There is nothing worse than feeling run down and dehydrated. Whether youve had a long day travelling, an intense workout, been out in the sunshine, or simply not been drinking enough water (despite investing in a Stanley Cup). The best electrolytes are must for recovery.

　　Electrolytes are salts and minerals that are essential for our bodies to function properly. If youre low on electrolytes, you might suffer with muscle cramping, headaches and feeling sick - so its important to replenish them to avoid this. Whilst you can often get all the electrolytes you need through a healthy balanced diet - circumstances like intense exercise (running after the kids counts), excessive sweating and illness might call for the extra help of an electrolyte supplement.

　　©Closer Closers pick of the best electrolytes, at a glance: There are lots of electrolyte supplements on the market all promising to boost hydration and energy with essential salts and minerals - but it can be hard to know which is best. Most electrolytes are in the form of a powder sachet that you dissolve in water, however you can also get effervescent tabs and tablets too. Weve put the best electrolytes on the market to the test to work out whats worth spending your money on and what to avoid.

　　How we tested the best electrolytes All of these electrolytes have been put to the test by our Closer shopping experts who have tested them out over a period of time to fully feel the benefits. When testing we are looking for taste, dissolvability, price point and overall benefits. The electrolytes we have tested range from just £7.99 up to £35 and each aim to revive hydration levels lost from sports, heat, travelling and drinking alcohol.

　　©Closer SHOP: Best electrolytes, tried and tested 1. Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier Sachets 

　　Best electrolytes overall

　　Liquid IVPrice: £19.99View offer These Liquid IV sachets have been our go-to when travelling, hungover or just generally feeling a bit meh. After trying out a few of the flavours, we’ve found that the lemon and lime flavour is our favourite and is most refreshing. These sachets pack quite a punch so if you’re not after a strong flavoured drink, this might not be for you.

　　You simply add the sachet to 500ml of water and give it a good mix. You can buy the sachets in multipacks of 16, but they are also available as single servings which is great for grabbing on the go. We really feel such a difference after taking these and make sure to always pack them in our hand luggage whenever we travel to stay hydrated.

　　Pros ConsProsStrong flavourSold both individually and in multi-packsConsSome might find the flavour overpowering2. Humantra Hydration Packets

　　Best electrolytes for energy

　　HumantraPrice: £28.00View offer Though they have lots of flavours available, we tried out the popular Berry Pomegranate one. The sachet sticks are small and dissolve really easily in a glass of water. Each sachet has six essential electrolytes and contain no caffeine which is great for if you need a hydration boost later in the day.

　　As they have no sugar, we found that they had a slightly artificial sweetener flavouring - this wasnt a huge deal breaker for us though as we didnt mind the sweet taste. After taking these in the morning for a few weeks we felt less headache-y and found that we didnt need our mid-afternoon caffeine fix to get us through the day as we had more energy.

　　Pros ConsProsNoticable energy boostCaffiene free CaffieneZero sugarConsVery sweet3. Phizz Electrolytes

　　Best effervescent electrolytes

　　PhizzRrp:7.99

　　Price: £7.43View offerAlternative retailersBoots£8.00View offer If you dont like the effort of mixing a sachet into water - these effervescent tabs from Phizz are a great easy option. Simply drop it into a glass of water and it dissolves quickly without leaving any residue at the bottom. We tried the orange flavour which was nice and refreshing and not too sweet.

　　The handy tube that these come in is really easy to chuck in a bag for on-the-go use - ideal for travelling or sports. We tried these tabs out after travelling long-haul and they really helped us feel more hydrated after sitting on a plane for 10 hours.

　　Vidrate Hydration Enhanced 

　　Best electrolyte flavours

　　VibratePrice: £24.95View offer If you’re looking for some variety in flavour with your electrolytes these Vidrate Hydration Enhanced sachets are available in a multipack offering different flavours including mixed berry, coconut, strawberry and lime, lemon and mint and tropical.

　　On the whole, we liked all the flavours but did find the coconut one a little harder to drink as it was very sweet. These sachets are all sugar free with natural flavourings and the sachets are really compact which is great for on the go. They dissolve into water easily and after having every morning for a few weeks we really noticed a difference in our energy levels.

　　Pros ConsProsGreat variety of flavoursCompact sachetsConsSome might find overly sweet4. Humans against Hangovers

　　Best electrolytes for hangovers

　　Humans against hangoversPrice: £12.95humansagainst.com

　　View offer We’re always on the lookout for a hangover cure, so were curious to try these sachets out. With 24 plant extracts, vitamins, and minerals they have been scientifically proven to help with symptoms of a hangover. The instructions stated to add one or two sachets to a glass of water when feeling hangover symptoms occur. We added just one sachet to start and found that it had a really subtle berry flavour – almost tasted like water. Great if you’re not looking for an overly flavourful electrolyte.

　　We did find we had to re-mix the water when drinking as the powder kept sinking to the bottom. Overall, we felt that this gave us a much-needed energy boost and helped us get over our hangover much quicker.

　　Pros ConsProsEasy to drinkSubtle flavourConsHad to re-mix, as powder kept sinking5. Bulk Electrolyte Powder, Unflavoured

　　Best unflavoured electrolytes

　　BulkRrp:7.99

　　Price: £4.38View offer If youre looking for a no-frills way to up your electrolytes, this Bulk powder is a great option. It comes in a resealable bag and has a little scoop inside for the suggested serving size which is about 1g. As its unflavoured, its recommended to add the powder into an already flavoured drink like a protein shake, juice or smoothie.

　　We added the powder to our morning smoothie and couldnt detect it at all. Out of curiosity, we decided to add the powder to a glass of water to find out whether it does have a taste or not - it is relatively flavourless aside from a slightly salty aftertaste which is to be expected with electrolytes. After trialling the powder for a few weeks we cant say we noticed much of a change in our hydration and energy levels.

　　Pros ConsProsWell pricedUnflavouredConsNo noticable difference in hydration levels6. Free Soul Hydrate

　　Most refreshing electrolytes

　　Free soulPrice: £29.99freesoul.com

　　View offer Weve all heard of the viral Free Soul Greens, so wondered whether their electrolytes would live up to the hype. We found the packaging for these electrolytes a little wasteful as they were all individual sachets but then also in a resealable bag, too. The sachets are citrus flavoured - we found they tasted like sherbet lemon sweets! Once dissolved, it made a really refreshing drink.

　　We enjoyed the electrolytes after working out for a bit of a hydration boost and we felt they really helped out with the dehydration we often feel afterwards. Priced at around £30 for 30 sticks - these electrolytes are not a cheap option coming in at about £1 a stick. We think these are worth the money but if youre on a tighter budget there are other alternatives out there.

　　Pros ConsProsRefreshing lemon flavourDissolve wellConsExpensiveWasteful packaging7. Nutravita Electrolyte Complex 

　　Best electrolyte tablets

　　NutravitaRrp:14.99

　　Price: £12.74View offer If youre not a fan of drinking your electrolytes, these Nutravita tablets are a great alternative. The tub comes with 240 tablets and you take two a day - so we think that this really good value as the entire tub lasts four months. The tablets themselves are quite large, so if you struggle taking large pills, these might not be for you.

　　We took these with a large glass of water first thing in the morning and found that after using for a few weeks we noticed a real difference. We tend to suffer with cramping and dehydration but after taking these we had little to no cramps. These are excellent value for money and are just as good as other expensive electrolytes on the market.

　　Pros ConsProsGreat value for moneyNoticable improvement in hydrationConsLarge pills8. Willpowders Watermelon ElectroTide 

　　Best electrolytes for water retention

　　WillpowdersPrice: £35www.willpowders.com

　　View offer Created by Davinia Taylor, these Willpowers ElectroTide sachets are designed to both hydrate and flush out water retention. As someone that struggles with water retention, we were really curious to put these to the test. We tried out the watermelon flavour - which wouldnt ordinarily be a flavour wed like, but we really enjoyed it and found it refreshing.

　　We took these electrolytes every morning for 30 days and we honestly felt the benefits. We found that we werent getting so bloated and puffy during the course of the day and felt generally more hydrated. We know that these arent the most affordable electrolytes but wed definitely repurchase in the future.

　　Pros ConsProsHelps with water retention tooFelt generally more hydratedGreat tastingConsCome with a more premium price-tag Which electrolyte is best? After testing out a variety of electrolytes at different price points, our overall favourite was the Liquid IV Hydration Multiplier sachets, thanks to their great value for money, taste and effectiveness. We also really enjoyed the Phizz Electrolytes which are great more budget-friendly option. We were pleasantly surprised with the Nutravita Electrolyte Complex - wed never tried our electrolyte tablets before, and were impressed with how effective they were and they were also very well-priced.

　　Lucy Brown is Life and Style Writer covering everything travel, interiors, celeb wellness and fitness across both print and online for Closer, heat, Bella, Take a Break, Yours and Thats Life.