Does Your Diet Match Your #HairGoals?

Overall, hair goals are great to have. Many have specific length goals… and that’s cool. But some of you are walking around wanting long, lustrous natural hair but your diet says different! Your diet and hair goals must be in line if you REALLY want a healthy head of hair. Below are a few suggestions to get you started!

Water

The biggest complaint I get from women with naturally textured hair is dryness. Because of the curls and bends of kinky and curly hair, the natural oils don’t travel down the hair shaft as easily as it does in straight hair which leaves it prone to dryness. We can combat this by drinking lots of water to feed the hair follicles, essentially moisturizing the hair from within. I know it can be tough if you drink very little or none at all. Why not start drinking a glass or so a day and set goals to drink a little more each day. You can do it!

Fruit

Your average fruit bowl contents- orange, pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries and apples- provide you with plenty of Vitamin C which can improve overall hair growth because of the production of collagen, help fight dandruff and prevent hair loss. I’ve recently learned that Vitamin C plays a huge role in absorbing iron, which keeps our tresses strong and healthy. Citrus fruits (with the exception of lemon) and cantaloupe are also rich in inositol which has been proven to promote strong, healthy hair and even faster growth, it being a member of the B complex family and all (as is Biotin which is widely used for hair growth).

Veggies

Vitamin C, which is also a natural antioxidant, can also be found in greens like spinach and broccoli. Along with these, leafy greens like kale and chard are also good sources of iron which reduces hair loss and Vitamin A to aid in the production of sebum (or natural hair oils) in your scalp. Some will argue that iceberg lettuce has little to no nutritional value but when you think about it, it’s mostly made up of water which, as we learned, hydrates the hair. 😉

Some Healthy Ideas

If you really can’t take the taste of vegetables, why not try smoothies? Not only is it a convenient way to get as many nutrients as you can in one sitting, but you can mask the taste of those greens with the fruit (especially bananas!).

Think of different ways to include fruits and vegetables in your diet. I like to sometimes throw a handful of spinach and chopped red peppers in my scrambled eggs. Throw some fresh strawberries and a cup of milk in a blender (and maybe some organic agave to sweeten) for a refreshing treat.

Don’t particularly care for water? Try infusing it with some of your favorite fruits to make it go down a little easier. Then, enjoy the fruit!

2 glasses of infused water makes a delicious and healthy summer drink.

If you’re not the creative type or run out of ideas, SimpleGreenSmoothies.com has some awesome recipes for smoothies and other FUN, healthy snacks that can help you get your daily quota of fruits and veggies.

Things to Remember

Before starting a diet or vitamin regimen or taking supplements, consult your doctor if you have health issues and are taking medication.

Don’t expect overnight results! If you’re consistent and patient, you can begin to see results in the condition of your hair within a couple months.

When your body distributes nutrients throughout your body, the most important organs take priority. Where do you think hair is on that list…? Exactly! So what does that mean? If healthy hair is your aim, water, fruits and vegetables need to be in regular rotation in your diet.

Oh, let’s not forget exercise! Get that heart pumping and that blood flowing! This plus a balanced diet will help to feed your hair follicles and promote growth.

Of course, no one’s perfect. I don’t follow a strict diet to make sure I get the suggested daily requirement of good foods and I don’t expect you to. And I’m not saying that you need to become a vegetarian (vegan, pescatarian, etc) in order to make your hair grow. I AM saying that in order to produce a healthy head of hair, you need to start from within by having a decent, balanced diet. You can put every product under the sun on your hair to make it grow but if you don’t treat your insides right, it means nothing!

Wanting to speed up hair growth is understandable. But, it’s much more important to have hair health goals which can ultimately lead to growth. When you begin with health, growth will come!

xoxo,

Toia B.