that make water hard, usually excess calcium and magnesium, can build up on just about every surface they come in contact with. Scale buildup on fixtures and appliances is readily apparent and not only is it unsightly, it can do damage over time. When our skin comes into contact with hard water, it also suffers from this same type of buildup. When cleansers and hard water come in contact with each other, they will form a deposit that can be left on the skin causing irritation and not allowing moisturizers to soak into the skin’s surface as effectively.
When a water softener removes calcium and magnesium from water you will notice a significant difference on your skin. It will feel much softer even before applying moisturizer. This softness is how your skin is supposed to actually feel with natural oils being brought to the surface and not inhibited by the buildup of hard water deposits. The cells in your skin will also more readily accept any sort of moisturizer you apply because there is no buildup to block the moisturizer.
Before you go spend a fortune on cosmetics, and other skin enhancing products, you might want to evaluate your water habits first. Increase the amount of water you drink each day and make sure that the water you use on your skin is as pure and healthy as possible, enabling you to get the greatest benefit from it.