Looking for healthy hair? Hair that is strong & beautiful? If you’re anything like me you’ve spent hours researching how to make your hair grow, how to make your hair thicker, healthier, and more luscious. You name it and I’ve googled it. Turns out there’s a million supplements on the market for healthy hair- but do they work?? I’m so excited for today’s topic as were going to get into the nutrition behind growing strong and healthy hair, along with some other secrets for turning my hair loss from my eating disorder days, around to healthy hair again!
DISCLAIMER:
Before I get into the good stuff I want to mention that I am not implying all alopecia (hair loss) is from strictly nutrition related issues. I never want anyone out there suffering with a condition such as alopecia to think I’m downplaying that it’s all due to nutrition. Sometimes it’s genetic, sometimes it’s due to disease/surgery/medications, sometimes it’s due to macro/micronutrient deficiency. I’ve personally experienced hair loss from my eating disorder which was directly correlated with my nutrition, but I know that it is certainly not the only cause.
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Let’s dive in to how nutrition can affect our healthy hair.
If you’ve been following me for awhile you know that nutrition plays a role in everything we do, especially hair care. Our scalps contain over 10,000 hair follicles, 90% of these are in the anagen phase, meaning they are growing! In order to grow the required essential elements, such as proteins, vitamins, and minerals, to efficiently produce healthy hair.
Your hair cells are similar to the rest of the cells in your body, needing a balance of proteins, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to function at its best.
Whether you think you already eat a healthy diet, yet your hair still isn’t growing, or you know nothing about nutrition- these tips are for you!! A lot of people think they are eating a “healthy diet” but in reality they are eating one of two ways: A diet containing a lot of protein and fats but little carbs, or a lot of veggies, fruits, and salads but little protein and healthy fats.
These 5 nutrition secrets are going to teach you how to eat a balanced, healthy diet full of nutrients to support healthy hair.
5 Secrets For Strong, Healthy Hair
All oils and products I mention below can be found right here!
1. HYDRATE
Your scalp, just like your skin, can become dehydrated, making for a poor growing environment. Ways I do this practically throughout the day?
- Drink right when waking up. I always keep a water bottle next to my bed, it’s the first thing I grab when I wake up. This step is super important because your body is dehydrated after sleeping all night! Delay your dehydrating morning coffee for a couple minutes and hydrate up beforehand your hair along with your body will thank you.
- Mix my ningxia juice in water in AM. This yummy drink is packed with antioxidants, and helps with cell function. Here’s where I get it.
- Add lemon vitality oil to my water throughout day
- When drinking coffee, drink water between sips. Not only will this keep you hydrated but it’ll rinse out your mouth preventing the coffee from staining your teeth!
- Make smoothies with water instead of almond milk. This is a sneaky way to get your water in! The water makes the smoothie a little less creamy but I barely notice!
- Eat lots of hydrating foods like celery (with PB), oranges, watermelon, and greens. Every bite of watermelon contains 92% water along with sooo many vitamins!! Who doesn’t like an excuse to eat more yummy fruit??
2. Eat Enough Overall
A lot of the time we see hair loss due to not eating enough calories overall. For instance, when I was struggling with my ED, my hair was coming out in HANDFULS every time I washed or brushed it. I remember balling in the bathroom, totally clueless and worried for what to do. But guess what? As I began to fuel my body properly enough, my hair slowly (not overnight), became healthier!
- If you’re under 1200 kcals, you’re most likely in way too low of a deficit. Your hair just like any other cell in your body needs a balanced diet of proteins, complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals to function at their best.
- Are you eating regular meals? Are you following a strict diet?
- Whether it’s simply forgetting to eat, a restrictive diet plan or a full blown ED, often hair loss will come with it.
3. Going off that one, fixing any MACROnutrient deficiencies is key.
Our hair is made mainly of protein; therefore getting enough protein in your diet is vital. I suggest getting 25-30% of your calories from protein. There are two ways to make sure you’re getting enough protein; tracking or learning what portion sizes should look like.
- Tracking: For example, if you’re aiming for 30% of your diet to come from protein then multiply .30 by your total calories, let’s say 1800. This gives us 540 calories of our total caloric intake from the day to be from protein. Every gram of protein is equivalent to 4 calories, so divide that 540 calories by 4 to get 135 grams of protein.
- Learning portion sizes: Tracking your macros can take a lot of time and effort and isn’t sustainable long term. Here’s a simple yet effective tip to get that protein in!! Have palm sized portion of protein at every meal minimum, along with some protein snacks between meals! Having a protein source at every meal and snack will ensure you’re getting enough protein to support healthy hair.
- Protein Snacks Ideas: turkey and cheese roll ups, yogurt,edamame, protein bars and bites DIY, small serving of leftovers, veggies with greek yogurt dip, hard boiled eggs.
- Protein Meal Ideas: fish, turkey, chicken, lean meat, eggs, beans, quinoa, tofu, protein powder in smoothie etc.
Don’t forget healthy fats and smart carbs!! Why the #freshfitnFIVE for meals and snacks is key!
4. Once we’ve got the MACRO in check, now let’s talk about MICROnutrients (vitamins and minerals).
Micronutrients are so important for healthy, growing hair! Vitamin deficiencies lead to dull, thin hair, as well as hair loss. Here is a list of super important vitamins and minerals to keep in mind when eating for healthy hair! For a list of all important supplements click here.
- Iron: Ferritin which is stored iron is extremely important for hair growth! Make sure you’re getting enough by eating 2 servings of lean red meat per week or supplementing if you’re a vegan/vegetarian! TIP: Take your iron supplement with a glass of OJ; this helps absorption!!
- B Vitamins: B vitamins work in a complex together; they are important for healthy hair as they strengthen hair follicles, and stimulate hair follicles to grow!!
- Biotin: Although biotin is a B vitamin when talking about healthy hair it deserves its own paragraph! Biotin stimulates new cells and regrows lost hair. You’ve probably heard of Biotin as it’s sold as a popular as a “hair skin and nails” supplement. It’s important to get enough biotin in your diet as alopecia is a symptom of biotin deficiency. Make sure the biotin is coming from nutrient whole food sources as studies are still unclear on if supplemental biotin has the same beneficial effects on hair.
- Omega 3’s: Healthy fats are so important in a well balanced diet, and especially when talking about healthy hair. Studies have shown that Omega 3 can reduce hair loss and improve hair density!!
- Zinc: Zinc is an essential mineral used in our bodies for gene expression and protein synthesis!
- Antioxidants: Antioxidants protect our hair follicles along with the cells in our body from damage as they neutralize harmful molecules called free radicals! That’s why you always see me drinking my ningxia juice daily! Examples of antioxidants are Vitamin C, E, and A.
Be careful when choosing supplements as they are not regulated by the FDA. This is why I stick to the one company I know I can trust with their high standards of purity and transparency! Over-Supplementation of certain nutrients such as Vitamin A, vitamin E and Selenium can actually lead to hair loss so be mindful of what you’re putting into your body. It is always better to get nutrients from whole food sources instead of a supplement!
5. Use Chemical Free Products on Hair:
This last secret isn’t solely nutrition focused but is just as important! I was shocked at what toxic ingredients are hiding in all of our daily hair care products! I would highly recommend downloading the apps Thinkdirty // EWG and looking up all of your products.
I’ve slowly been switching out all of my toxic products over to Young Living – a company which I love and am a member of. Our skin is our body’s largest organ and it absorbs whatever is put onto it! The toxic ingredients in our hair products are cancer/disease causing.
For example, a common ingredient found in shampoo is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate; which has been linked to cancer, organ toxicity, skin irritation and endocrine disruption. This is why buying non toxic body care products is so important!
There are 3 main oils that support healthy hair: lavender, caderwood, and rosemary. This is why our mascara is great for lashes as it contains lavender. I also make a DIY lash and brow serum its cedarwood + lavender and make sure these three essential oils are always in my shampoo!! Using their lavender shampoo and simply add cedarwood + rosemary essential oil to it. I also add a drop of blue tansy essential oil into it while it’s in my palm in the shower, for my DIY “purple shampoo”, instead of using my old one with lots of chemicals in it.
Another company to consider buying your hair care products from is this company right here! They are known for their clean hair products and support for strong healthy hair/regrowth products too. Check that out here, as I use some of their products too!
BONUS TIPS:
1.Wash your hair less!
I also only wash my hair 1-2 times a week. Washing your hair often can strip the nutrients and natural oils from it. How do I get away with going so long without washing my hair? Dry shampoo!! I either use the one from this company right here, or make my own! Here’s a fun formula for a chemical free DIY one:
2.Use Heat Sparingly
I notice a HUGE difference when I curl my hair/use a lot of heat on my hair frequently, and when I don’t. I NEVER flat iron (even though I know that isn’t realistic for many), and I let my hair air dry 3/4 of the way dry and THEN blow dry the rest to make it straighter and voluminous, versus using high heat on it the whole drying process. And I curl for only special occasions/when I want to feel all done up occasionally!
3.Avoid Keeping in Tight Pony Tail
This will cause hair breakage. Sleep with hair in loose pony or down, and try to only put your hair in a tight pony tail when needed (working out, running errands, etc.)
4. Control STRESS
This probably honestly should have been one of the MAIN tips, because it plays SUCH a huge role in our hair! But look through this whole post on stress management — because when we are overly stressed, it CAN affect all areas of our health, including our hair!