How to Hydrate Skin from the Inside

If the only time your skin looks good is when a screen is in front of it, we understand. When everything is everywhere, it’s easy for parts of your skincare routine to fall by the wayside. (After all, who has time to moisturize and hydrate skin when there’s so much doom-scrolling and plotting revenge?) But staying hydrated is essential for making your skin look healthy and rested. If your skin is dry or lacks moisture, putting creams on it won’t help. Here’s how to get enough water through what you eat.

Drink water!

Since water makes up about 60% of your body, it plays a significant role in how your body works, like getting nutrients to your cells and getting rid of waste. It also keeps skin cells full, essential to keeping skin from getting dry and flaky. Include foods like watermelon, musk melon, cantaloupe, spinach (vitamin A), lettuce, and celery high in water.

Up your Vitamin D consumption

Your skin will dry out if you don’t get enough Vitamin D, which dissolves in fat. It turns on the receptors that help make the skin barrier. If your skin is dry or itchy, it could be because you don’t get enough of this vitamin. There isn’t much vitamin D in food, so taking supplements is acceptable. Taking a small dose daily is much more helpful to hydrating skin than a high dose once weekly.

Eat foods high in collagen.

Your skin can dry out if you don’t get enough fat or protein in your diet. And collagen is what gives your skin volume. While the jury is still on supplements, doctors recommend drinking bone broth, which is naturally high in collagen, protein, and good fats. It’s the best moisturizer from the inside out. Eggs, citrus fruits, and garlic can help the body make more collagen.

Exfoliate Regularly

Exfoliating your skin is essential to eliminate dry spots, dead skin cells, and other things that have built up due to a lack of moisture. Be sure to exfoliate once every four to five days. But don’t exfoliate too much because that can damage the skin’s natural barrier and cause it to lose moisture.

Don’t clean too much.

When you wash your face more than the recommended once in the morning and once before bed, you strip your skin of its natural microbiome and barrier agents that keep it moist. If you have more than twice a day (for example, if you like to work out hard), use a light moisturizer to compensate for the skin’s hydration.

Eat healthier fats

Skin cells are made up of fats that are good for you. They’re needed for our skin to work well as an organ and keep the outside world out. Fatty acids can be hard to find, but you can get them from nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish like salmon and mackerel.