5 Best Building Blocks For Your Locks
Much like the rest of our body, our hair also requires proper nourishment to keep them thick and healthy. Starting a hair-healthy diet today will mean a more gorgeous head of hair within six months to a year, depending on how fast your hair grows. Eat foods with these compounds for shiny, lustrous locks.
1. Biotin
Biotin is a B vitamin and is essential for hair growth and overall scalp health. Because our bodies make their own biotin in the intestines, and it is plentiful in many common foods, deficiency is very rare. Just eat a balanced diet that includes some high-biotin foods like: eggs, peanuts, almonds, wheat bran, and avocados.
2. Protein
Protein intake is important for many reasons, but also when it comes to hair. Hair is made of structural proteins known as keratin, without enough protein for keratin, hair grows more slowly, and the strands that do grow tend to be weaker. In addition to lean animal protein, try out lentils, soybeans, starchy beans, and black-eyed peas.
3. Vitamin A
Although we usually associate Vitamin A with improved vision, this vitamin also lends a hand in keeping our hair healthy and shiny. This is because vitamin A supports the production of sebum. Sebum is our own bodies version of conditioner for the scalp. A deficit of vitamin A leads to dry, flaky skin, which may lead to dandruff and dry hair. One way to get our vitamin A fix is from foods rich in beta-carotene, such as sweet potatoes and carrots. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body, which nourishes the scalp and keeps hair well-conditioned and sleek. Other foods to add are pumkin, apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, mangoes, oatmeal.
4. Zinc
The mineral zinc is involved in tissue growth and repair — and that includes hair growth. It also helps keep the oil glands around the hair follicles working properly. Low levels of zinc can cause hair loss, slow growth, and dandruff. But the amount you get from eating foods rich in zinc — such as oysters, crab, clams, liver, lean beef, most nuts and seeds, peanut butter, wheat germ, fat-free yogurt, and cheese — is plenty to keep your tresses gorgeous.
5. Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant so it’s used readily by the body. Vitamin C helps in the production of collagen which strengthens the capillaries that supply the hair shafts. Hair follicles, blood vessels, and skin all require collagen to stay healthy for optimal growth. Even minor vitamin C deficiencies can lead to dry, splitting hair that breaks easily. The best sources are blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes.
Do keep in mind that other factors do come into play when it comes to having healthy hair, such as hormonal issues, stress, and other environmental elements.
Sources:
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/what-eat-healthy-hair
http://www.joybauer.com/photo-gallery/best-foods-for-hair-health/
