DISC Health Equity Action Lab
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Healthy Skin in 2026: Hydration Hacks for Glowing Skin All Year Long
The key to healthy skin: Staying well-hydrated all year long is essential for your overall health. The Mayo Clinic notes that “water is your body’s principal chemical component and makes up about 50% to 70% of your body weight.” Every cell, tissue, and organ rely on water to function correctly, including your skin.
If you don’t get enough water each day (about six to eight glasses), you can become dehydrated. Dehydration can cause many health issues, including headaches, constipation, fatigue, and dry, dull skin (to name a few!).
So, how do you stay hydrated and protect your skin year-round? Here are some tips.
Seasonal Impacts on Your Skin
Seasonal weather shifts can impact your skin in different ways.
When temperatures start to drop in fall, the dry, crisp air can make your skin dry.
Likewise, cold temperatures and low humidity in winter can dry your skin. As you stay inside to keep warm, central heating, wood-burning stoves, and space heaters can make the issue worse.
Extreme summer heat, high humidity, and outdoor sun exposure can cause sweating, acne breakouts, or dry patches.
As nature reawakens in spring, you can rejuvenate your dry skin and moisturize it to prepare for warmer days ahead.
Given the impact fluctuating weather causes, it’s essential to stay hydrated year-round.
How Proper Hydration Helps Your Skin
Taking in enough water — by drinking it — and getting it through food is essential to combat dry skin and prevent dehydration.
Dry skin and dehydrated skin are two different conditions, Jeanette Graf, dermatologist and assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, told Harper’s Bazaar.
“Dry skin is a genetic skin type that is naturally occurring — different from dehydrated skin, which is caused by external factors,” Graf explained.
In the latter case, dehydration compromises your skin barrier, and your skin will be red, irritated, rough, and tight.
Staying hydrated helps keep your skin healthy and the rest of your body. Mayo Clinic notes that water helps your body remove waste, regulates body temperature, lubricates and cushions joints, and protects sensitive tissues.
How Much Water Do You Need Each Day?
The amount of water each person needs to stay hydrated varies per individual. You should consult your physician and follow any fluid restrictions. For instance, people with a history of congestive heart failure should limit fluids, according to guidance from their cardiologist.
Drinking water helps replenish natural water loss via perspiration, urination, bowel movements, and breath.
An average healthy person may drink eight glasses of water per day as a good goal, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Mayo Clinic also cautioned: If you drink too much water, you can develop a life-threatening condition called hyponatremia. In this case, your kidneys can’t get rid of the excess water, and the sodium in your blood becomes diluted.
What Skincare Products Offer Good Hydration?
With so many skincare products and brands, choosing the right ones for hydration can seem overwhelming.
To combat dehydration, Harper’s Bazaar recommends:
- Look for products that contain hyaluronic acid and glycerin (aka humectants). Humectants attract moisture and help restore your skin’s water content.
- Also, look for products that contain ceramides. These lipids help soften your skin and repair your skin barrier.
- Ceramides are often paired with emollients like squalane, petroleum, shea butter, or lanolin.
- Look for products with fatty oils.
- Add a hydrating serum featuring hyaluronic acid or ceramides.
- Following the serum, use a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid and glycerin.
- Always use sunscreen with at least SPF 30.
- Avoid harsh exfoliants.
Verywellhealth also advises using lotions as daytime moisturizers. Use special face creams at night (to sink better into your skin), and use gels in non-humid environments, which are often most effective for protecting the skin on your face.
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Lifestyle Choices that Promote Hydration and Healthy Skin
Making lifestyle choices that promote hydration and healthy skin can make a positive impact. They include:
- Avoid hot showers and baths and limit time taking them.
- Apply topical moisturizers after bathing.
- Avoid smoking and tobacco use.
- Wear hats and clothing to protect your skin outdoors.
- Take indoor breaks when you must be outside for a long time.
- Use a humidifier.
- Avoid dehydrating beverages like coffee, alcohol, and caffeinated soda.
You can also include hydrating foods in your daily diet to boost your water intake. Foods with a high water content include cucumber, lettuce, celery, radishes, tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, watermelon, portabella mushrooms, strawberries, and spinach.
Overall, drinking enough water, protecting your skin, avoiding long, hot showers, and eating hydrating fruits and vegetables are ways you can help protect your skin.
Get more health tips and resources. Visit Disc Health.
About
DISC Health
The Health Equity Action Lab (HEAL) is an initiative by Dynasty Interactive Screen Community aimed at addressing health disparities in the U.S. and globally. By engaging media and stakeholders, HEAL seeks to reduce health inequalities and raise awareness. Their approach includes overcoming socio historical barriers and confronting the institutional, social, and political factors that perpetuate healthcare inequality.
Howard University Hospital (HUH)
Howard University Hospital, established in 1862 as Freedmen’s Hospital, has a rich history of serving African Americans and training top medical professionals. Located in Washington, D.C., it is the only teaching hospital on the campus of a historically Black university. HUH is a Level 1 Trauma Center and a critical healthcare provider for underserved populations. It offers advanced medical services, including robotic surgery, and has received numerous accolades for excellence in specialties like heart care, stroke treatment, and radiology.
Learn more about Howard University Hospital (HUH)
Howard University Faculty Practice Plan (FPP)
The Howard University Faculty Practice Plan is a multi-specialty physician group in Washington, D.C., dedicated to advancing healthcare and eliminating health disparities. It offers comprehensive services, including primary and specialty care, mental health, imaging, and cancer care, all connected to Howard University Hospital. FPP emphasizes patient-centered, respectful care for the diverse community and provides free health screenings and events to promote wellness.
Learn more about Howard University Faculty Practice Plan (FPP).
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