Here are the best ways to hydrate your skin:

1. Drink more water
2. Apply a moisturizer with hyaluronic acid
3. Get at least 8 hours of sleep
4. Use a gentle face cleanser with hyaluronic acid
5. Cut back on coffee and alcohol
6. Avoid smoking and vaping
7. Incorporate essential fatty acids into your diet
8. Limit exposure to the sun, wind, and cold
9. Use a humidifier
10. Take shorter showers and use lukewarm water

If you’re reading this, we’ll take a wild guess you’re waging war against dry, dehydrated skin. That’s a surefire sign your moisture barrier is all jacked up.

We know you dozed off during science class, so we’ll keep this simple: your skin’s moisture barrier is made up of cholesterol, fatty acids, and ceramides—the VIPs of skin hydration. When it’s intact, it locks in moisture and keeps your skin from resembling sandpaper. But when it's not, you start feeling more flaky than your last match on Hinge.

The good news is your skin isn’t doomed to permanent dehydration. With a few easy adjustments, you can repair your moisture barrier and improve your complexion in 24 hours without blowing your whole paycheck.

Here are 10 dermatologist-approved tips to hydrate your skin fast.

1. Drink More Water

We’ve all heard it a million times—“Drink more water for better skin.” But here’s the real deal: while guzzling H2O won’t magically erase wrinkles or make your skin instantly dewy, it does keep the cells hydrated from the inside out.

Picture your skin cells like little grapes. Dehydration turns them into raisins, and, well, no one’s striving for raisin skin. Staying hydrated helps maintain your skin’s natural barrier, which means fewer flaky, dry patches. It's not a cure-all, but it's a baseline move no fancy skincare product can compensate for.

2. Apply a Daily Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid

Applying a moisturizer is the fastest way to hydrate your skin, hands down. However, it all depends on the type of moisturizer you use. There are so many garbage formulas out there that create more problems than they solve. To get optimal hydration, invest in a lightweight, gel-based moisturizer with 2% hyaluronic acid like Revival.

Hyaluronic acid sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it’s just a super fancy way of saying it pulls moisture into your skin like a sponge. This molecule can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water—basically, it’s the skin equivalent of hoarding a swimming pool in your pores. This powerhouse ingredient grabs onto moisture and keeps it locked in, giving you that plump, hydrated look that’s guaranteed to land you a few compliments.

3. Get at Least 8 Hours of Sleep

Sleep isn’t just for your brain—it’s skin rehab time too. While you’re passed out, your body is busy fixing all the damage your skin endured during the day. Skimp on sleep, and your skin can’t keep up, which leads to things like dullness, dryness, and the dreaded bags under your eyes.

Sleep deprivation can even lower the moisture levels in your skin, making it harder to stay hydrated. Think of sleep as the night shift for your skin—if you’re not getting enough, things start falling apart.

4. Use a Gentle Face Cleanser with Hyaluronic Acid

If your cleanser is making your skin feel like the Sahara after you wash, you’re doing it wrong. Harsh cleansers strip away natural oils and leave your face parched. Make the switch to a gentle cleanser with hyaluronic acid, like Fresh Start. This doesn’t just get rid of dirt, grease, and grime—it adds a hydration boost.

It’s like cleaning your face without paying the price of tight, uncomfortable skin afterward. No one wants that squeaky-clean feeling—it’s a sign your skin’s been robbed of moisture. Hyaluronic acid helps avoid that sad fate.

5. Cut Back on Coffee and Alcohol

No one’s thrilled to hear this, including us. But coffee and alcohol are dehydrators in disguise. Caffeine and alcohol both act as diuretics, which means they make you lose more water than you’re taking in. And when your body is dehydrated, your skin is too. Sure, that extra cup of coffee helps you survive the day, but it’s not doing your skin any favors. Cutting back keeps your skin from looking like it’s been through a desert trek.

6. Avoid Amoking and Vaping

There’s no way to sugarcoat it: smoking and vaping are brutal for your skin. Nicotine reduces blood flow, which means your skin isn’t getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs. It’s like trying to grow a plant without sunlight—it’s just not going to thrive.

Smoking dehydrates your skin, leads to premature aging, and basically makes it look like you’ve hit fast-forward on the whole "wrinkles" timeline. Vaping isn’t much better, either—there are still plenty of chemicals that disrupt your skin’s ability to hold onto moisture.

7. Incorporate Essential Fatty Acids into Your Diet

Think of essential fatty acids—like those in salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts—as the building blocks of your skin’s moisture barrier. These fats help strengthen the skin’s natural oil layer, which locks in moisture and keeps irritants out. Without enough of them, your skin barrier can get compromised, leading to dryness and irritation. It’s like trying to patch a leaky boat without the right materials—it’s just not going to work.

8. Limit Exposure to the Sun, Wind, and Cold

Sun, wind, and cold weather might sound like the trifecta of a perfect outdoor adventure, but for your skin, they’re just bullies. UV rays break down collagen, which leads to thinning skin and dehydration, while wind and cold strip away your skin’s natural oils, leaving it exposed and dry.

Slap on some sunscreen and layer up.

9. Use a Humidifier

If your home feels like a desert, your skin is probably feeling it too. Dry air, especially during winter, sucks moisture from your skin like a vacuum. A humidifier adds moisture back into the air, helping your skin stay hydrated while you’re binge-watching your latest obsession. It’s like a drink of water for your face, without having to actually drink more water (though you should still do that too).

10. Take Shorter Showers, and Use Lukewarm Water

We love a long, steamy shower as much as the next go. But hot water is the enemy of hydrated skin. Heat strips away your skin’s natural oils, leaving it dry and irritated. Lukewarm water is your middle ground—it cleans without wrecking your skin. And those marathon showers? Cut them down to 5-10 minutes to keep your skin from turning into a raisin version of itself.

PrettyBoy Makes Hydration Hella Easy

43% of men deal with dry skin, according to research from JAMA Dermatology. That’s a sad statistic, considering how simple it is to rehydrate your parched skin. Whether you live in a desert or just got cursed with the dry skin gene, ramping up your moisture levels is easy AF with PrettyBoy.

Give your face a good scrub with Fresh Start, then slap on some Revival and you’re good to go. No need for a countertop full of serums, sprays, and eye sticks. Level up your skincare game for the price of a few drinks with the Skincare Starter Kit.