For as long as I can remember I have read article upon article in girly magazines, seen pieces on TV, posts on the internet, and heard my friends talking about the benefits of water for the skin.
It seems to make sense. Water is good for your overall health, it aids your kidneys in flushing toxins from your body, it's good for digestion, circulation, and even your energy levels. It makes sense to me, then, that keeping your body well hydrated would have possible benefits for your skin.
Why have I not tried it?
I think the main reason for me is that I don't particularly like the taste of water. Especially the slightly-chalky-with-a-hint-of-chlorine water that leaves my taps! As a kid I was given fizzy drinks, sugary cups of tea and fruit juices. I'm used to tasting my liquids.
Another reason for me is that the supposed required 8 glasses of water a day seems like such a chore. I've tried to increase my water intake before but I've ended up getting lazy and going back to my old drinking habits in a few days...which is not to drink much at all. (Apart from at the weekends, but this type isn't very hydrating).
I can usually get through the whole day fine on one cup of tea and a glass of fruit juice.
I'm guessing my less than great skin, lack of energy and dry brittle hair could at least be partly to blame for this, which is why I'm going to try the 8 glasses/2 litres of water a day thing for the following 2 weeks.
I'm skeptical of needing as much water as this, and I've also read a lot of articles where people refute the 8 glasses a day rule. Water is obtained through food and even caffeinated or fizzy drinks to an extent; drinking too much can even be dangerous.
However, I think drinking more will overall be beneficial and I'm interested to see whether or not it will have much effect on my skin in such a short space of time. I know that out of my group of friends, whether it's a coincidence or not, the ones with the best skin do seem to be the ones who drink the most water.
While I was researching this I found lots of arguments about which kind of water is best for your skin, bottled vs tap, room temperature vs chilled etc etc. I've decided to drink 2 litres of regular tap water a day. I know I whinged about the taste earlier but I resent having to pay for bottled water when I already pay for the stuff that comes out of my faucet. Also, there are the green issues of getting through a crap load of plastic bottles every week, not mentioning the fact that bottled water isn't any better for you (and in some cases may be worse).
To make this easier for myself, I'm going to fill a plastic 2 litre bottle with tap water every day and try to keep it with me at all times, at college, at the gym, in my bedroom, next to me while I'm watching the TV, and in my bag while I'm out and about..(I'll be needing a big bag, then).
I'll update within the week to record my progress and note any changes in my complexion. For future reference, my skin as it is now is okay. Following the "no-wash" experiment, it's better than it was before, but it is still a bit dry, dull, a few blackheads, the odd pimple now and again and looking quite tired. Let's hope all this water injects a little life into it, as well as me!
