Dehydration is a skin problem that most girls suffer with and it only gets worse in the summer months. Luckily there are ways of treating this bullshit, both inside and out...
The first way to defeat dehydration is to simply drink water; it's that fucking easy. Now I know people struggle with this; either forgetting to drink enough throughout the day or hating the 'boring' taste, but I have a few tips to make things easier. The first is to keep a water bottle next to you at all times so hydrating your bad-self doesn't skip your mind. The second - and this one is a little intense - is to set an alarm to go off every 5 or 10 minutes reminding you to drink up. After a good few weeks you should be able to cancel the alarm because you've tricked your body into remembering to take regular sips...well, that's the plan at least. The final tip is to look to flavoured water to make things a little more enjoyable. Now you want to stay clear of sugar-packed water or the type that is full of sweeteners or preservatives...you need the pure stuff. I love Nuva, a flavoured water that is free of all those nasties. There are a variety of flavours in the range but my favourite is Cucumber & Mint (£1.49 Waitrose).
The second way to get hydrated is to eat foods with a high water content. Cucumber, iceberg lettuce and celery have a water content of over 95%, making them true hydrating heroes. They are closely followed by strawberries and watermelon that contain about 92% percent water. Grapefruit contains 91%, while cranberries, pineapple, orange and raspberries have an 87% water content. Considering 20% of your water intake comes from food sources, it is important to get eating if you don't want your skin to suffer.
The final and most effective way of defeating dehydration is to topically hydrate the skin. There are a huge number of serums, moisturisers, toners and masks out there that make this task a whole lot easier. My favourite hydrators include the Pestle & Mortar Pure Hyaluronic Serum, NIVEA Rich Nourishing Body Moisturiser and Soo Ae® Collagen Essence Mask Aloe.
However one of my most recent hydrating favourites is the Vichy Quenching Mineral Mask (£14.00 escentual.com). This gel mask feels ultra lightweight on the skin - almost as if you're apply a serum - and provides a lovely cooling effect that helps calm any irritation. As for its hydrating power, my skin has been more supple, plumper and hydrated since using it regularly for the past two weeks.