Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair

When it comes to healthy hair, it’s not just what you put on your tresses that counts -- it’s what you put in your body, too.

By Elizabeth B. Krieger

Reviewed by Victoria Barbosa, MD

WebMD Feature

Better-looking hair can start at your next meal.
"Just like every other part of your body, the cells and processes that support strong, vibrant hair depend on a balanced diet," says New York nutritionist Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of The Beauty Diet.
It can take longer to notice changes (both good or bad!) in your hair than in your skin. For example, "just one week with a poor diet can yield acne flare-ups or dry, sallow skin within days," says New York City dermatologist Cybele Fishman, MD, "but with hair, it can take a few months for a nutritional deficiency or the effects of a crash diet to show up."
The nutrients you eat today help fortify the hair follicle -- from which each strand is born -- and the scalp that surrounds it. "Healthier follicles? Healthier hair. Healthier scalp? Healthier hair!" Drayer says.
Of course, there's more to your hair than what you eat. Smoking, hormonal imbalances, and not enough sleep can also affect how your hair looks and feels. No magic nutrient can make up for those concerns.
Still, you have a lot more leverage than you might think. If you eat a balanced, varied, protein-rich diet that focuses on the following 10 foods, you'll be giving your hair the TLC it needs and deserves.

1. Salmon

Besides being rich in protein and vitamin D (both are key to strong hair) the omega-3 fatty acids found in this tasty cold-water fish are the true superstar. Your body can't make those fatty acids, which your body needs to grow hair. About 3% of the hair shaft is make up of these fatty acids, Drayer says. Omega-3s are also found in cell membranes in the skin of your scalp, and in the natural oils that keep your scalp and hair hydrated.
Other options: If salmon doesn't thrill you, you can also get essential fatty acids from fish like herring, sardines, trout, and mackerel, as well as avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts (see below for more wonderful things about walnuts.)

2. Walnuts

These are the only type of nut that have a significant amount of omega-3 fatty acids. They're also rich in biotin and vitamin E, which helps protect your cells from DNA damage. Since your hair rarely gets much shielding from the sun, this is especially great, Drayer says. Too little biotin can lead to hair loss. Walnuts also have copper, a mineral that helps keep your natural hair color rich and lustrous, Fishman says.
Other options: Try using walnut oil in your salad dressing or stir-fry instead of canola or safflower, Fishman says.

How to Condition Your Hair With Aloe Vera

Aloe vera plants contain a thick sap that offers deep conditioning benefits. Because of this, this gel is a good natural conditioning agent for hair. The book "Naturally Healthy Hair" points out that aloe vera gel also has antibacterial properties that can treat scalp issues such as dandruff. Aloe vera is generally quite mild, but you may want to test a small amount on your scalp before doing a full treatment. Allergic reactions are rare, but can happen with very sensitive skin.

Step 1

Grip a leaf on the aloe vera plant and slice through it with a sharp knife where the leaf meets the stem. Squeeze the gel from inside the leaf into your palm.

Step 2

Rub your hands together to evenly distribute the aloe vera gel. Apply the gel to your dry hair, starting at the scalp and working down to the tips of your locks.

Step 3

Wrap your hair in a clean, dry towel and let the treatment sink in for about 30 minutes.

Step 4

Wet down your hair with warm water and shampoo it as usual to remove the aloe vera gel from your locks. A conditioner should be unnecessary.

Step 5

Repeat the aloe vera conditioning treatment once weekly to keep your locks shiny, supple and moisturized.

How to Stop Hair Loss Using Herbs and Vitamins For Hair Health

There are several herbs that have been shown to reduce hair loss, and even help you regrow hair naturally. Typically, you will want to use a combination of treatments to prevent hair loss and regrow your hair, especially if you have experienced severe hair loss and want to regrow a large section of your hair.

Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto is an herb that has been used for decades for medical purposes, and recent science has also shown that the herb inhibits DHT, the main culprit in male pattern baldness. While saw palmetto should not be used by women, especially those who may become pregnant, it is an excellent option for men who want to regrow hair naturally.

As with all herbs and dietary supplements, you should consult your doctor before using saw palmetto to treat your hair loss, since its use can effect some medical conditions and interfere with some medications.

B-Vitamins

B-vitamins are also important to maintaining your natural hair, and are a good source of vitamins for regrowing hair naturally. You should be able to get plenty of B vitamins in your diet by simply adding a few items, such as oats, brown rice, fish and low fat red meats.

In addition to B vitamins, you will also want to make sure that you are getting enough Biotin in your diet. Biotin is a vital source of food for new hair, and will work wonders for hair loss. The key to stopping hair loss is to begin changing your diet as soon as you notice the loss, and stick with the changes to regrow hair naturally.

Vitamin C and Folic Acid

Vitamin C and folic acid are also very important parts of your diet. You can find vitamin C in oranges, lemons and broccoli while folic acid is found in leafy green vegetables, nuts and chicken, just to name a few. Both vitamin C and folic acid work to boost your immune system, and can help you stay healthy.

Both vitamin C and folic acid are also needed to prevent hair loss and help regrow hair naturally. These vitamins work with your body to produce healthy hair, and prevent deficiencies of iron in your body.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is also important for healthy hair, and for a healthy scalp. Hair loss from a vitamin A deficiency is typically caused by poor scalp health, which can cause hair loss without any other factors contributing to the hair loss.

You will be able to tell if you have a vitamin A deficiency if you have a dry, scaly scalp or an extremely dry scalp. You can find vitamin A in many different foods, including milk, liver and kelp.

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Herbs For Hair Growth - How to Stop Your Hair Loss Quickly Before You Lose More Hair

Hair loss is an awful condition. It can shatter your confidence and seriously affect your appearance. It is strange because everyone suffers from this at some point and it is only when they start to suffer hair loss that they do anything about it.
If you take action before your hair starts to fall out or when you begin to lose it you can stop it dead and even reverse it. Once it starts you notice every hair that falls out and once they are gone you just know they are not coming back.
Many types of hair loss are reversible and taking some simple steps and precautions can prevent premature hair loss and give you your hair back fast.


Here are some herbs for hair growth you can take to stop your hair falling away fast.
1. Saw palmetto. The natural ingredients in this work by blocking the production of DHT in the body which is responsible for loss of hair.
2. Rosemary. This is supposed to promote hair growth.
3. Horsetail. This is good for circulation. Poor blood flow to the follicles is a cause of hair loss.
4. Stinging nettle. This contains minerals and vitamins that your hair needs to grow healthy and thick.
If you are reading this and thinking where the heck can I find all these you are not alone. They do not grow in your garden. The best way to get these is in supplement form. That means you can take one pill and this contains your daily dose of all the vitamins, proteins and minerals to keep your hair shiny and healthy without any side effects.

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Herbs For Hair Growth - Advice To Help Treat Your Hair

In this article I'm going to talk about herbs for hair growth. Using herbs for hair growth is one of the best options you can take. This is because it will stop hair loss and regrow your hair just as effective as prescribed drugs, except without the harsh side effects. Most people that use medical products such as Propecia have actually switched over to using herbs for hair growth because they couldn't deal with the side effects such as a loss of sex drive, inability to have an erection, depression, and anxiety. Described below are a few of the most important herbs you should be taking for hair growth.

Saw Palmetto
If you're reading this, you might already know the significance of dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It's a chemical that resides in your scalp that grabs a hold of your hair follicles and retards their growth and cuts off their blood supply which is the reason your hair falls out. Saw Palmetto is the most important herb you should be taking for your hair treatment because it blocks DHT from attaching to your hair follicles and it will also stop additional production of DHT. This was ultimately promotes hair growth and stops additional hair from falling out.
Pumpkin (Cucurbita Maxima)
One of the best things you can be taking to help treat your hair loss is Cucurbita Maxima. This has been used for a long time as a hair loss supplement. This has shown to have activity against your testosterone, which is important in preventing additional hair loss.
What You Need To Understand:
Although Saw Palmetto and Cucurbita Maxima are important herbs for hair growth, but they are only a few of the many herbs you need to be taking for realistic hair growth. You should be taking other components such as Vitamin B6, Biotin, Nettle Root, and Muria Puama just to name a few. It's difficult to take all of these separately and in the right mixes. I've seen people trying to make their own custom mix of all these and didn't see a lot of results. I would suggest getting an herbal hair treatment pill that uses all these essential herbs. This is because it's a ton more convenient, and the makers put the herbs in the most potent mix for you to see the most effective results. Herbal pills are the most realistic option to stop hair loss and re-grow lost hair.

Did you know 95% of all cases of baldness are due to DHT in your scalp? There is a certain herb the is widely known to best block DHT to help grow you hair back. Click here to find out and to read our unbiased product reviews of the top herbal hair loss treatment pills.

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Herbs For Hair Loss, Herbal Treatments For Hair Care

A healthy growth of hair is a desired thing for everybody especially in women as the free flowing, shiny and beautiful hair describes her beauty as a whole. So if there starts a sudden fall it can be a nightmare to anybody and Alopecia in men is equally undesirable. People in general are rather conscious about it much more than the overall health.
Hair fall can occur due to indigestion, deficiency of nutrients in the body, sudden gain or loss in weight or due to prolonged suffering from any disease. Women generally face this problem due to anemia or pregnancy. Side effects of any medication may also lead to this problem.
Herbal Treatments
Now-a-days a number of shampoos, potions, oils are promoted through the media and those are readily accessible to everybody. But whether those products are worth trying or not leaves much room for discussion. The naturally occurring herbs have been tested through ages and their efficacy is beyond any doubt.
1. Aloe Vera improves blood circulation and stimulates natural growth. It also prevents alopecia. Application of aloe directly on the scalp prevents hair fall and promotes growth of hair.
2. Arnica - Oil extracted from the dried arnica flowers has inflammable properties that reduce the dandruff making the scalp healthy helping in hair growth. The oil also stimulates the hair follicles that strengthens the hair and even prevents premature graying of the hair.
3. Birch - Many people try the birch oil which is believed to promote hair growth and prevents sudden thinning of hair.
4. Green tea has catechins that reduce alopecia in males. Drinking 3-4 cups of green tea daily or taking green tea capsules is beneficial in treating hair loss.
5. Brahmi has antioxidant properties and it provides nourishment to the hair and promotes growth of the hair. Moreover it fights dandruff and prevents the hair from splitting.
6. Chamomile herb is good to fight dandruff and it also prevents dryness of the scalp. It strengthens the hair and cures the damage caused by some internal disorders.
7. Catmint herb is used for rinsing after washing the hair. This prevents itching of the scalp that prevents the hair loss.
8. Onion helps in hair growth if applied externally before washing off the hair. Onion is rich in sulphur which helps in the healing of any damage on the scalp.
Health of the hair largely depends on the general condition of the body. Eating nutrient rich diet, drinking plenty of water and having sufficient sleep all contributes to shiny and attractive mane.

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