We’ve already written a whole post on water—you’d think hydration would be covered.
Water’s definitely a part of the picture, but there’s way more to hydration than just getting enough fluid in your body.
Because to be properly hydrated, you need more than just water. You need minerals.
Think about it – it's not like Moses was drinking electrolyte packets in the desert every day. So why do they even exist now? Well, our ancestors used to get their water from freshwater streams and rivers, which were rich with all sorts of minerals like iron, zinc, calcium, and more.
Turns out, those minerals the water picked up actually helps our bodies absorb and use water better. For example:
Sodium (Na+): helps your body absorb water.†
If you took chemistry in high school, you know salt dissolves easily in water because it’s basically like a magnet for water molecules. Sodium does the same thing in your body: water clings to it and allows the sodium to drag the water wherever it needs to be. Without sodium, your body will actually feel more dehydrated, because the water in your body can’t get to where it needs to go.†
Potassium (K+): regulates fluid balance in the body.†
Potassium works alongside sodium (Na⁺) through a sodium-potassium “pump” that maintains proper water distribution in and out of cells, preventing dehydration or excess fluid retention.† It also supports kidney function by excreting sodium to balance hydration. If you’re getting too much sodium and not enough potassium, you risk high blood pressure, fatigue, and cramping. In counteracting sodium’s hypertensive effects, potassium works with sodium to ensure optimal hydration, circulation, and cellular function.
Magnesium (Mg2+): facilitates tons of hydration processes and biochemical reactions in your body.†
Magnesium stabilizes ATP, which powers almost everything in your body. Without enough magnesium, the sodium-potassium pump doesn’t work as efficiently, leading to dehydration at the cellular level.† And if you’ve ever felt muscle cramps from dehydration, that’s partly because magnesium helps keep calcium in check—too little magnesium means muscles stay tense and don’t relax properly.†
Calcium (Ca2+): helps determine how much water gets expelled or reabsorbed.†
When calcium enters a muscle cell, it signals the muscle to contract (while magnesium helps it relax). Without enough calcium, your muscles might feel weak. In the kidneys, calcium helps determine how much water gets excreted or reabsorbed, influencing overall hydration levels. Plus, it plays a role in expanding and contracting your blood vessels, so it can impact how fluids are distributed throughout the body.
Chloride (Cl-): also help with absorption, plus stomach acids.†
Chloride is the other molecule that acts like a water magnet and draws water into your body’s processes.† It’s also a key player in making stomach acid (HCl), which is essential for digestion and nutrient absorption—without enough chloride, you can struggle with bloating and poor hydration at the cellular level.† Plus, chloride helps maintain the right pH balance in your blood and tissues, preventing dehydration caused by acid-base imbalances.
In ancient times, water naturally picked up these minerals as it flowed over rocks and through underground aquifers. But today, the only way to get rid of harmful bacteria is to filter out everything — including the minerals. Bottled water is often distilled or purified, leaving it stripped of essential electrolytes.
And if you’re drinking reverse osmosis water, you’re getting the cleanest possible water—but also the most stripped and lifeless. That’s why many people feel chronically fatigued, foggy, or dehydrated—even when drinking plenty of water.†
We’re constantly told, “Drink more water!” But without the right minerals, your body can’t absorb or use it properly. Hydration isn’t just about how much water you drink — it’s about what’s in that water. Today, our water is pretty much as lifeless as the plastic bottles it’s sold in.
Replenishing Electrolytes
Most modern water is purified, filtered, or treated to remove contaminants. But in doing so, we also strip it of essential minerals, leaving it "dead" water—clean, but lacking the electrolytes your body craves. If you use filtered water, remineralize it with a high-quality electrolyte supplement.
If you’ve ever felt tired, crampy, foggy, or sluggish despite drinking tons of water, you’re not hydrated — you’re missing minerals.† True hydration mirrors nature. Modern water transport systems would be ruined by mineral buildups in pipes. So today, electrolyte supplementation is necessary.
However, not all electrolyte supplements are created equal. Leading brands can have up to 11 grams of added sugar. They also often use primarily table salt in their formulas, which is just as minerally-stripped as our water and void of dozens of vital nutrients your body needs to be hydrated.
We found these minerals highly concentrated in nature from the following sources:
-
French sea salt, which is hand-harvested using traditional Celtic methods
-
Spirulina
-
Red algae
-
Humic substances found in nutrient-rich soil (read more about this here)
Most brands just find a good (or in some cases, bad) salt, maybe a couple other minerals, throw some flavorings in it, and call it a cutting-edge product. We go above and beyond, curating each of our ingredients from the most mineral-rich environments across the planet — land and sea alike. The result after combining all of them is a true hydration powerhouse. Since these sources naturally retain key minerals (plus 80 more), and because we don’t believe in highly processing ANYTHING, our Hydrate delivers the purest, most nutrient-dense hydration nature has to offer.†
Try it today!