Eating for Healthy Hair

Your diet is the key to a healthy body, from head to toe. Yes: that even includes your hair.

Noticing brittle, thin hair? Maybe it’s even falling out. Before you panic, take a look at your diet. Are you eating the right things to give your hair the nourishment it needs?

If your hair loss or thinning is the result of a deficiency, changing your diet and looking at the nutrients you are consuming is a good place to start. Hair growth and health thrives on protein, iron, vitamin B12 and zinc, among many other nutrients. While you can get these nutrients through supplements, the best and healthiest way is to get them through your diet.

Here are the top nutrients and foods to consume for healthy, strong and shiny hair:

Protein

Since your hair is made primarily of protein, you need lots of it. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, if you do not get enough protein in your diet, your body will begin using the protein it has available in other ways throughout your body. This reduces hair growth.

Eat these foods: Eggs, yogurt, nuts, beans, fish, lean meats

Healthy Fats

Essential fatty acids help your body absorb supplements and nutrients in food, so they’re vital for hair growth. Plus, they prevent breakage and hair loss, giving your locks that healthy, soft shine.

Eat these foods: Raw nuts and seeds, oily fish, avocado, flax and/or flaxseed oil

Iron

Your hair is fed by a nutrient-rich blood supply. If you don’t have enough iron, your body may have a hard time producing hemoglobin in the blood, which carries oxygen for the growth and repair of the cells that make up your hair follicles.

Eat these foods: Red meat, chicken, fish, broccoli, kale, lentils

Zinc

To avoid a dry, flaky scalp, you need a healthy dose of zinc: it keeps your scalp conditioned so it can serve as a home to soft, healthy hair.

Eat these foods: Fortified whole-grain cereals, oysters, beef, eggs

Essential Vitamins

Vitamin A:

Encourages healthy growth of sebum (an oily, waxy substance that acts as a natural conditioner) to keep your hair soft and lustrous, preventing breakage.

Eat these foods: Sweet potatoes, spinach, carrots, peaches, cod liver and krill oils

Vitamin C:

Helps your body absorb minerals like iron and magnesium with its antioxidant powers.

Eat these foods: Citrus fruits, strawberries, kale, bell peppers, kiwi, cantaloupe

Vitamin E:

This vitamin protects your hair, especially from the sun. While you can apply vitamin E oil directly to your hair, you can also find it in foods.

Eat these foods: Raw seeds, almonds, spinach, kale, squash, broccoli, olive oil, trout

B Vitamins:

Biotin and Vitamin B5, like many other vitamins, support overall healthy hair growth.  Vitamin B12 promotes healthy hair growth by helping form red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your hair strands.

Eat these foods: Greek yogurt, egg yolks, yeast, liver, walnuts, soy, shellfish

Simply put: the nutrients you feed your body are a big part of growing and maintaining healthy hair. If you are experiencing hair loss of thinning, and are having a hard time getting these nutrients through your daily diet, talk to your dermatologist about incorporating supplements into your daily routine.

 


 

Dr. Lady Christine Dy, Dermatologist

Dr. Lady Dy is one of the most sought after dermatologists in the United States. She has studied all over the world and has worked with the world’s leading experts in skin and hair. Her patients fly from all over North America, Dubai, Norway and Korea to be treated by her in Chicago. To learn more about hair loss and to find the treatment plan that’s right for you, contact Dy Dermatology Center. Click here to request an appointment or call the dermatology center at (847) 832-1185.