I Doubled My Water Intake For 7 Days & You Won’t Believe What It Did To My Skin

We’ve all heard models saying that drinking lots of water is the secret to their glowing skin! I’ve heard it from every supermodel or beauty icon I’ve ever interviewed. But I’ve always wondered: how realistic is that?! As if I’m going to carry around a gallon of water and actually drink it all. But honestly, I noticed that people who tend to drink more water had healthier-looking skin. As someone who’s never prioritized drinking water, mine just doesn’t have that same healthy-looking glow. So I did a little research, and there’s a reason drinking a ton of water can work wonders for your skin, not to mention it’s crucial for replenishing new skin cells. So I was convinced to at least try drinking more water.

The Challenge:

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been a huge water drinker, so I set out to double what I usually would and drink anywhere between 2.5 liters and 3 liters of water a day. Truly, I didn’t expect miracles, but I really couldn’t believe what happened to my skin when I did…

Day 1: At the end of the day I tried to examine everything about my face to see a result, but I didn’t notice anything; my skin was the same. My pores didn’t look smaller, and makeup application was the same – I just needed to pee more often!

Day 2: Again, I didn’t notice a difference. I wanted my pores to look smoother, but I couldn’t tell if they did. I was determined to persist!

Day 3: This is when I really started to see a difference in my skin. My pores were the first thing I noticed; they just looked smooth, not gone, but smoother, which even showed in my makeup.

Day 4: Okay, so this is the day I realized water is my thing; water is going to become my habit – this is the new me! My skin looked SO much smoother, and my makeup looked better.

Day 5/6: As the days went on, my skin continued to look smoother and plumper. I never realized til now that being dehydrated could have such a massive impact on how healthy my skin looked!

Day 7: By day 7, my skin was really doing its thing. Obviously, I wear the right moisturizers, primers, and foundation specifically for my skin (which is no longer even after acne), but my pores were looking tighter, and my skin looked more radiant, which for me was pretty shocking.

*Image courtesy of Coveteur by Jake Rosenberg

Now, it’s been more than two weeks, and although I still don’t have ‘glass’ skin, I’m officially hooked on drinking water. I actually believe models now when they tell me the secret is lots of water, and it’s no surprise their skin looks ahhhhmazing! I mean, think about it, our bodies are made up of 60% water (I know, pretty crazy), so when you’re dehydrated or don’t drink as much as you should (less than 1.5 liters a day) your body doesn’t function the same way. I now realize that I never drank anywhere near the amount we all should, and increasing my water intake to 2.5 liters a day has made a huge difference to my skin.

The Bonus:

It’s not just your skin that will thank you for the extra moisture; drinking the correct amount of water helps the kidneys flush out toxins and generally keep your body performing its best. For example, water helps your body to metabolize fat (turn it into energy), but when your body doesn’t have enough water, it can’t. That’s because your liver turns fat into energy for your body, but when the kidney doesn’t get enough water, it can’t function properly, so the liver helps the kidney flush out toxins instead of doing its usual job.

The Result:

I really couldn’t believe what a difference drinking so much more water would have. Not only does my skin look more radiant, but I’ve started to sweat more too, which is a good thing! Sweating helps your body remove dirt and pollutants from your skin; it’s your skin’s natural way of detoxing – hence the reason for steam rooms and saunas at the spa! I also started drinking warm lemon water in the morning, which is a brilliant way to cleanse your body and flush through your digestive system. Even having mint leaves with my water helped encourage me to drink more, to the extent that I’m now completely obsessed with drinking water. I feel like I have more energy as well! All in all, drinking lots of water is my new fave thing.