Drinking Water Won’t Hydrate Your Skin, But These 3 Things Will

Updated 01/20/22. Chances are you’ve heard all about the importance of drinking water to hydrate your skin. Yet, no matter how much water you drink, your skin still feels dry and tight. Does this sound familiar? There’s a reason for this. Drinking water is actually the least efficient way to hydrate the skin (seriously!). In this post, I’ll clear up this common myth and share three things you can do to actually hydrate your skin.

Here’s Why Drinking Water Won’t Hydrate Your Skin

Did you know that when you drink water, it doesn’t go straight to your skin? Instead, it runs through the intestines, absorbs into the bloodstream, and then gets filtered out by the kidneys. At this point, it will hydrate the cells inside the body. (It’s just not possible for the water to head straight to the cells in the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis).

According to research, drinking water can hydrate the dermis, which is a deeper layer of skin in which connective tissues and blood vessels are found. This makes sense because when we drink water, it goes into our blood and the blood vessels go to our dermis. There was also strong evidence to support that drinking water can improve overall skin elasticity. However, it’s simply not hydrating the epidermis like some people think. And while it’s still important to drink water for your overall health and well-being, it’s simply not an effective way to hydrate your skin. So, let’s focus on three things that actually will hydrate your skin!

Here Are 3 Things That Will Hydrate Your Skin

1. Leaving a Toner Damp on the Skin

Many people don’t use toner. They think toners don’t provide any benefit to the skin. I can assure you they do. In fact, they provide five major benefits to the skin! One of those benefits is an instant boost of hydration. After cleansing, wipe an alcohol-free toner over the skin. The water and humectants in the toner will saturate your skin cells with much-needed hydration. Leave it damp (this is key), then immediately follow up with a serum or moisturizer for your specific skin type. Your skin will feel moist and dewy.

For the purpose of hydration, make sure you’re using a hydrating toner, such as the Moisture Infusion Toner. Avoid toners that contain SD alcohol 40, denatured alcohol, and exfoliating acids. These give a different result that is not about hydration.

2. Applying a Serum Underneath Your Moisturizer

To take your hydration to another level, I highly suggest you apply a serum underneath your moisturizer. It will take all of 10 seconds to apply, and it can dramatically improve hydration levels in the skin. Look for a serum with hydrating ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, sodium hyaluronate, glycerin, and panthenol. These are some of my favorite hydrating ingredients.

I love the Skin Drink Concentrate for this purpose. It can hydrate the skin with its oil-free, water-based formula, which contains sodium hyaluronate, aloe vera, and vitamin C. I recommend people use it who have dehydrated, combination, and/or aging skin.

3. Using a Gel-Based Mask

All masks are great for giving your skin a boost. When it comes to delivering water-based hydration, though, a gel mask is what you want. They often contain hydrating ingredients like those I listed above, and since gels naturally have a lower temperature, they feel cooling on the skin. This is helpful for soothing redness (especially during the summer). You can use a gel mask as often as every night. Apply it after cleansing and before proceeding with a hydrating toner, serum, and moisturizer. For an extra cooling effect, put it in the fridge 30 minutes before use.

There Is One Skin Benefit of Drinking Water…

There is one noticeable skin benefit of drinking water that I have personally observed, and that’s the reduction of under-eye puffiness. Whenever I eat high-sodium foods (particularly at night), I retain excess fluid around my eyes. I end up with more puffiness than normal when I wake up the next morning. Knowing this, I make sure to double up on my water intake to help manage water retention in my face and body. It really does help.

The Bottom Line

There you have it. Drinking water simply doesn’t hydrate the skin the way you might have been led to believe. As I always say, skin cells are like fish in that they need water to live. Applying topical hydration via skincare products is the most effective way to plump up thirsty skin cells and get that dewy, healthy-looking skin you’re after.

There’s one final thing you should know. There’s a difference between dry and dehydrated skin. They each need to be addressed differently. To sum it up, dry skin needs oil and dehydrated skin needs water. Make sure you know which one you’re dealing with before trying to fix it.

Next, check out 35 common skincare myths you might be falling for.

Sources: 

Renée Rouleau

Celebrity Esthetician & Skincare Expert
As an esthetician trained in cosmetic chemistry, Renée Rouleau has spent 30 years researching skin, educating her audience, and building an award-winning line of products. Her hands-on experience as an esthetician and trusted skin care expert has created a real-world solution — products that are formulated for nine different types of skin so your face will get exactly what it needs to look and feel its best. Trusted by celebrities, editors, bloggers, and skincare obsessives around the globe, her vast real-world knowledge and constant research are why Marie Claire calls her “the most passionate skin practitioner we know.”