Did you know that hair is a huge indicator of the general condition of your overall health? And your blow dryer, straightening iron, and myriad of hair products aren’t the only things damaging it. Poor diet and nutritional deficiency can cause overly dry, dull, frayed and damaged hair.
By targeting specific deficiencies by incorporating balanced, healthy eating habits can improve the overall appearance, texture and condition of your hair quicker than imagined. Here are six specific foods proven to help give life back to your precious locks:
Chickpeas
These tiny little guys go great in a salad or grinded up as hummus. High in folate and zinc, chickpeas are chock-full of iron-fortified, non-animal protein, which is essential for hair growth. An added bonus? They’re full of keratins, which coat the hair and help protect it from breakage.
Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken, that is. The high protein dish serves up a whole lot of the B Vitamins folate, B6 and B12, which are crucial for maintaining healthy hair. These vitamins produce the right amount of red blood cells to transport oxygen and other nutrients throughout the body, and without their proper delivery, your scalp and hair follicles are left weak and starved.
Beans
Full of folate and iron, legumes like lentils and kidney beans provide the necessary nutrients in producing and maintaining a healthy head of hair. Hair loss is commonly associated with iron-deficiency anemia, so a diet high in this iron-rich food will prevent loss with strengthening your tresses.
Strawberries
Bursting with Vitamin C, which helps keep collagen healthy, strawberries are essential in maintaining your hair’s structure, preventing split ends, and strengthening strands. Even better? All it takes is 8 strawberries a day to meet your recommended daily allowance for Vitamin C.
Peanuts
Peanuts are the number one choice for a biotin rich food, which is important for hair growth and a healthy scalp. Our bodies actually produce the B Vitamin naturally, so biotin deficiencies are unlikely, but it can’t hurt to load up on biotin rich foods to boost your overall hair health.
Kale
The iron-rich food is also very high in Beta carotene, which is converted in the body into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for cell growth and replenishment, including the cells in your scalp. Deficiencies result in dull, limp hair and a dry, itchy scalp. Additionally, Vitamin A is responsible for the production of sebum, an oily substance that is produced by hair follicles, essentially nature’s own conditioner.