Food for Healthy Hair

Recently I have been looking more closely about what vitamins and minerals are good various aspects of our health. At the moment I have been looking how food can benefit the health of my hair. Last summer I had a hair disaster. I decided that I wanted to change the colour of my hair from dark brown to blonde. Yes I thought that I would save some money and do it myself. Not surprisingly it did not go as planned. My hair went from dark brown to orange! This happened just before we were due to go on holiday with Carnival Cruise. I ended up getting the colour sorted at a hair dressers which did get the colour looking good but it did damage the condition of my hair. It needed a lot of bleach and toners and since then the health of my hair has not been fantastic. I try not use heat products unless I am going somewhere special and use deep conditioning products. But to try and repair my hair the natural way I have been looking at what foods will help to naturally repair the colour damage that I have done. Eating the correct balance of minerals, nutrients and vitamins will help to keep your hair shiny, lustrous and strong.

This is what I have discovered...

Photograph courtesy of Pixabay

Getting the right balance of the following minerals, vitamins and nutrients will help to keep your hair and scalp healthy...

• Protein - Hair is made up of protein so it is essential that you maintain a good level of protein rich foods in your diet. A lack of protein can leave your hair dry and brittle and if you have extremely low levels of protein in your system it can ultimately lead to hair loss. Foods that are rich protein include chicken, turkey, fish, dairy produce, eggs, legumes and nuts.
• Iron - Anaemia (lack of iron in your blood) is a major cause of hair loss. Iron helps to assist the flow of nutrients to the hair follicle (root) this is supplied by a nutrient rich blood supply. Foods that are rich in iron include red meat, chicken, fish, lentils, spinach, kale and broccoli.
• Vitamin C - The body needs vitamin C to assist the absorption of iron. Foods that are rich in vitamin C include blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi, orange, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes.
• Omega 3 - The cells that line the scalp contain omega 3. This is an oil that naturally conditions the hair and scalp. It keeps the hair hydrated and the scalp healthy. Foods rich in omega 3 include salmon, herring, sardines, trout, mackerel, avocado, pumpkin seeds and walnuts.
• Vitamin A - Sebum is another oil that naturally conditions the hair and the body needs vitamin A to produce it. Foods rich in vitamin A include carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato.
• Zinc - Zinc helps to keep the scalp healthy and prevents dry, flaky, itchy scalp. Zinc rich foods include oysters, beef and eggs.
• Vitamin E - Our hair is always under the glare of the sun. To help protect our hair from sun damage we need vitamin E. Nut are a great source of vitamin E.
• Biotin - Biotin is a water soluble B vitamin and having a lack of biotin in your diet can lead to weak and brittle hair. Biotin rich foods include wholegrain products, liver, egg yolk, soy flour and yeast.

As I read through all of this information that I found on the BBC Good Food website I was amazed by how many different foods assist the health of our hair. From now on I am going to be paying more attention to what I eat and how to care for myself and my hair naturally. I either take more care about what I consume before I cause permanent damage to my hair and need hair transplant UK assistance!

How do you look after your hair? Were you surprised when you read how many vitamins, minerals and nutrients are needed to nourish your hair and scalp? I was!

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.