Influencers are obsessed with hydration this festival season - but how do we know what really works?

From Coachella IV drips to TikTok ‘loaded water’, hydration has become festival season’s hottest accessory. But when it comes to surviving heat, hangovers, and 12-hour dance days, balance explores what really works.

It is festival season! And whilst we all watched Bieberchella with envy, it felt like it was much more than a music event this time round. Coachella and the brand trips that surrounded it were more of a live advertisement for wellness. Scroll TikTok or Insta during festival season, and it’s less glitter and crochet tops than in the last few years, and more IV drips, electrolytes, and surviving the party whilst staying hydrated.

But behind the hydration obsession, we have to ask: does any of it actually work? For us normies who may be heading to our local festivals, we are less blessed when it comes to PR-gifted packages, and we want to know what is worth investing in, time and money alike. Hydration is more about just drinking water; it is about how your body retains it.

In high heat and hours of movement, you lose both water and electrolytes like sodium and potassium through sweat. These are the minerals that help regulate fluid balance, nerve function, and muscle performance (all essential when taking the party into the night – and maybe even the morning!). Water can sometimes pass through the system too quickly without them, leaving you dehydrated.

This is where the electrolytes obsession gets interesting. If you have been floating around social media, you have probably seen the ‘loaded water’ trend, where creators mix a bunch of electrolyte powders and tablets in their Stanley cups. It can be an overwhelming watch as they list off their essential vitamins and minerals, and what you simply must include in your daily water intake.

But for most people, a balanced diet already provides enough electrolytes, and we are told plain water should suffice. So why does it feel like everyone is drinking something more than water? Yes, part of it is performance culture. But as life gets busier and we want to prevent burnout rather than wait for it to catch up to us, we should be pacing our energy, planning recovery, and trying to avoid that burnout.

Hydration products and electrolyte supplements have become part of our ‘survival kits’, and even official sponsorships reflect this shift. But we must remember that over-relying on electrolyte drinks can disrupt the body’s balance, and water still does most of the heavy lifting. Electrolytes are a support system, not a replacement.

So what really works? Think of hydration in three layers. First, your water intake throughout the day. Second, your food-based electrolytes come from fruits, salt, and balanced meals. And lastly, electrolytes to aid your hydration levels, especially in periods of heat, exercise, long dancing sessions, busy days, or heavy sweating.

This is why products like Selene fit into a smarter approach rather than a trend-driven one. Instead of relying on sugary or overly processed hydration drinks, Selene focuses on restoring key minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium in a balanced formula designed to support real fluid absorption. So, whilst we push for a balanced approach to hydration, you can also enhance how your body uses it – especially in high-heat environments like festivals where you’re constantly losing fluids.

In a landscape where hydration has become aestheticised, the real advantage is simplicity: drink water consistently, understand what your body is losing, and use electrolytes strategically rather than performatively. The influencers might sell the cool girl festival vibe, but your body only cares about the balance.