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Healthy Hair Foods: How Nutrition Keeps Your Hair Looking Great

nutrition

If you want your hair to look amazing, you could try buying expensive products or having top treatments in a salon. But did you know the first step to lustrous locks is checking what you eat? Your diet could be having a bigger impact on your “do” than you realize! By thinking about nutrition and what you’re eating and drinking a little more carefully, you could improve the quality and appearance of your hair.

Your Hair Needs Micronutrients

Like every cell in your body, your hair needs the right micronutrients, or it won’t grow properly. Nutritional deficiencies can lead to brittle hair, breakage, and could even contribute to hair loss. 

Protein

Protein is a primary building block for beautiful hair and healthy hair follicles. Eggs, chicken, beans, peas, lentils, and other pulses are all great choices for a hair-healthy diet.

Eggs have an added superpower as they provide you with biotin, which the body uses to produce keratin, a specific protein that improves the structure of your hair.

Vitamin E

Many skin and hair treatments contain vitamin E as it combats free radicals that can cause damage. Sunflower seeds, avocados, and almonds are all great sources of vitamin E.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is essential for a healthy immune system, but it also aids in producing collagen, which could make your hair stronger. Also, as an antioxidant, vitamin C could potentially act against the oxidative process of graying hair. Vitamin C-rich foods include:

     Oranges, lemons, and grapefruit

     Strawberries

     Tomatoes

     Potatoes

     Bell peppers and particularly chili peppers

Check pre-made juices and other processed foods for added vitamins, as they can also give your hair a boost.

Hydrate Your Hair

One of the best things you can do for your hair care diet is to drink more water. Despite appearances, a quarter of every hair strand is water. If you’re dehydrated, your hair can become dull, lifeless, and prone to damage very quickly. Aim for at least 2.5 liters of water every day. 

Cut Down on Caffeine

While caffeine can be applied topically to help with certain types of alopecia, consuming too much coffee or cola could negatively impact your hair growth cycle. This could be because it contributes to dehydration by replacing water and other hydrating drinks with tea or coffee that doesn’t provide as much net hydration. Also, coffee and tea contain tannins which bind to protein and could prevent your hair from getting the protein hit it needs for successful, glossy growth.

Look at your diet and see if you already eat plenty of hair-healthy foods. If you’re still worried about the condition of your hair, it might be time to check in with a specialist. Contact Custom Hair today for more information.

Photo Credit: JerzyGorecki Via Pixabay