Drinking Water: Does It Help Your Skin And Hair?

Sit down, mate. You’re among friends. We think you know why you’re here - it’s intervention time. We’re very concerned about your drinking. 

Not alcohol drinking; we Australians have no room to talk there, having recently been named the drunkest country in the world according to a 2021 survey. No, we mean your water drinking, dude. We don’t think you’re drinking enough of it.

“The human body is made up of 60% water” is a statistic that we’ve all heard a billion times. Every system in our bodies requires adequate hydration to function.

We lose water through urination, defecation, perspiration, and even breathing. Merely being mildly dehydrated is enough to make you feel tired and bad, and three days without water at all is usually fatal.

But forget about death - what about your skin and hair? Does being dehydrated make your hair and skin dry as well? Does drinking water affect your skin and hair? Let’s figure this out.

How much water should you drink in a day?

Bet you answered that one in your head right away with “eight glasses of water a day, duh.” We all grew up hearing eight glasses of water that are each eight ounces is what we should be aiming for in our daily consumption of water. Eight by eight, right?

But that old rule is so general, and we live in the era of personalization, don’t we, blokes? The amount of water you should drink every day is dictated by lots of different factors. 

Your activity level is one - if you’re out there sweating your knackers off in epic rugby games every day, you’re going to need a whole lot more water than if you’re merely spectating.  Well, unless that rugby game is on a particularly hot day because hot and humid days call for more water as well.

And is that rugby game located at sea level or on top of a mountain? Men living at higher altitudes also need more water, as high altitude living conditions accelerate the dehydration process.

Also, you need more water when you’re sick, especially if it’s a stomach bug. All that chundering is liquid lost, mate. Drink up!

Should men drink more water than women?

Men should absolutely, on average, be drinking more water than women. A recent Mayo Clinic study says men should be consuming about 125 ounces of water a day, while women should be consuming about 90 ounces. That works out to 15.5 cups for men and a little over 11 cups for women.

Other researchers suggest an easier way to figure out how much water to drink in a day. 

Take your body weight in pounds and halve it, and that’s how many ounces of water you should drink a day. 

A man who weighs 180 pounds should be drinking 90 ounces of water. That works with the idea that men should drink more water, as men are generally larger.

Can men get clear skin by drinking water?

Does drinking water help clear up acne? In fact, it can! 

When you don’t get enough water, you might be left with dry, flaky skin. This triggers the sebaceous glands to release more oil to correct the dryness. If you’re prone to pimples, excess oil equals zit city.

Dietary imbalance and overgrowth of bad bacteria can both be contributing factors to acne as well. Drinking enough water also can help clear up acne by balancing blood sugar levels and strengthening the immune system. 

Even with enough water, it’s important for men to regularly use a high-quality natural moisturizer to keep their skin soft and clear. 

Does drinking water help hair grow?

Keeping properly hydrated can absolutely help your hair to grow. If your hair is dry and brittle, it’s going to break off at the ends before it can gain much length. 

So if you want to know how to treat and fix dry hair, the water cooler may be where you want to start!

When the body is dehydrated, it prioritizes hydrating the internal organs, the essential workers of the body. As much as you love your hair, it’s not exactly essential. 

So if you haven’t been drinking enough water, those follicles are going to be some of the first things to be cut off from the general water supply. 

If you’re still having trouble with dry hair, our dry hair and dry scalp treatment kit can help reverse the damage and restore your gorgeous healthy hydrated locks. 

Did this article make you thirsty? We’re going to go get a glass of water. Might be smart to do the same, buddy!