Since I was a little girl, I have had what I call, ‘a really small bladder’. In a day, I have to pee more number of times than I can count *ugh* and a slight change (read: increase) in my water intake would just sky rocket this number. And to avoid this situation as well the embarrassment of wanting to use the washroom often in front of my friends and family, I decided to avoid drinking water unless my throat would feel absolutely dry and itchy.
Unfortunately for me, this habit followed me into my adulthood. I avoided drinking especially when commuting, and needless to say, this impacted various aspects of my health, especially my skin. Now, while my skin never really had any major issues per se (touchwood), it wasn’t perfect or flawless in any way. I had an uneven skin texture with open pores, noticeable bumps and quite a few dry patches. I thought this was absolutely normal until I became a beauty writer. To combat this, I tried everything that one can imagine; from switching up my skincare routine to innumerable DIYs, I did it all, but to no avail.
This went on until a month into the lockdown when a colleague wrote an article on the importance of drinking enough water for optimal skin health, and I realised that being quarantined (and easy access to my personal washroom) is the best opportunity I would ever have to increase my water intake and train my body to adjust to it. So, I decided to revolt against my bladder by doubling up my water intake and here’s a detailed report of everything I observed…
Month 1
To say that this month was difficult would easily qualify to be an understatement of the century. For the first two weeks, I did increase my water intake. It was nowhere even close to double as I would just block out feeling thirsty (old habits die hard, you see). So, by the end of the second week I installed an app on my phone that would remind me to drink at least half a glass of water every hour. This proved to be quite helpful, and for the rest of the month, I stuck to following this religiously. Even though I did not see any major changes in my skin in this month, I surely had to use the bathroom a lot more times — both, during the day and night *rolls eyes*.
P.S. The image was taken just a few days before lockdown, and even with a little bit of makeup on, you can see how dehydrated and lacklustre my skin looked.
Month 2
By the end of the first month, my water intake had almost doubled, so I bought myself a big 1.5 litre bottle that would be right next to me all the time while I worked WFH. The increased water intake made me feel a lot more energetic and alert, and my morning lethargy had come down to quite an extent. My skin also felt a little less dry and patchy, which was a major motivation for me to put up with the frequent bathroom trips.
Month 3
This month was quite revolutionary, because this is when I really started noticing a lot of positive changes in my skin that I had read about in the article that first pushed me to take up this challenge. Before I started this challenge, I had a lot of open pores and no amount of primer or ice could fill them in completely. But over two months of diligently drinking water, staying mostly indoors, and religiously following my skincare routine, I observed that my pores looked a lot cleaner and my skin texture felt refined. Thanks to this, my makeup (for WFH zoom calls and virtual parties) went on a lot smoother and it settled to an extremely natural and skin-like finish, something that even really expensive, high-end foundations failed to give me. Even though I still had a few open pores and dry patches, they were a lot less flaky and not as noticeable as earlier. My skin looked glowing, and for the first time since I discovered the highlighter (it is my HG product), I started to think that maybe I could do without it at some point in the future. Honestly, this is what gave me the motivation to continue with this challenge and see it to its end.
Month 4
I am in the fourth month of this challenge, and I think it is safe to say that my body has now completely adjusted to this increased water intake and it is a part of my lifestyle. Apart from how healthy I feel, my skin definitely looks so much healthier and happier than it ever has. I hadn’t had a single random breakout in over a month and my skin texture looks smooth AF. I still have a bit of dryness around my mouth and nose, but I know that with time and regularly following my skincare routine, it will definitely improve.
Even though I took this up as a challenge to see where it goes, I must say I never expected to see such amazing improvements in my skin and health. And while I do have to maintain my water intake, follow my skincare routine religiously and exercise to ensure that these effects last, I must say that for skin that looks so clear — I am game!
Written by Urvi Dalal on Sep 02, 2020
Writer, avid reader and hardcore beauty enthusiast is the best way to describe Urvi Dalal. With over 5 years of writing experience in the beauty industry, you can trust her to have the latest skin, hair and makeup tidbits on her fingertips. In her time working as a beauty writer, she has had the opportunity to interact and work closely with a string of dermatologists, makeup artists and hairstylists. All that knowledge exchange, coupled with her flair and love for writing make it possible for her to bring you some authentic yet fun beauty content. When Urvi isn’t working, you’d usually catch her curled up with a big, fat book, drinking a cup of tea or practising her makeup skills; there is no in-between!