Have you ever wondered what's the secret to thick, wonderfully shiny hair? If we believe what advertisers tell us, then it's expensive shampoos and conditioners with exotic ingredients, but...
Let's look at how you can literally 'Eat yourself Beautiful' nourishing your hair from within, by eating foods that contain all the minerals, oils and vitamins that your hair really needs.
So, let's start with what your hair is actually made of, it's called keratin and is a type of protein. And making sure that you're getting enough protein is very important. If you're not getting enough, your hair is suffering.
Your body will draw protein away from your hair to conserve energy, and this will put more hairs into a resting stage and they'll eventually fall out. And because your body doesn't have enough protein, it's not able to grow the new hairs to replace them.
Good sources of protein are Hemp Protein, Spirulina and Chlorella, all of them contain more protein than beef, fish or eggs, and are especially helpful for vegans and vegetarians looking for a non-animal source of protein.
Iron is also very important for good, strong hair growth, and iron deficiency is a cause of hair loss, and can affect women with heavy periods or who are suffering from anaemia. Again, Spirulina is a fantastic source of easily absorbable iron, in fact it has 58 times more iron that raw spinach. Vitamin C is important because it helps your body absorb iron, and Goji Berries contain lots of Vitamins C, more than 50 times that of orange.
Healthy hair needs a healthy scalp, and for that you need plenty of selenium which is an antioxidant, and also those beneficial omega 3 oils. Together they work to help prevent a dry scalp. Goji Berries have a high concentration of selenium and also contain omega 3 oils. Chia Seeds are also very rich in Omega 3 oils too.
Your scalp also has its' own natural conditioner, it's called sebum, and is the perfect hair oil, passing from your scalp to the hair ends. If you don't produce enough sebum your hair becomes dry and brittle. Your body uses Vitamins A & C to make sebum, and you can find Vitamin A in dark green leafy vegetables and also in Wheatgrass Powder, Barely Grass Powder, and Spirulina, as well as Bee Pollen.
There are 2 other vitamins that play an important part in your hair, they are Vitamin E which keeps the blood circulating around your scalp stimulating it, this keeps your scalp healthy and your hair shiny. Vitamin E can be found in Bee Pollen and Chia Seeds. The second Vitamin is called Biotin, or more commonly known as Vitamin B7, and that actually helps your hair grow and can be found in Bee Pollen and Spirulina.
Saving the best for last... how about eating dark chocolate for stronger, more beautiful hair? Well not quite, but almost... Raw Cacao Nibs contain lots of essential minerals including Zinc. Zinc and other minerals keep the shafts of your hair strong and stop them from breaking.
So, the next time you think about what shampoo and conditioner to use, take a moment to think how you can really Eat Yourself Beautiful!
