When it comes to hair care there are a few simple things we can do to help grow longer and stronger hair. Once the hair has grown out of your scalp it is considered dead tissue that no longer absorbs nutrients, so the use of good products is essential to protect the hair from continued exposure to weather, hot tools, and free radicals. When the hair becomes damaged from any of these things it will not be able to return to the state it was in before the damage happened. That is pretty well known in the beauty world as products have become so popular and there seems to be a product for everything now which is great when you have the right education and use the products best suited for your hairs needs.
I want to talk about the things that affect your hair before it grows from your scalp, these are the essentials to grow your hair faster and stronger so it can better withstand the elements once it is no longer living. Whenever I have a guest in my chair that has issues with hair loss or dry, brittle hair it almost always comes down to a lack of nutrients in their diet. Below I'll go over the main vitamins and nutrients necessary for healthy hair growth
PROTEIN
Our hair is made up of 91% keratin, which is a hard protein. When your protein stores are low, generation of this important building block slows and hair grows slower and weaker. Eating a diet that is rich in protein is essential to growing healthy and strong hair as it makes up almost 100% of its composition. Vegetarians and vegans may need to supplement their diet with plant based proteins and increase their bean (lentils are a great source of biotin) and nut consumption to keep their hair from becoming brittle and weak.
BIOTIN
When biotin interacts with cell enzymes, it helps produce amino acids—compounds that form the important proteins mentioned earlier. Carrots, almonds, walnuts and cauliflower are rich in biotin. Many multi vitamins have biotin in their formulas and there are also supplements ranging from high and low doses of biotin if you feel you need more than you can consume through food, however, food is the number one way to get nutrients into our bodies.
OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS
Omegas are essential to a healthy scalp (I plan to write a blog just on scalp health so stay tuned) they are found in the oils your scalp and hair produce to stay hydrated. Omega-3s can help prevent dry scalp and help your hair grow shinier. Salmon, sea bass, flax seeds, walnuts, soybeans and canola oil are all high in omega-3s.
WATER
This is essential to our over all health so it is no surprise that drinking plenty of H2O can maintain moisture and aid in preventing dryness and breakage.
B AND C VITAMINS
Vitamin B6, B12, and folate help to create the oxygen carrying red blood cells if you are low in B vitamins it can cause the cells your hair is made of to starve causing shredding, slower growth, and breakage. Pork, chicken, oatmeal, and low fat dairy products are rich in B vitamins.
Vitamin C helps absorb iron and is used to form collagen. Bell peppers, thyme, parsley, kale, Brussels sprouts, oranges and strawberries all pack a vitamin C punch.
Over all a well balanced diet is so important to have the healthy, shiny, strong hair you've always wanted!