Diet is essential to creating and maintaining lustrous, healthy hair; it makes perfect sense, doesn’t it? We often forget that hair is a living, breathing organism like any other part of our body, and that it is nourished by the same nutrients necessary for the health of our bodies from our legs to our lungs. But each part also has nutritional requirements that are unique to helping them function at their optimal level. Medieval physicians used to believe that food which resembled certain parts of the body were those that were most healthy for them; for instance, they believed that beetroot for good for the blood. While this theory had some definite short comings, there are some instances in which it holds up, such as that the shiny, glistening scales of fish meant that fish was good for your hair; this turns out to be true! Transitionshair.com.au is made for sharing information with you about how to reverse the symptoms of damaged hair and look after it’s long-term health. Below is a list of foods, based thankfully on twenty first century science, which will give you luscious, glossy and healthy hair. (And p.s., beetroot is actually good for your blood!)
Fish
The essential omega-3 fatty acids, protein, vitamin B12, and iron found in fish are vital to maintaining a healthy scalp, which accordingly creates healthy hair. Omega-3 prevents the skin of your scalp from drying out, which causes dandruff and dull hair.
Legumes
Eating an inadequate amount of protein can produce weak and brittle hair, and in extreme cases can lead to a loss of hair colour. Legumes provide protein to promote hair growth and also contain iron, zinc, and biotin.
Egg Yolk
Biotin, also called vitamin H, is a vitamin of the B complex, and is found in legumes and also egg yolk, liver and yeast. Think twice about those egg white omelettes (they taste terrible anyway). A deficiency in biotin intake can cause brittle hair and can lead to hair loss.
Nuts
Nuts contain high sources of selenium which is very important for a healthy scalpand preventing dryness of the skin and hair. Alpha-linolenic acid and zinc are also found in some nuts; alpha-linolenic acid creates a glossy effect for hair and zinc counteracts excessive hair shedding.
Dark Green
Dark green vegetables contain high amounts of vitamins A and C, which help create and regulate a healthy production of sebum. Sebum is an oil produced by the glands of your scalp; too much and your hair appears oily, too little and it appears dry. Followers the ‘no-poo’ movement (yes, that is actually what it’s called) believe that many commercial shampoos strip too much sebum from your hair, which then causes the glands to produce an excessive amount of it to compensate, which gives the hair a greasy appearance; and so the vicious cycle continues. Healthy doses of vitamins A and C can help to naturally regulate an optimum level of sebum production.
This article is contributed by Kate Cole.