Blame it on a terrible cut or the weather even, but the real culprit behind consistently bad hair days may be what you’re eating.

Just as what you eat affects the way your skin and body look and feel, the same rules apply to your beautiful black hair.

A lot of you underestimate the importance of what you eat when it comes to maintaining healthy hair.

The first step to getting a healthier head of hair is changing what you eat. This can be as simple as cutting out foods that provide no nutritional value and by adding foods with essential vitamins, healthy fats and proteins.

Did you know that by eating the right foods, you can actually prevent the natural color and shine in your hair from fading and looking dull?

What Does Well Nourished Hair Need To Stay That Way?

• A diet rich in protein is believed to encourage hair growth. Doesn’t always have to include red meat or any meat for that matter. You can get your proteins in beans and vegetables as well as fish.

• Zinc, which is found in whole grains and reduces the incidence of dandruff, is necessary for repairing damaged hair and cells.

• Would you believe that eating flax seed, walnuts and salmon, these omega-3 fatty acids, acts as a natural conditioner and help with hydration of your scalp.

• Eating Avocado can help to strengthen your hair. As a matter of fact, all types of Vitamin B … your B2, B6 and B12 help in strengthening. They are beneficial because they carry oxygen and nutrients to your scalp and hair follicles. They help improve your hair strength and regulate sebum production.

• Citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruits can help in regulating oil. Easily sourced in citrus fruits, Vitamin C enables your body to create sebum which is a natural moisturizer that keeps your hair hydrated.

• Want to slow hair loss? The mineral silica is believed to slow and possibly prevent hair loss. Silica is found naturally in vegetables like peppers, potatoes and sprouts.

• Want to have a natural shine on your hair? The Omega-6 fatty acid, GLA promotes healthy hair growth and makes your hair strong and shiny. It also helps in combating dandruff. It’s somewhat hard to incorporate into a nutritional plan but you can find it in evening primrose oil or black currant oil supplements.

• Biotin, a type of B vitamin, defends your hair against dryness, premature graying and breakage by reinforcing your hair’s cortex.

Eating Your Way To Healthier Hair

Some of the most common hair challenges can be alleviated just by eating the right foods and using the right products.

Thinning Hair – When it comes to thinning hair and hair loss, you could be looking at genetics. But if you don't or haven’t seen this as part of your family tree, the other reason for thinning hair could be poor nutrition, especially iron deficiency.

If thinning hair is your challenge and it's caused by your diet, you might want to amp up your vegetables and protein.

Dark green vegetables, orange vegetables and fruits and protein rich foods, like fish, are foods that you'll want to include in your nutritional plan. Definitely stay away from salty foods and high fat foods.

Dull or Lackluster Hair – Dull hair is hair that is unable to reflect light. When your hair is healthy the light bounces off the cuticle, making it shiny.

Protein rich foods like salmon and cleansing vegetables like spinach, algae and wheatgrass will help bring light back to your hair.

Dry Brittle Hair – Dry brittle hair can be due in part to a lack of Vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential to the cycle of how your hair grows.

Foods that are rich in essential fatty acids and healthy fats, such as tuna, salmon, trout, flax seed, walnuts, fresh fruits and of course lots and lots of green vegetables are crucial to the health of your hair.

Ingredients and Your Beautiful Black Hair

Whether it's a great hair oil or a nourishing shampoo and conditioner, we all know that when it comes to caring for black hair we’ve got to be aware of the ingredients that are found in many of the products sold to us.

You'll want to look for products that have Shea butter and Shea oil, coconut oil and Vitamin E.

Peppermint and tea tree oils for taking care of bacteria and fungus, lemon and lemongrass for adding shine and handling dandruff and nettle, sage and rosemary for hair growth.

Whether it's through nutrition or topical application, I'd say this brew makes a wonderful combination for your beautiful black hair.


Dedicated To Your Beauty!

Juliette Samuel,
Author/Esthetician/Publisher

Nyraju Skin Care