How nutrition affects the health of your hair

To many of us, how our hair stays healthy is a mystery. Sometimes it feels fantastic - thick, flowing and soft, while other times it can feel dry, knotted and drab. Some of this has to do with the types of haircare products you use, but did you know that your diet also plays a substantial role in your hair's health? That's right - nutrition for healthy hair is an important consideration, and eating some foods can make a big difference in how your hair feels. But how does this work - and how can you make the most of it?

Nutrition and Hair

Before we dive into how you can optimize your diet for healthier hair, it's important to understand exactly what hair is and how it benefits from a healthy diet. Hairs are strands of hardened protein that grow from follicles in your skin. In particular, hair is made of keratin - a unique protein that also makes up your nails. Keratin production can be affected by the foods that you eat, and with an unhealthy diet, you can see your hair affected dramatically.

Your hair needs amino acids and nutrients like iron, vitamin D and folate to grow properly, and with a poor diet, your follicles won't be able to produce hair that's as thick or as healthy. Deficiencies in these nutrients can cause your hair to become thinner, limp or even start falling out, so it's extremely important to get the nutrients your body needs to grow hair properly. Switching to a healthy diet can make a massive difference in how your hair looks and feels, so it's worth considering if you've ever felt like your hair was lackluster.

How Unhealthy Diets Cause Hair Loss

As previously mentioned, not getting the nutrients you need can cause hair to fall out. But how exactly does this happen? There are a few vitamins and nutrients, in particular, your body needs to stop shedding as much hair.

Iron is the first of these nutrients and is most often the cause of nutrition-based hair loss. Iron deficiencies can cause telogen effluvium, or TE for short, which is a type of hair loss defined by an interruption in normal hair growth. This causes you to shed more hair than is normal, which can create thin, weak hair as a result.

Vitamin D is another important nutrient for hair loss. Vitamin D affects how your hair grows and how long your strands of hair can grow to be before they fall out. Sufficient levels of Vitamin D promote hair regrowth and regeneration, leading your hair to look thicker and fuller. Finally, zinc is another common mineral that can cause hair loss. Zinc deficiencies are often found in those with hair loss conditions, as zinc helps to protect your follicles.

Beyond nutrient deficiencies, other factors like smoking, drinking alcohol, poor sleep cycles and even stress can lead to hair loss. Avoiding these activities and making sure you receive the nutrients you need can greatly reduce these effects and cause your hair to grow thicker.

Nutrients that Affect Hair Health

So what other nutrients affect hair health? Beyond vitamin D, iron and zinc, nutrients like vitamin C, folate, protein and biotin can have big impacts on your hair's health. Vitamin C helps your body to absorb iron and produce collagen, both of which are necessary to avoid brittle hair. Folate and biotin both help your body to produce keratin, which can lead to faster-growing, healthier and thicker hair. Healthy fats are a good source of vitamins like vitamin E, which help to support hair growth. And finally, protein helps to produce keratin as hair follicles are primarily made of protein.

Vitamins for Hair Growth and Thickness

So what's the best diet for hair growth? As there are many factors when it comes to healthy hair, there isn't one best diet. Prioritizing one type of food over another may lead to a nutrient deficiency, which can cause your hair to dry out, thin or even shed. Instead, eating a balanced diet of many different types of food is the best path forward. Keeping in mind the vitamins and minerals previously discussed, you'll want to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and meats to maintain healthy hair. Here are some example foods you can incorporate into your diet for healthier hair:

• Eggs: A great source of protein and biotin
• Fatty fish: Fish provide omega-3 fatty acids and protein
• Avocados: Avocados are a great source of healthy fats and vitamin E
• Beans: Beans aren't just for protein - they can provide zinc, biotin and folate as well
• Spinach: Love it or hate it, spinach provides vitamins A and C as well as iron and folate
• Berries: Blueberries, blackberries and raspberries provide antioxidants and vitamin C

 

Of course, there are other ways to promote healthy hair growth than altering your diet completely. Maybe you already eat some of the foods listed but are low in iron due to a vegetarian diet or perhaps you aren't getting as much healthy fat as you need. In this case, hair supplements can become your best friend. For example, Miracle Hair Hair Vitamin Gummies include biotin and other necessary vitamins for hair growth. Elderberry Gummies help to boost your immune system with antioxidants and fiber, which can have lasting effects on hair health. You may also want to consider multivitamins or hair growth products that add vitamins to your hair directly.

Ultimately, taking care of your hair depends on determining what it needs to thrive. This might be more of one vitamin or another, taking a proper multivitamin or simply being more mindful of what you eat. But if making adjustments to your diet doesn't help the thickness or growth of your hair, don't despair - Miracle Hair has a variety of hair health products that can transform your haircare experience.