Maintaining Healthy Hair Internally

One of the most asked questions I get is: “How do I maintain healthy hair?” or “What is healthy hair?”

Healthy hair is hair that is soft and pliable, it has body /bounce, shine and no split ends.  To elaborate, this means that your hair is well moisturized which gives you soft, pliable and shine. Your hair no split ends which means you are getting ends trimmed on a regular basis. Hair will naturally have body and bounce when its not weighed down with a ton of products. Shampooing and conditioning hair will help with all of the aforementioned traits.

So you say to yourself,  "I’m already doing this but my hair doesn’t seem to be healthy.”

Well, let’s see what else promotes healthy hair.

Maintaining healthy hair starts from with in.  I tell my clients what you put in your body comes out in through your hair, skin and nails, as they are the waste product of the body. So to ensure you have healthy hair you want to consume healthy foods, such as: fresh fruits, vegetables, protein & plenty of water. It’s not that difficult to do.

When you consume many unhealthy foods such as: fried foods, processed foods, sweets and breads it takes a toll on your hair. Because the grease has to be excreted from your body sometimes it can come out through your scalp in the form of large greasy dandruff flakes. Also when you ingest a lot of grease it causes acne. This excess grease will sometimes prevent color from taking on your hair.  When you are not consuming enough water it can cause dry brittle hair, dry scalp that leads to dry dandruff. Also not eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables leads to hair loss.

So let’s take a look at what foods will help you maintain healthy hair. (We are going to get a little technical here.)

Spinach, Kale, Chard & Broccoli

These green veggies are all high in Beta Carotene, Vitamin C and Iron. Iron keeps blood and healthy oils circulating: by transporting oxygenated blood throughout the body, and to the hair follicles. Beta Carotene is turned into Vitamin A once digested.

Eggs

Eggs are an excellent source of protein and are rich in Iron, Zinc, Sulfur and Selenium. Iron is amazing for the hair because it helps to carry oxygen to the hair follicles. Iron deficiencies can cause hair loss (this-hair loss will be a repeated trend). Zinc & Selenium provide antioxidants that protect from harmful effects of the sun and the environment. It also helps to strengthen hair and stifles hair loss.

Blueberries, Sweet Potatoes, Strawberries, Tomatoes and Kiwis

All of these are high in Vitamin C and Vitamin A. Vitamin C is extremely important to help with blood flow and circulation to the scalp and overall hair health it promotes growth and color. Too little of this vitamin will cause brittle hair which is the leading cause of breakage and split ends. Vitamin A is vital as it produces and protects the healthy oils for the scalp. A lack of this nutrient will cause dry scalp and dandruff.

Greek Yogurt, Cottage Cheese, Low Fat Cheese and Skim or Almond or Coconut Milk

These foods are a great source of Vitamins D & B5 as well as Protein.   Vitamin B5 metabolizes fat, carbs and protein and provides nourishment for all your body’s cells. The lack of it can cause slowed hair growth, hair loss (Oh here it is again) and possible closing of hair follicles. Vitamin D acts as a receptor to activate the hair follicle producing hair growth and color.  A lack of it can cause premature gray hairs.

Fish, Chicken and Nuts

These lean foods will provide the hair with Protein, Biotin, Omega 3 Fatty Acid, Vitamins E, D, & B. Protein is the what hair is made of along with keratin, so when you consume a healthy portions you are providing this nutrient to maintain strong strands of hair. Lack of this can cause brittle and dull hair along with hair loss (yet again). Biotin is crucial to moisturizing/ strengthening your hair, skin and nails.  It also turns the food you eat into energy; which promotes hair growth. Omega 3 Fatty Acids provides oils needed to hydrate your hair, skin and nails. Vitamin E protects the hair from free radicals and is essential to cell regeneration and scalp circulation. Once again lack of this slows hair growth; which leads to hair loss (I did warn you that this is a trend).

Now you are saying, “how can I consume all of this stuff that I’m not used to eating?” One way is start off small and gradually increase. You can start by adding one healthy meal a week and then slowly increasing to 2-3-4 times a week. Substitution is another way, The “Eat This and Instead of That” technique.  Example: Instead of mashed white potatoes do mashed sweet potatoes or even better mashed cauliflower (Google or Bing Recipes, its delicious).

As you can see its best to consume fresh fruits and vegetables because they contain many of your antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and enzymes that all promote healthy hair, skin & nail growth. Without those nutrients they all lead to hair loss (aka: shedding) not to mention in today’s world it is so much easier to consume these foods by means of Smoothies and Juicing. Although, I am a fan of Smoothies (via NutriBullet) because you are able to blend the whole fruit or veggie without leaving behind any pulp so you get the full nutritional value of the vegetable or fruit.  Look up the plethora of Juicing and Smoothie recipes, (Mmmm soooo tasty). So try making a smoothie with all the good stuff in it and bake, grill or pan sear instead of frying. If you follow this you will be well on your way to S.imply K.eeping Y.our H.air H.ealthy.