The secret to sleek, shiny and full hair is not necessarily pounds of product, but from what you eat.
“Promoting healthy hair growth, similar to having healthy skin and nails, has everything to do with the quality of your daily nutrition,” says Lana Masor, MS, RYT, a nutritionist in New York City, to Refinery 29. “Your body is made up of cells — and the healthier your diet, the healthier overall cell growth you have throughout your body — including hair.”
Try to incorporate some of these vitamins and minerals into your daily diet for lust-worthy tresses:
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Eat: salmon, sardines, flaxseed, and walnuts.
“A diet that is full of omega-3 fatty acids reduces inflammation throughout the body, including the scalp, promoting better hair growth and even preventing hair loss,” says Masor. “One that is lacking can have a dry scalp, causing hair to be dry and lackluster.”
Vitamins A & C
Eat: spinach, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, bell peppers, kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, and strawberries.
These goodies give you a a major shine-from-within boost. “Your body needs both vitamins A and C to produce sebum, which is the oil secreted by your hair follicles that prevent your hair from drying out,” says Masor.
Zinc
Eat: cashews, pecans, almonds, and oysters.
“Include some of these zinc-rich foods in your diet daily to prevent excess hair shedding,” says Masor. If you ever find your hair periodically falling out more than others, the essential mineral within these foods will help your hair stay put until the natural growth cycle continues.
Protein
Eat: low-fat dairy products, chicken, and eggs.
Protein makes up the building blocks of the hair follicle. “People who have inadequate amounts of high-quality protein in their diets may experience brittle and weak hair,” says Masor.
Biotin And Vitamin B12
Eat: egg yolks, beans, fish, legumes, nuts, oatmeal, peanut butter, poultry, and yogurt.
“Biotin is a form of vitamin B that increases elasticity of the hair’s cortex, preventing breakage,” says Masor. “Vitamin B12 specifically promotes the development of red-blood cells — which carry oxygen to all of our cells, including the ones in our hair follicles, and also helps it function optimally.”
Source: Refinery29
