We all have been told countless times that drinking 8 glasses of water a day is good for our health. Water intake is known to cleanse and detoxify the body. Water is the carrier of nutrients to, it carries nutrients to ever cell of your body and is also known to improve blood circulation.

Not only is water good for your overall health, it's essential to your hair, skin and nails as well. Water is the best friend of your skin and hair. Beautiful, baby smooth skin and soft supple hair are some things that everyone desires. Though we were gifted with beautiful skin and hair when we were born over the years, pollution, unhealthy eating habits and our lifestyle has ruined our skin, and made our hair dull, dry, and brittle.

During my last weigh in (down 18 pounds total!) my doctor actually told me that drinking 8 glasses (64oz) is NOT ENOUGH water for the average person that is moderately active. It’s actually the minimal amount of water that your body needs, and that intake amount quickly increases of you exercise, work a very active labor intensive job, live in a warm climate, suffer from water retention, or even are on a diet.

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For your over all health, it is advised that you drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily. So, for a 150 pound woman, that’s 75oz of water that should be consumed daily. Now I know what you all are thinking…that’s a LOT of water, but really it’s only about 11oz more than the old standard of 8 glasses (64oz) of water. Additionally, if you eat lots of watery foods (cucumbers, melons, soups), drink lots of tea and fresh fruit juices (not from concentrate or without added sugar and high fructose corn syrup) then its highly likely that you are already getting the additional ounces that you need above that beyond the 64oz.

For the past three (3) weeks, I’ve been experimenting with various ways of increasing my water intake and so far, I’ve been drinking about 150oz of water daily (don’t be trying to figure out my weight cause I’m drinking more than the ½ my body weight… :) ) without really making any huge changes to my life. Here’s what I’ve been doing:

• I workout in the mornings, so I carry a water bottle with me to the gym (approx. 20oz). My goal daily is to drink 2 full bottles between when I wake up and when I get back home from the gym….which is an easy 40oz of water.
• I have a 32 oz water bottle on my desk at work. I usually drink 1 full one between when I arrive at work and lunch (just sipping), I drink a full one with my lunch, and then I drink another full one after lunch and before quitting time….which is another 96oz of water.
• I gave up soda (although I do drink maybe 1 a week), so I drink water with my dinner and when I’m watching TV [in place of my nightly beer(s)]…another 16-20 ounces.

I know a lot of people don’t like the taste of water…and I admit that it does get to me after a while. God BLESS the folks a crystal light! Those little water drink mix packages are the BOMB!!! I keep a few boxes in different flavors in my desk drawer, and I keep a box of the Propel ones in my gym bag. Makes it MUCH easier to drink all that water when it tastes like koolaid! You can also try sparkling water beverages just make sure you watch the sodium content!

Now….I will say this, I’ve since adopted a favorite stall in the bathroom at work and have been spending a good deal of time there. Once you start increasing your water intake, you WILL pee….ALOT! But that’s actually not that bad, because that one negative definitely pales in comparison to the benefits. This is going to sound gross, but the first thing I noticed is that my pee went from being a dark yellow to being almost a faint barely there yellow and it barely has a scent. My skin broke out for a few days (but that could have been because of my monthly hormonal change) but then it cleared up and it GLOWS. I'm not slathering on lip balm for my painfully dry cracked chaped lips, my scalp has been less dry and my skin doesn’t get all ashy and cracked after a bath if I don’t slather on my shea butter cream!

Specifically for your hair and skin, you should use products that contain water in them, since it is nature’s BEST moisturizer and follow with a product that seals in that moisture (I’ve got a post coming on this topic soon!). For instance, I spritz my hair daily with either a homemade spritz or with Qhemet Biologics Karkady Spray. Here is my homemade spritz mix:

• 8oz spray bottle
• Spring Water
• Glycerin (optional, especially is you live in a dry climate)
• Rice bran oil
• Avocado oil
• Conditioner of choice: I like shea moisture, KBB super silky, Oyin Honey Hemp, or Jasmine's Shea butter cream rinse (review coming soon!!!)

I start by adding about 4oz of water to the spray bottle, then adding 1tablespoon each of glycerin, rice bran oil, and avocado oil. I add 2 tablespoons of conditioner (If you use KBB Hair Milk, add 3 tablespoons and then leave off the glycerin). Shake everything up really well, and add more spring water to fill the remainder of the bottle. I also add rosemary and peppermint EO to my spritz (4-5 drops of each).

For those of you that suffer from dry scalp, I can think of no better way to hydrate your scalp than with a good spritz mix. The water will be absorbed by your scalp and hair, and the light oils will seal in the moisture without leaving you with greasy hair. For those of you with coarse dry hair like me, this spritz leaves with with SOFT non greasy hair that lasts all day!

I'm always looking for ways to improve my health, so if you have methods for increasing your water intake, please leave them in the comment section along with any questions!