H2O: Get the glow

As summer kicks in and temperatures continue to soar, you might find you’re left feeling extra thirsty – both inside and out. Heat, humidity and cranked-up air-conditioning all have one thing in common; they leave us dehydrated. Cue dry skin, lethargy, and mirage-style visions of cool, flowing water you’re longing to dive into and guzzle up all at once.

It’s a well-known fact that water is an essential part of staying healthy. But it’s also said to be the key to keeping a youthful, radiant complexion. The A-list credit their water-drinking ways as the catalyst to looking so good, with radiant beauties like Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba and J-Lo declaring it a vital element of their beauty regime. Water is making waves in the world of health and beauty. So if you want to get the glow turn to H20.

It’s been drummed into us all that we need to be drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water a day. Large glasses that is, teeny little cups just won’t cut it. But have you ever stopped to think why? Well, here’s the answer: As babies our bodies are made up of nearly 80 per cent water, but as we age this depletes and the average adult is 50 to 60 per cent H20. The human brain is about 85 per cent water, whilst bones are between 10 to 15 per cent, muscles are 75 per cent and blood is 92 per cent. So it’s clear we need to maintain our water levels to stay in tip-top condition both mentally and physically. Even when our water levels drop by what seems only a minimal amount, every part of us is affected. We start to feel thirsty when we lose about 2 to 3 per cent, but mental performance and physical coordination start to become impaired at 1 per cent dehydration.

Ever wondered why you feel tired and can’t concentrate later in the afternoon? Don’t reach for the nearest biscuit (however tempting), because a glass of water is most likely what you need…“Water is the most vital nutrient required by the body,” says Dr Archana Arora, leading dietician at Health Factory, Dubai. “It acts as the main transport system in our body and its scarcity causes a reduction in the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the cells, which makes us feel tired. A 2 per cent drop in body water can cause a small but critical shrinkage of the brain, impairing neuromuscular coordination, decreasing concentration and slowing thinking.”

Arora goes on to list many other effects of dehydration, including cramps, slow muscular response, a number of digestive issues, from constipation to ulcers, and kidney diseases – as, without water, kidneys can’t excrete metabolic waste, which leads to the accumulation toxins and bacteria. Bad news.

The good news? Water can help you lose weight, as it not only helps to suppress your appetite, but, as Arora says, it actually reduces water retention: “Yes, believe it or not, if your body is deprived of water, it is more likely to hold on to what little it has.” So you can beat that belly bloat just by getting your glug on. We hope you’re knocking back those eight glasses by now…

But water doesn’t just make us feel good, it can help us look better too. Dr Upendra Acharya, a dermatologist at the Dubai Herbal & Treatment Centre, explains why. “Skin is the largest organ in the body, and like any other organ is formed of cells made up of water. Without adequate water, the skin cannot function properly or at its best.”

After seeing a #selfie on Instagram of a gorgeously glowing girl who said the secret to her luscious locks and super skin was drinking three litres of water a day, Sabrina Bachai, a New York-based health journalist, decided to follow in her footsteps – upping her water intake for a week. She didn’t change anything else in her diet or lifestyle, but noticed that in just seven days she was sleeping better, her skin looked fuller and she lost a kilogram. Bonus!

Dr Acharya adds, “Well-hydrated skin gives a more radiant glow. Lack of hydration will result in dry, tight and flaky skin… Dry skin has less resilience and is more prone

to wrinkling.” So water helps wrestle wrinkles? We’re all ears!

Dr Arpita Jain, dermatologist at the Aster Aesthetic Clinic in Dubai, is also all for getting the glow from H20. She says, “Skin forms the protective barrier for our body against all environment hazards, and water is an essential component of this barrier layer. Also water hydrates the skin cells, plumps them up and adds to the glow and radiance of skin. It also protects it from premature ageing.” She adds that dehydrated skin tends to develop wrinkles faster.

According to a study by dermatologists who monitored the effects of long-term water intake on skin, after four weeks, those who drank mineral water showed a decrease in skin density – suggesting that skin was retaining more moisture. They also reported that water can help banish blemishes, thanks to its ability to flush out skin-inflaming toxins.

It’s clear all those bottle-boasting celebrities and supermodels are on to something, as hydration holds the secret to sublime skin. The Journal of Dermatology recently revealed that healthy hydrated skin aged just 22 per cent over eight years, compared with dehydrated skin which aged a staggering 55 per cent over the same period. Scary.

So give skin a helping hand with these hydrating heroes – guaranteed to maximise moisturisation from the outside whilst water works its magic on the inside…

Bobbi Brown Hydrating Face Tonic Dh165, Bobbi Brown

Boasting Bobbi Brown’s enriched mineral water blend, this gentle and refreshing toner is parched skin’s answer to a glass of water. As Bobbi Brown says herself, “this gives your skin exactly what it needs to stay healthy: moisture”, all thanks to super-hydrating ingredients, sodium hyaluronate and glycerine. These protect the skin barrier to provide instant, long-term hydration whilst nutrients found naturally in the skin (including calcium to maintain efficient moisture barrier functions and copper for the production of collagen) make it a fabulously fortifying formula. With softening vitamin B5 and soothing lavender, cucumber and aloe leaf, skin is left soft and supple. Use after cleansing to restore, balance and retain moisture.

Dermalogica Hydrating Body Cream Dh152, Dermalogica Dubai Mall

This cocooning cream will soon take care of dry body skin. Providing a gentle exfoliation with sugar cane extracts, it also contains essential plant oils, apple extracts and green tea, which are easily absorbed and provide immediate hydration whilst smoothing and conditioning. Non-greasy and light, use after bathing to lock in moisture and keep skin happy, healthy and hydrated.

Crème De La Mer’s  The Mist Dh360, Harvey Nichols

Spray your way to soothed, smooth skin with a mix of magnetically charged waters enriched with marine and botanical extracts, vitamins and minerals. Providing instant hydration and revitalisation, there’s a live internal magnet floating in each and every one – continually charging the ingredients to maintain their powerful potency and creating a special negative-ion-rich environment. The result? Skin’s energy levels are instantly boosted, dry lines are relaxed, and lethargic, dehydrated complexions are visibly uplifted and revived. It’s also super-refreshing and can be used any time, any place, from planes to your sun lounger. Now that’s what we call smart skincare.

Chanel Hydra Beauty La Gel-Crème Dh330, Paris Gallery

Created to give dry skin “the triple benefit of supreme hydration and intense nutrition and protection”, this cooling gel crème melts on to skin to leave you looking lusciously luminous. Using camellia flower extracts to deeply replenish moisture levels, these also activate receptor proteins that trigger natural moisture flow – strengthening the epidermal barrier so skin is able to capture and retain water more efficiently. Combined with active extracts of Madagascan blue ginger, which work to protect skin’s newly recovered moisture balance with an antioxidant shield, this gel is guaranteed to give you the glow.

Guerlain Super-Aqua Serum Dh758, Debenhams

To Guerlain, “water is the cosmetic par excellence” – the essential element of life that has been at the centre of the brand’s research for over 25 years. As its experts put it: “found throughout the body, water plays a fundamental role in the skin, at its surface and at the heart of the dermis and epidermis”, so this super-serum is all about hydrating by infusing skin with pure H20.  Formed of their unique Aquacomplex, an exclusive combination of plant and biotechnological ingredients, it works to reactivate the skin’s natural water-purification process and has been proven to boost hydration by 72 per cent whilst visibly reducing wrinkles by 27 per cent – in just 30 hours. Impressive. Skin is left smoothed and plumped up with renewed vitality and a youthful, gorgeous glow.

Lancôme Hydra-Intense Masque Dh185, Paris Gallery

A facial in five minutes? Fabulous.  And effortlessly easy too with this mega-moisturising mask. Wonderfully refreshing, its cooling gel formula is packed with Imperata Cylindrica – a sub-tropical plant from the Southern Hemisphere famed for its ability to survive the worst droughts. Apply a thick layer all over the face, avoiding the eye area, and five minutes later remove any excess with cotton wool. Just the ticket for thirsty skin.

Mac Mineralize Charged Water Eye Cream Dh185

Make dry eyes a thing of the past with this luxuriously rich eye cream. Infused with Mac’s ionised Super-Duo Charged Water technology, it moisturises and adds radiance whilst working to reduce the appearance of dark circles, fine lines and puffiness. Sinking smoothly into skin, it doesn’t irritate the sensitive eye area or leave it greasy, so you can use it under make-up for an eye-brightening base. Dab along your brow bone and around your eye socket for hydrated, perfect peepers.

Clinique Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 Dh168, Bloomingdale’s

Providing light coverage and an SPF, this tinted moisturiser is a summer saviour. Sweat and humidity resistant, it gives you a hint of colour and a flawless face for 12 hours, whilst its oil-free formula immediately improves moisturisation. Easily absorbed, it blends seamlessly into skin to keep you looking fresh without any dryness or discomfort.