5 Ways to Hydrate Your Dry Skin This Summer

Summer, with its hot and humid days, can be rough on anyone’s skin, but if you have dry skin to begin with, it can be especially hard to deal with. Dry skin not only looks unattractive, but it can also be painful and uncomfortable. The best way to keep your skin hydrated this summer, whether you’re already prone to dryness or you want to prevent dryness from happening, is to use a high-quality moisturizer and drink plenty of water every day. To learn more about this check out these five ways to hydrate your dry skin this summer.

1) Consume Water
Water helps bring life and hydration to our cells. The more water we consume, our skin is healthier, so keep a bottle of cold water with you at all times. If you’re not a fan of plain water, add slices of lemon or cucumber to infuse your water with healthy antioxidants and other nutrients.

Drinking hydrating beverages like tea, coconut water, and low-sugar smoothies are also great ways to keep your skin moist. You can even use aloe vera gel or creams containing hyaluronic acid (HA) if you need an extra boost. These compounds are naturally found in our bodies and bind moisture in skin cells; they also help repair dry or damaged skin from within.

Keep your skin hydrated from within by eating foods rich in hyaluronic acid like broccoli, carrots, peas, artichokes and eggplant. Lemons are rich in ascorbic acid (vitamin C), which is a powerful antioxidant that helps boost collagen production. It can also help prevent aging and dehydration of your skin cells. Moreover, lemon water is believed to stimulate digestion while detoxifying and cleansing your body.

Drinking two glasses of lemon water a day will not only help you stay hydrated but will also improve your overall health in many ways including strengthening teeth and nails by increasing calcium absorption levels.

2) Eat Healthier
When we think of hydration, it’s easy to imagine drinking water and other beverages. However, food is actually our largest source of water. So, if you don’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, it can be hard for your skin to stay healthy.

To keep your skin from becoming parched during the hot months, consume plenty of water and foods that contain a high amount of water—like cucumbers or spinach—to prevent dryness and wrinkles.

For example, many people prefer iced coffee during warm weather because it provides a jolt of caffeine without watering down their overall fluid intake. Drink this type of beverage in moderation, though. Too much caffeine can have an adverse effect on blood pressure and sleep quality as well as dehydrating the body due to its diuretic effects.

A high-fiber diet will help you feel fuller longer, which means less snacking and fewer instances of intense hunger. A fiber-rich diet can also prevent constipation, which causes muscles in your colon to contract and therefore pulls fluid into your bowels. As a result, it makes your skin look dry and wrinkled when it’s not hydrated properly. So avoid relying on sugary snacks and processed foods that lack fiber for energy.

3) Get Better Sleep
If you find yourself with dry skin during summer, it might be time to reassess your sleep habits. Sleep is when our bodies repair and rejuvenate, so a lack of quality rest can have a major impact on skin condition and hydration levels.

Even if you wake up without blemishes or dry patches, getting enough sleep is an important part of healthy skin care. You’ll want to ensure that you’re doing everything in your power to promote the best possible skin care regime.

Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night to give your body a chance to fully recover from any wear and tear caused by daily life.

4) Avoid Sugary Beverages
As we all know, sugar robs our skin of moisture. If you’re always sipping on soda or juice, your skin will suffer for it. Instead, drink plenty of water (and unsweetened herbal tea) throughout the day; don’t forget to schedule in regular hydrating breaks during your workday.

Sugar has been known to harm collagen, drying out the skin and make it lose its elasticity. All that build-up leads to the deterioration of collagen in the skin, causing the skin to lose its natural elasticity.
It also leads to a breakdown of elastin fibers in skin, resulting in its hardening. Elastin fibers are essential for collagen synthesis and are responsible for maintaining elasticity.

When these are broken down due to sugar consumption, they cannot be replaced by new ones and hence it results in wrinkles on your face. Sugar also blocks skin pores and inhibits sweat glands thereby causing clogged pores and pimples.

Therefore, stay away from all sweet beverages such as juice, soda or flavored drinks with sugar added. Replace them with fresh fruit juices without sugar or other additives and start drinking more water to hydrate your skin now!

5) Stay Out of the Sun
Exposure to ultraviolet rays from natural sunlight can cause dry skin. Moisturize after Sun Exposure: Keep yourself hydrated by moisturizing your skin as soon as you get out of a sun-filled environment, such as after being outside for an extended period of time or even after simply running errands in direct sunlight.

Moisturize Before Bed: Make sure you regularly use a nighttime moisturizer with at least SPF 15 and make sure that you apply it all over your body, including under your arms, behind your ears and on your hands.

Stay out of direct sunlight, particularly between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. It’s always best to keep yourself as protected from UV rays as possible, but if you do have to be out in it during those peak hours make sure that you wear sunscreen, sunglasses and protective clothing.

Moisturize after Being in Sun: Make sure that you moisturize your body all over as soon as you get inside following an afternoon spent outside so your skin doesn’t continue drying out while it cools down.