Drinking water for healthier hair??

[christine1989]

Today I went to see my new French tutor and I happened to mention that I hardly drink any water (can't remember how that topic came up!) She said that she used to be the same way until a doctor said that dehydration can lead to a dry, itchy scalp because the body focuses on hydrating vital organs first and the less important areas (like the scalp) get shorted. That explanation seemed perfectly logical to me. Being a member of LHC, my mind automatically jumped to the implications this might have for hair. A dry scalp can't be good for hair growth and may even contribute to shedding! :blueeek: Is there any validity to this theory? I was wondering if anyone on here has experianced better hair health by drinking more water? If so, how much do you drink regularly?

[Captain Nikki]

I always drink close to 2L a day, more in the hot weather. It makes no difference to my hair. My hair is always dry, grows extremely slowly & sheds a lot. I do always however have a problem free, healthy scalp.

[Alaia]

I don't know the specifics about hair, but drinking water is good for you in general.

8 glasses a day, and all that. When I started drinking the right amount of water, the difference was amazing - more energy in general, my skin was fantastic, my hair did seem nicer. Of course, I've fallen off the wagon but I really should get back on it.

I think the amount you are supposed to drink is 1.5 litres per day.

[jera]

Remaining hydrated and balancing your electrolytes is extremely important to your overall health. And, your hair is a reflection of your health. I think it couldn't hurt you to add more water drinking to your life. Especially in summer when we all lose water from our bodies because we sweat more. :)

[Fethenwen]

We need the 8 glasses of water each day because our modern food doesn't contain much water + we eat too much salt. At least that is what I've heard, raw foodies doesn't need to drink as much water.
I drink quite a lot of water myself, otherwise I might even get a headache.

Edit: I forgot to mention hair ^^ Yeah, overall good health leads often to healthy hair. So drinking water applies to this too.

[Dars]

Water is needed but the impact of dry skin on hair growth I am not familiar with. Also, the eight glasses a day is a myth. Seven glasses or nine glasses isn't going to harm you. It's just a number. ;)

[*Rose Red*]

like mentioned drinking water is important for everything: for health, for skin hair and all that. I don´t like water, so I always take tea oder orange juice with water (half/half). It´s difficult for me to drink enough, but when I don´t I get headache and feel tired.

[littlenvy]

I'm a total believer in drinking water. (and yes, 8 glasses a day is just way too much unless you are doing a lot of sweating)
But its like with nature. You want healthy plants/trees, you give them plenty of water. If they are hydrated enough they can fight off anything including bugs.
Not enough water and the system shuts down and only hydrates the vital parts.

The only time I think is ok not drinking water is if you drink lots of butter milk or regular milk. The fat usually breaks down in your body into water and calories anyway. So you get the water you need anyway. But then you really have to watch your regular calorie intake not to gain too much.

Juice and soda give you way too much sugar so the hydration you gain from these is totally off balanced by the sugar.
Thou small amounts of juice (the more pure the better) do have their own benefits. :)

[ButterCream]

Hasn`t helped me one bit.
No difference in my skin, scalp, energy or hair. I wish It would though:(

But I have health issues though, so I can only speak for my experience regarding increased waterintake having health issues. Should mention I have given it a looong time (years), so I know I have given it more than enough time to see any results.

But I continue to do it out of habit.
Stopped drinking as much as I usually do and didn`t feel any different at all. But still do it more out of habit than thirst, because I rarely get thirsty..

[Sammich]

I noticed drinking 1.5 litres a day helped my hair and skin alot, shinier less dry hair. :)
I need to get back into it, I just hate the taste of water. :p plus it's hard to drink when you're not thirsty, and to keep track. :p

[missfortune9335]

drinking water is a very basic need for overall health, and your general overall health is reflected in your hair. It's true that your body will send nutrients to the most important places first, hair and nails are not essential to keeping your body functioning so they are "last on the list"

I actually don't find it hard to get my water in, I down one 8oz glass before I walk out the door in the morning, keep a 24 oz refillable bottle with me during the day (i have a desk job so i don't really have to carry it around or anything) and down another 8 oz glass after I work out in the afternoon so that's already 40 oz right there which for many people is pleanty.
Give it a try and see what you think!

[squiggyflop]

um well i never drink actual water.. but i do drink a lot of tea and milk.. at least gallon a day of combined tea and milk.. my hair doesnt seem too bad.. um all i noticed is that if i drink a lot of tea during dinner i dont eat as much food.. so i guess its sort of been helpful to me..

i hate drinking actual water.. i like my beverages more milky.. i dont know why but i cant seem to keep regular water from going down the wrong pipe and choking on it.. same goes for tea without milk in it.. no idea why.. perhaps the milk makes it thicker? no idea.. oh and i use a calorie free sweetener in my tea.. regular sugar in it tastes gross to me..

[tinti]

I don't know anything about the theories, but I've allways drunk a lot of water, at least 3-4 liters a day. And my hair has allways been in very good shape. It's really strong. And family and friends tells me that it's growing really fast. But I don't think so. So maybe water helps.

[cm006j]

Today I went to see my new French tutor and I happened to mention that I hardly drink any water (can't remember how that topic came up!) She said that she used to be the same way until a doctor said that dehydration can lead to a dry, itchy scalp because the body focuses on hydrating vital organs first and the less important areas (like the scalp) get shorted. That explanation seemed perfectly logical to me. Being a member of LHC, my mind automatically jumped to the implications this might have for hair. A dry scalp can't be good for hair growth and may even contribute to shedding! :blueeek: Is there any validity to this theory? I was wondering if anyone on here has experianced better hair health by drinking more water? If so, how much do you drink regularly?

Every person has an ideal amount of water they should drink. The idea that we should all have eight glasses a day has been debunked.

You can drink too much water, although that is rare. It flushes out electrolytes, so you lose them if you drink too much water.

The rule of thumb is simple. Drink water when you are thirsty. That's it.

I don't drink anything except water and I don't drink all that much of it, but I'm fine as long as I do drink when I am thirsty.

I have no idea what effect that has on hair, though.

[bumblebums]

Every person has an ideal amount of water they should drink. The idea that we should all have eight glasses a day has been debunked.

You can drink too much water, although that is rare. It flushes out electrolytes, so you lose them if you drink too much water.

The rule of thumb is simple. Drink water when you are thirsty. That's it.

I don't drink anything except water and I don't drink all that much of it, but I'm fine as long as I do drink when I am thirsty.

I have no idea what effect that has on hair, though.

The 8 glasses a day thing is often repeated, and people tend to believe things they've heard often.

In truth, the amount of water you drink depends on your body mass, amount of fat in your body, and the temperatures and humidity at any given time. So there is no possible way to formulate a rule of thumb that would work for everyone, except maybe your "drink when thirsty" recommendation. Although some would say that by the time you are thirsty, it's too late. For weight loss, it is recommended that you sip water throughout the day before you're thirsty, so that your body is trained not to retain water in the first place.

Hair has water in it, so if you want it to grow in strong and pliable, it seems like water is a must. Also, the OP is right that resources are rerouted from hair, which is mostly decorative, to more vital areas, so if you tend to be dehydrated, then your hair and scalp will not get first priority treatment.

Upshot: For hair and overall health, you have to drink water and eat hydrating foods (watermelon, greens, etc).

[littleflowerr]

Well water (H20) is vital to your organs as it gives cells energy to drive and so i would def think drinking the right amount of water for your body. I live in the desert so i'm constantly drinking water and carrying a bottle with me everywhere i go (literally)! i use to hate water but living here... i just had to! plus i've figured out what brands taste better and i just drink that :) haha I've always had dry skin and sometimes my scalp is dry too but i do get headaches and dizzy if don't drink enough water!

[iloveoreos]

Water is supposed to hydrate you.. Having hydrated skin and hair can only be a good thing :)

[anrems]

Good to know! This makes total sense to me, when I drank the required amount of water (I have really fallen off the wagon lately) I felt so great and energized. I'm definitely going to start working towards drinking more water. My only reason I've stopped is my excessively small bladder. Drinking the normal amount = me peeing every 1/2 hour!

[tanya222]

Good to know! This makes total sense to me, when I drank the required amount of water (I have really fallen off the wagon lately) I felt so great and energized. I'm definitely going to start working towards drinking more water. My only reason I've stopped is my excessively small bladder. Drinking the normal amount = me peeing every 1/2 hour!

Haha me too!

And I have to drink lots of water (doctor's orders) because I have slightly lower blood pressure, so I don't wait till I'm thirsty cuz I've read that by the time you're thirsty you're already 2% dehydrated (or was it 20%? can't remember) and he's also told me not to restrict my sodium intake, to keep my BP nice. So there I am at work, dealing with customers, and I can't just go pee when there's customers so I have to hold it. And I hate holding it!

But yeah letting yourself get dehydrated is not a good thing at all, whether it affects your hair or not.

[bumblebums]

Good to know! This makes total sense to me, when I drank the required amount of water (I have really fallen off the wagon lately) I felt so great and energized. I'm definitely going to start working towards drinking more water. My only reason I've stopped is my excessively small bladder. Drinking the normal amount = me peeing every 1/2 hour!

I remember reading somewhere that the body adjusts to being more hydrated and you don't need to pee as much. It takes a bit of time to get used to it, though. It worked for me.

[Priska]

I noticed drinking 1.5 litres a day helped my hair and skin alot, shinier less dry hair. :)
I need to get back into it, I just hate the taste of water. :p plus it's hard to drink when you're not thirsty, and to keep track. :p

It helps me a lot when I add a little bit lemon juice into the water.