One glance at your split ends will reveal how much your hair has been through – dyes, bleaches, blow dryers, screaming hot irons. But it’s not the ends you should be worried about – it’s the roots. They tell the truth about how well you eat. Read on for seven nutrients that nourish your hair from the inside out. Plus, test your hairstyle IQ with our quiz...
It doesn’t matter how many hair-care products you use or how much you paid for that tiny bottle of miracle hair-repair serum. They can’t do anything because your hair is already dead.
It’s what’s on the end of your fork that can really make a difference starting at the root.
As new hair is manufactured at the shaft, it either forms strong and healthy, thanks to good dietary nutrition, or weak and brittle due to a poor diet.
Once hair is visible from the scalp, it’s beyond help. Improving your diet is the only way to grow strong, resilient hair that looks, feels and is truly healthy.
The average person’s hair grows only 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches a month, which means it can take a good 6-12 months to start seeing the positive effects of a nutritious diet.
Take heart: The same diet that can improve your hair can also do wonders for your health, which is a benefit you’ll notice right away.
Here are 7 nutrients your hair needs:
1. Protein
Hair is made up primarily of keratin, a hardened protein. Without enough dietary protein, hair will grow slower and strands will be weaker. So a healthy mane depends on your main course.
However, not all proteins are created equal. Animal proteins, such as meat, eggs and dairy, contain all of the essential amino acids that the body can’t make on its own and form what's known as a complete protein.
Non-animal proteins found in grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds are incomplete.
Fortunately, combining certain incomplete proteins will give you all the essential amino acids in one meal. Here are examples of foods that complement each other to make a complete protein:
Grains + dairy: yogurt topped with granola, oatmeal with milk
Seeds + legumes: hummus (chickpeas and sesame paste), trail mix
Grains + legumes: rice and beans, peanut butter on whole wheat bread
Grains + seeds: sesame bagel
Legumes + dairy: chili topped with sour cream, bean and cheese burrito
Seeds + dairy: sunflower seeds on cottage cheese
2. Omega-3
Eating a diet rich in omega-3, an essential fatty acid, nourishes and moisturizes dry, brittle hair and may relieve a dry, itchy scalp that’s prone to dandruff, psoriasis or eczema.
The best sources of dietary omega-3 are fatty fish, flaxseeds and some varieties of nuts. Herring has the most omega-3 per serving, followed by mackerel, salmon, trout, and tuna.
One-quarter cup of flaxseeds contains about seven grams of omega-3s – but that’s a lot of seeds to munch on. A much easier way to get omega-3 from flax is to supplement your diet with flaxseed oil.
One teaspoon provides 2.5 grams of omega-3 – more than a 4-ounce serving of herring can provide.
Swallow a spoonful, or add flaxseed oil to homemade vinaigrette.
Walnuts and soybeans are also good sources of omega-3 fatty acids and make for a great protein-rich snack anytime.
3. Iron
Found in hemoglobin, the protein that forms red blood cells, iron plays a starring role in oxygen delivery to all the body’s cells, including hair. Not eating enough of this mineral can cause iron-deficiency anemia, which can contribute to hair loss.
Here’s where your diet can pull double duty: Eat iron-rich proteins. Heme iron in animal protein is more easily absorbed than non-heme iron, which is found in plant proteins like lentils, beans and tofu.
But what if you’re a vegetarian?
If you rely on plant foods for iron, combine them with a vitamin C-rich food to promote absorption.
Some prime examples:
Bell peppers with lentils
Broccoli with tofu stir-fry
Stewed tomatoes with beans
Orange juice with iron-fortified cereals, such as Total or Special K
4. Vitamin C
Not only does this nutrient help maximize iron absorption, vitamin C is also necessary for collagen production. This fibrous protein is found in all kinds of connective tissue, as well as skin and hair, and provides structural integrity, strength and resilience.
A diet rich in fruits and vegetables – especially citrus and dark leafy greens, such as kale, Brussels sprouts and spinach – will supply your body with plenty of vitamin C.
5. B-Complex Vitamins
B vitamins, especially folate, biotin and vitamins B6 and B12, are important for healthy hair growth. A vitamin B deficiency can lead to excessive hair loss, slow growth and weak, brittle strands.
In fact, if hair loss is due to a lack of biotin, eating foods rich in this B vitamin will fix the problem.
Why folate and not folic acid?
Either will do. The difference is simply that folate is found in foods, while folic acid is the synthetic (man-made) version you’ll find in supplements and fortified foods.
Good sources of B vitamins include:
Folate: avocados, asparagus, artichokes, beets, oranges, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, spinach, fresh peas, soybeans, chickpeas, lentils, turkey
Biotin: cauliflower, carrots, bananas, cereals, yeast, soy flour, liver, salmon
Vitamin B6: white potato skins, garbanzo beans, bananas, lentils, beef, pork, chicken, salmon
Vitamin B12: beef, lamb, veal, liver, clams, oysters, fish, milk, egg yolks, cottage cheese
6. Zinc and Copper
Both of these minerals are important to healthy hair.
Zinc is essential for the growth and repair of tissues throughout the body, including hair. A zinc deficiency can lead to slow growth, hair loss and dandruff.
Copper is a component of melanin, the pigment found in hair and skin. Deficiency of this mineral may contribute to premature graying.
Zinc and copper compete for absorption during digestion and should be taken together to maintain mineral balance within the body.
Foods rich in zinc include animal proteins, shellfish, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, and wheat germ.
Copper is found primarily in liver and oysters – two foods most of us don’t eat on a regular basis. More common food sources of copper include artichokes, avocados, bananas, garlic, legumes, mushrooms, nuts and seeds, potatoes, prunes, radishes, soybeans, tomatoes, and whole grains.
7. Water
The ultimate “nutrient,” water is essential to every single cell in the body. And it’s not just your mouth that gets parched – your hair does, too.
Chronic dehydration can contribute to dry skin and a dry scalp.
Unfortunately, taking extra long showers won’t do the trick; your body needs to be hydrated from the inside out.
So drink up!
Most experts recommend drinking eight, eight-ounce glasses of water a day.
If you’re a caffeine junkie, that figure increases because caffeine is a diuretic. For every cup of coffee, caffeinated tea and soda you drink, balance it out with a glass of water.
Test Your Hairstyle IQ
You're up on all the latest hairstyle trends, a whiz with a flat iron and touch-up your highlights every six to eight weeks. But how much do you know about the history of hairstyling – a complex, ancient art that has a direct correlation with the hair politics of today?
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