The relationship between what we eat and the health of our hair is commonly miss-understood or underestimated, yet more and more research is coming out showing that we can greatly impact the wellbeing of our hair through our own dietary choices.

Issues such as thinning hair, hair loss or brittle and fragile hair are quite common conditions yet with the proper nutrition and maintenance of our hair, it is a miracle how well we can recover damaged hair and turn it into strong healthy strands again.

I hope you enjoy this post on a slightly different topic.

STRUCTURE OF OUR HAIR

Each hair strand has a hair shaft and a hair root. The hair shaft is the visible part of the hair which grows out of our scalp. The hair root lies in the scalp and is surrounded by a hair follicle (a sheath of skin and connective tissue) which is also connected to a sebaceous gland that secrets an oily substance called sebum that keeps our hair moisturized.
The hair shaft is made of keratin - a hard strong protein based material which is formed from inside cells from the germinal layer.

WHAT DOES HEALTHY HAIR NEED?

Protein

Each strand of our hair is made up of a protein based compound called keratin. This raw material that makes up our hair is made from proteins we get from food. If our protein intake is too low, the body will make less keratin and in turn our hair will grow less fast and will be more brittle.
It is generally advised to eat 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day to meet sufficient needs. If you are more active, increase that figure to about 1.2g.
Sources: Meat, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, soy), grains, meat substitutes and nuts

B Vitamins

The fore mostly important B vitamin which helps promote hair growth is called biotin or vitamin B7. It is a nutrients which has been shown to stimulate the production of keratin by interacting with special cellular enzymes that turn amino acids into long chain proteins like keratin.
Other beneficial B vitamins include B12 and B9, where B12 is essential for the production of red blood cells and cellular DNA while B9 works closely together with B12 ensuring proper DNA production during periods of fast cell growth. Together these vitamins are able to transport oxygen around our body by it binding to iron in our red blood cells, which allows more oxygen to be delivered to our scalp and enhance hair growth and vitality.
B12 sources: Fish, meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products (Animal products only).
B9 sources: Dark green leafy vegetables (turnip greens, spinach, romaine lettuce, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, broccoli), beans, peanuts and sunflower seeds.
Biotin sources: Organ meats, egg yolks, fish, meat, seeds, nuts, sweet potatoes, bananas, broccoli and lentils.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is needed for cellar growth which includes the growth of fast growing hair tissue while also helping the skin glands make enough sebum which prevents our scalp from becoming too dry. Diets with little vitamin A could be linked with hair loss.
Sources: Spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers, mango, papaya and apricots.

Iron

Iron is needed for hemoglobin production - the red pigment in our red blood cells - which allows these cells to carry oxygen all around our body, including our hair and scalp cells which ensures proper hair growth. Each molecule of hemoglobin contains 4 iron atoms each of which is able to bind with one molecule of oxygen.
Sources: Shellfish, spinach, liver and other organ meats, legumes, red meats, pumpkin seeds and quinoa

Zinc

A deficiency in zinc is theorized to change the protein structure of our hair follicles which makes them weaker and more brittle. In this way, zinc is also needed for DNA and RNA production which is required for proper division of follicular hair cells allowing new healthy hair strands to be formed.
Sources: Red meat, shellfish, chickpeas, lentils, beans, hemp seeds, pine nuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds

Essential fatty acids

Essential fatty acids such as omega 3 provide essential nutrients to hair follicles, helps prevent hair loss by preventing hair follicle inflammation as well as promoting better blood circulation in the scalp that makes healthier hair.
Sources: Oily fish (Mackerel, salmon, herring, sardines), oysters, walnuts, seeds (flax, chia)

WHAT TO AVOID FOR HEALTHY HAIR?

Bleaching
Frequent heat treatments
Lots of sun exposure
Wearing tight ponytails for long periods of time
Washing hair with hot water
Shampooing too often
Low protein consumption
Eating a lot of the following foods:
- Swordfish (High in mercury)
- Processed sugar
- Alcohol
- High glycemic foods (Chips, sodas, sport drinks, fast food, doughnuts, white bread, sugary cereals, mashed potatoes)

HOW TO TAK THE BEST CARE OF YOUR HAIR

Eat a varied and balanced diet
Wash Your Hair Regularly
Use Chemical Free Shampoos
Condition often
Dry Your Hair Naturally
Oil Your Hair Properly
Use A Wide-toothed Comb
Style Your Hair Naturally
Trim Your Hair Regularly
Try hair masks once a week
Avoid excessive sun exposure
Lower shower temperature
Give yourself scalp massages for blood circulation

I learnt a lot of new information while writing on the topic of hair and I hope that you also found some interesting new information here. Thank you for reading and as always let me know what you want to hear about next and wether you would be interested in more beauty related topics.