Looking for a way to reverse hair loss, grow thicker and more luxurious hair, or just want your hair to grow faster? Although there are a number of factors affecting hair growth that are out of your control such as genetics, age, and hormones – one factor that is definitely within your control is the food that you eat.
With a well-balanced diet and good nutrition you can reverse hair loss, promote hair growth and ensure your hair is thicker, shinier and healthier. At the end of the day like any other part of your body your hair requires certain nutrients to grow and flourish, and so ensuring that it is supplied with them is essential.
In particular it is important that you diet has sufficient Vitamin A, B vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, iron, zinc, and protein. Granted that isn’t likely to mean much if you’re not that familiar with nutrition, which is why a good starting point is to include some of these vitamin rich foods in your diet:
- Eggs (with the yolk)
In general eggs are a rich source of protein, which is one of the main building blocks of hair and is vital for its growth. Additionally its yolk can act as a good source of biotin – in case you’re suffering from a deficiency that is leading to hair loss.
- Salmon
With its content of protein and vitamin D, salmon is a natural choice for promoting healthy hair. It has omega-3 fatty acids as well that can help to keep the skin of your scalp healthy and encourage hair growth in the process.
- Almond butter
Overall almond butter has a very nice mix of proteins, vitamins, and nutrients that make it a good addition to any diet. Its high content of vitamin E is particularly helpful for hair growth and adding a small amount to your diet could have remarkable results.
- Spinach
Within the dark leafy greens of spinach is a treasure trove of nutrients including omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Most important of all however is the fact that it is a rich source of iron – the lack of which can cause hair loss.
- Tangerines
Eating tangerines will give your body plenty of vitamin C, which in turn will help it to better absorb iron. It also contains some vitamin B12 that can help your hair in various ways including preventing hair loss, enabling growth, and even stopping it from turning gray.
- Sunflower seeds
Consuming some sunflower seeds could give you a boost of vitamin E and boost your hair growth in the process. Because of how rich in vitamin E these seeds are you just need to eat a few of them to get the nutrition that you need.
- Carrots
One of the easiest ways to ensure you get enough vitamin A for your hair cells to grow is to start eating carrots, or even drinking carrot juice if you prefer. As a nice side-benefit you’ll also help your scalp produce sebum to keep its roots healthy and encourage hair growth.
- Sweet potatoes
Another nice source of vitamin A is sweet potatoes. It has lots of beta-carotene that is a precursor in the production of vitamin A and will ensure that your body has enough of it for hair cell growth and sebum production.
- Greek yogurt
Essentially Greek yogurt is regular yogurt that has been strained, and is a fixture in many types of Mediterranean cuisines. The reason why it is so good for hair growth is its content of vitamin B5 that can help nourish your hair follicles and promote good blood flow to your scalp.
- Oysters
To avoid zinc-deficiency that can lead to hair loss you should eat oysters – as they have an extremely high zinc content. All you need is a small amount, but just be wary of where your oysters come from as some can have higher levels of cadmium.
- Chickpeas
Just like all the other B vitamins you need some vitamin B9 – and you can get all that you need from a few chickpeas. A single cup of chickpeas will load your body with over a thousand mg of B9, and you need less than half of that in your diet.
- Avocadoes
One of the more interesting (and healthy) fruit to eat would have to be avocadoes. Not only do they contain lots of vitamin E but they also have lots of essential fatty acids that will keep the skin of your scalp (and elsewhere) healthy and supple.
- Liver
While some people may not find liver that palatable, it is a great food for hair growth due to its content of iron and vitamins. It also has a substantial amount of copper, which has been linked to preserving hair color.
- Lentils
Aside from protein, iron, and zinc lentils also contain biotin (vitamin B7) and folic acid (vitamin B9). Having so many nutritious ingredients vital to your hair growth in a single food type make it practically a superfood for healthy and strong hair.
- Lean poultry
To take advantage of the nutrition and ensure your hair grows quickly you need sufficient protein, and lean poultry is one of the best sources for that. It can also provide some vitamins that can help balance out your diet, such as vitamin B3.
As you can see there are a lot of options available to you in terms of vitamin-rich foods that can help promote hair growth. Keep in mind however that it is important that you get a good mix of the vitamins and minerals that your hair needs and you can find out how much is required according to Oxford Biolabs as a place to start.
While the exact effect that consuming vitamin-rich foods will have on your hair will vary from person to person, the difference is likely to be noticeable. Not only may you start to notice your hair growing faster, but it should look thicker, shinier, and more luxurious – all the hallmarks of healthy hair.
