Beauty Beat
October 20, 2006

Eat your way to better hair

As with skin what you eat affects your hair. Hair follicles rely on nourishment from the blood stream, but they compete with the rest of your body for nutrients. You can therefore prevent particular hair problems with diet and although that may be factual, the problem would not be fixed immediately because hair takes three months to grow, so that is how long it will take to see the results of any dietary changes. Eating the wrong or right foods will affect your hair in some way or the other.{{more}}

If your hair suddenly becomes oily it can be the result of your spice intake like curries and hot pepper, just as healthy hair is formed with a flat cuticle and when light rays hit this they bounce back creating a shine. However if there is a lack of protein the hair will grow with a lifted cuticle. It is recommended that you include in your diet rich sources of protein each day like lean meat, poultry, fish, dairy products, nuts seeds or pulses.

Dry hair is one of the common symptoms of essential fatty acid deficiencies. Foods that are good sources of essential fatty acids are oily, for example fish such as mackerel, nuts and seeds; these will improve the gloss in the hair.

Many people usually complain about their hair not growing; while in most cases it is not true, there are other cases where a deficiency in vitamin B can slow the growth of the hair. Vitamin B provides the body with energy, which is vital for hair growth. If your energy level is low, hair growth slows down.

While slow growth may be due to Vitamin B deficiency thin hair tends to be the result of iron deficiency. Including red meat and dark green vegetables in your diet can help rectify these problems.