Being on a lifelong hunt for clear and supple skin feels like every woman’s quest. It’s often a solution that starts from within, whether it’s balancing your hormones or doing your best to consume a clean diet. But while miraculous topical creams and 12-step Korean products are among the thousands of skin remedies promising to be the secret to glass skin, enough evidence proves that there’s one under discussed true culprit behind having beautiful skin: electrolytes.

Why Electrolytes Are The Secret to Clear Skin

Beautiful skin is hydrated skin, and all that water you’re guzzling is going nowhere if you’re not being intentional about consuming electrolytes. Electrolytes, including potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium, help regulate fluid balance in your body and keep your skin hydrated on a cellular level. And when your cells are properly hydrated, your skin will immediately look plumper, smoother, and naturally radiant. Dehydrated skin, on the other hand, is when things get dull, dry, flaky, and irritated. That’s exactly what we’re trying to avoid.

Electrolytes also support the lipids in the skin barrier, which helps keeps moisture in while protecting you against irritants that can cause a breakout. So which electrolytes are the most important to consume? Magnesium in particular helps calm inflammation, which can super helpful for those with acne-prone skin. Black women in particular suffer the most from eczema, which magnesium can also help soothe. When inflammation is lower, skin tone looks more even and healthy. Magnesium also plays a role in skin cell turnover and healthy collagen formation, which will boost your elasticity. Potassium, another superstar electrolyte, pulls the heavy weight in maintaining balance and helping ensure skin cells function properly, which can prevent the skin from overproducing oil due to dehydration.

How To Get More Electrolytes Into Your Daily Routine

There are a ton of incredible electrolyte powders on the market that are guaranteed to be effective in snatching your skin. However, they can be undoubtedly expensive, which is why it’s worth considering these easy at home alternatives:

• Coconut water (natural potassium + magnesium)
• Mineral water (contains calcium and magnesium)
• Homemade electrolyte drink using water, a pinch of sea salt or Celtic salt, a squeeze of lemon, and a drop of honey or maple syrup

These work best first thing in the morning, while your stomach is empty and your skin can get a good jumpstart to your day. Rather than downing sugary sports drinks, your skin and metabolism will thank you for jumpstarting the day with these healthy drink alternatives. Beyond that, incorporating electrolyte-rich foods into your daily diet will also help keep levels steady and have your skin beaming. Here are some foods to consider:

• Bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, and leafy greens for potassium
• Almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, spinach, and black beans for magnesium
• Yogurt, chia seeds, tofu, and kale for calcium 
• Sea salt, pickles, olives and broth for sodium

Electrolytes are like an internal moisturizer, doing the work from within to make sure your skin stays juicy and vibrant. Without them, all the expensive, topical hyaluronic acid in the world can’t keep your skin hydrated. And of course, it’s crucial to remember that electrolytes help water do its job, so you can’t skate around making sure you’re drinking plenty of it. One glass of water with electrolytes in the morning in addition to 6–8 cups of regular water throughout the day is ideal.