While it is important to do skin self-examinations and to utilize sunscreen, hats, and eyeglasses during summer months, it is just as essential to hydrate your skin from the inside. Eating the right foods and drinking the right things is essential to healthy skin that glows from the inside out.

Summertime is a time filled with delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, much of which are full of hydrating water. When your body is hydrated, your skin will reflect that well beyond sunscreen and shade.

Fruits and Vegetables That Hydrate

Watermelon is an excellent example of a summer fruit that hydrates. Watermelon is capable of hydrating you and your skin for quite some time. It is mostly made up of - you guessed it - water, and contains sodium, magnesium, and potassium. Perfect for hydrating you.

Cantaloupe is packed with hydration and offers vitamin A, Vitamin C, and potassium.

Grapefruit - Juicy, tangy, and full of hydrating juices, grapefruit is an excellent hydrator for your skin.

Celery - Celery is a great snack or in between go-to for when you want to crunch on something that is healthy. Packed with water, it also has vitamins and mineral salts to keep your body hydrated and your skin glowing.

Strawberries - Strawberries are high in antioxidants but also are great for detox, as are blueberries and cherries are.

Cucumbers are mostly made up of water and contain vitamin C. Cucumbers are naturally hydrating and perfect for summer salads.

Hydrating Your Skin through Beverages

The hotter it gets, the more water you should drink. For those who do not like the taste of plain water, adding lemon or lime, or both, to your water can make the difference in whether or not your skin is hydrated. In addition, making your own homemade fresh green tea, chilling it and serving it with ice and lemon is a great way to hydrate that tastes good too. Adding a sprig of mint tops it off making it the perfect summer hydrating drink.

For many women, putting something on the outside of your face seems to be the logical path to keeping hydrated looking skin. However, what you do on the inside first will always make the biggest difference. Eating your summer fruits and vegetables and hydrating yourself with water and teas will not only keep your body functioning properly; it will also keep your skin glowing like the sun without all the side effects.