Candice Hall
Do you follow the “8 glasses of water a day” rule? Typically, our fluid intake, including tea and lattes amounts to 5-6 glasses. Rarely do we make it to the eight glasses mark. Well, you need to know that adequate consumption of water significantly impacts your hair growth.
Yes, you heard me right! Water, such a cheap and easy commodity to get is what you need. So, why aren’t you making the most of it? Water not only keeps your body hydrated, but also regulates your circulatory system. This is the system responsible for the nourishment of your follicles, which in turn stimulates your hair growth. If your body is dehydrated, it will eventually show on your hair.
How Dehydration Affects Hair Growth
Many people know that lack of water results in dehydration, but few know that this affects hair growth. Common knowledge says our body is 70-80% water. When dehydrated, your body cells are not able to function properly. They are unable to grow and reproduce, resulting in stagnated, withered hair.
The human body loses an average of 2-3 quarts of water on a daily basis through natural body processes such as sweat and urine. Some water evaporation also occurs through the skin.
When the body is dehydrated, your tresses become dry, brittle, rough and may even stop growing at the rate they naturally should. Your hair can only receive nutrients and water through the roots. Your roots are capable of soaking up water, allowing it to get distributed to the rest of the hair parts. This internally and automatically boosts your hair growth.
So, why should you stay hydrated? The following are the benefits of consistently taking water:
- Water acts as a source of energy for your body, specifically your cells. The cells responsible for your hair growth are not excluded.
- Water provided your hair cells with the required vitamins.
- It aids in the generation of electrical and magnetic energy, the core powers that sustain life through the hydrolysis process.
- Water activates the photosensitive and energy-sensitive nerve endings on our scalp. These nerve endings boost the vitality of hair roots.
- Staying hydrated also takes care of dandruff and thinning problems.
- Water helps in getting rid of toxins in the body.
- Drinking water can be equated to breathing life into your organs and muscles.
- Failure to drink water can result in many health problems, some of which directly impact the growth of your hair.
- Since 25% of our strands are water, staying hydrated significantly enhances its strength.
- If you are struggling with thinning hair, water will help you restore them to life.
- Cold rinsing your hair after shampooing leaves it leaves it shiny and smooth.
Here’s Why You Should Switch to Water-Based Hair Products
Even though taking lots of water is one of the most recommended ways of keeping our system hydrated, there are other steps that can be taken to enhance the process. One of them is using water-based hair products.
The first step involves checking out the label on the products before you purchase them – they have to be water based.
This does not discount the fact that your hair needs oil based products as well, but you need to go in with water based products first to penetrate. Oil is best used for coating the strands once they have been hydrated.
How Can You Incorporate More into Your Life?
Regardless of water, you love tap water or bottled water, it is important that you come up with a technique that works for you. The following tips will help you increase your daily water intake.
- Have a few bottles of water stored away in convenient places. Could be your locker, bedroom, work desk, car, anywhere that you can easily reach out to it. If you are always on the go, have small water bottles, say eight ounces each, in your bookbag or purse.
- Come up with a drinking schedule and have reminders for specific times of the day.
- When visiting your grocery store, reach out for fruits and fleshy vegetables, because their water content also counts.
- Make it a goal to have a glass of water before and after every meal. Even if you prefer enjoying your favorite drink, have a preference for water before indulging in your favorite
- Have a water bottle that has time markings and measurements that will help you track your daily water intake. You can go with your most preferred size, but have at least 32 oz.
- Add some flavor to your water if you find it difficult to take plain water. This should motivate you to take even more water.
Drink Up!
Water is life. Not only does it promote the growth of healthy hair, it also helps in handling scalp and hair related challenges. Even mild dehydration has the ability to sap a huge amount of energy from your roots, leaving your hair dry, weak and susceptible to breakage.
I understand that water may not be your drink of choice, not to mention how hard it can be to drink a given amount of water in a day. However, a healthy lifestyle (and hair) demand that you take water regularly. Even though hair products may hydrate your hair, that’s not enough. You need to drink up and allow for your hair to quench its thirst!
