Foods for Hair Care

Having a full head of hair isn’t every man’s dream. In fact, some men embrace their baldness, but let’s face it: If you do have hair and want to stay looking as young as possible, then you probably want the hair on your head to be thick, lustrous and shiny. While all the secrets to healthy hair haven’t been figured out, scientists have identified a handful of nutrients that relate to hair health in some way or another. Include foods with these nutrients in your diet, and you’ll be improving the chances of keeping your mane as full as ever.

Prunes

Aside from keeping your bowels running like a Porsche 911 Carrera S engine, prunes can also help improve your hair because they are one of very few non-meat sources of iron. Although it’s not exactly clear how iron helps hair, it is well known that individuals who are iron-deficient can experience profound changes to their hair (e.g., hair loss, dryness, thinning, stiffness, and discoloration).

Green Peas

Although you don’t often see green peas labeled as a superfood, it might be a good time to start regarding them as such. It’s not that they’re teeming with antioxidants or any specific vitamin or mineral. No. On the contrary, green peas are instead very well balanced, offering a vast array of vitamins and minerals in reasonable amounts, including those that are important for healthy hair, like iron, zinc and B vitamins (deficiencies of these elements have been linked to unhealthy hair changes)

Shrimp

We already know that we should limit our red meats, but for men trying to build muscle, finding a protein replacement can be tough. Well, how about shrimp? Not only are these tiny crustaceans delicious served over pasta and red wine, but they’ll also help you keep your hair! Shrimp are an excellent source of vitamin B12, iron and zinc -- key vitamins and minerals that you’ll need in your fight against hair loss.

Steel-Cut Oats

Like prunes, oats are loaded with more than enough fiber to help you maintain a healthy heart and bowels, but beyond fiber, oats are also jam-packed full of other important nutrients, like zinc, iron and omega-6 fatty acids. Also known as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), omega-6 fatty acids are essential to normal skin, hair growth and development. Omega-6 fatty acids are also essential in the sense that they must be obtained from the diet -- so don’t be afraid to throw down a nice big bowl of oatmeal now and again.

Kidney Beans

Legumes like kidney beans have long been touted for their healthy-hair-promoting properties. Not only are they a great non-meat source of iron and zinc, but they’re also a great source of protein. Studies have shown that severe protein deficiency can lead to unhealthy hair or hair loss and thinning, more specifically. In fact, changes to hair were even considered as a means of identifying protein malnutrition in hospitalized patients back in the 1970s.

Walnuts

Pound for pound, walnuts are incredibly hair-friendly. Not only do walnuts have more omega-6 fatty acids than any other food, but they’re also full of zinc, iron, B vitamins (B1, B6 and B9), and plenty of protein. Of note, however, walnuts also contain a small trace of selenium, a mineral known to cause hair loss in people who are selenium-deficient or have way too much in their system.

Pumpkin Seeds

Like walnuts, pumpkin seeds are loaded with all the nutrients that your hair could ever want, like protein, omega-6 fatty acids, zinc and iron. What’s even more exciting is that pumpkin seeds, like other seeds, can be easily combined with nuts for a delicious trail mix. Just throw together a handful of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, and raisins in a bag, and you have yourself the perfect hair-revitalization snack!

Eggs

You’d probably never guess it, but eggs will put some hair on your chest (and they’ll help maintain the hair on your head, too). That’s because eggs contain major hair nutrients in large amounts. This includes protein, vitamin B12, iron, zinc, and even omega-6 fatty acids. Deficiencies in any of these have been linked to unhealthy hair. Eggs are also a rich source of biotin (vitamin B7), which is often prescribed alongside other medications to fight hair loss.

Calf Liver

No one ever said eating healthy was easy. Though you might not consider calf liver a necessary component of a well-balanced healthy-hair diet, it’s tough to ignore the fact that each ounce of liver gives you almost three times the daily requirement of vitamin B12, along with a hearty serving of biotin, other B vitamins, iron, zinc, and protein -- many nutrients that promote healthy hair. So, next time you’re staring at the meat rack in your local grocery store, just remember that there were reasons your mom made you eat liver and onions besides as punishment. 

Sardines

While you might find few things more disgusting than peeling back a tin of sardines only to catch the sight and smell of several small fish all lined in a row, some men actually welcome the taste of this smoky treat. Maybe it’s time you did, too. Not only do sardines come fully loaded with protein, iron, zinc, and an insane amount of vitamin B12, but sardines are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and the ever-important vitamin D, both of which have been linked to preventing hair loss in chemotherapy patients. When it comes to healthy hair, sardines are a man’s best friend.

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A Common Nightmare - HAIR LOSS

There are many reasons that are attributed to one suffering from hair loss, whether through age or even premature hair loss. Helping to define the reason for hair loss can increase the treatment options which are available to the individual as well as helping to prevent future hair loss by offsetting the cause of the reasons for hair loss.

Here are some common reasons for hair loss:

• Genetics and heredity can be blamed for most cases of hair loss. Unfortunately, this cannot be stopped without the use of relatively invasive procedures such as hair transplant surgery.
• Malnutrition and a lack of vitamins in the diet is one of the most popular reasons for hair loss. Vitamin A, E and folic acid are essential within a healthy diet to ensure that hair can be maintained. Ensuring that you maintain a healthy diet can help to reduce hair loss.
• Hormonal imbalance can be blamed for hair loss in many women, the reason that many women lose their hair after pregnancy. Although most often a short amount of hair is lost, there can be instances in which more hair is lost and treatment is necessary.
• There are certain medications that come with the side effect of hair loss. Ensuring that you avoid these medications can help to reduce the hair loss.

 Prevent hair loss by avoiding confusion. Check what your hair type is and then take the appropriate treatment for your hair. Sometimes the use of certain medicines can trigger hair loss. Ask your doctor to change your medication, in case you doubt that your hair loss is caused by the prescribed medicines.Check if there is any infection on your scalp; try and get that treated immediately. The other major reason for hair loss can be a hormonal imbalance. So correcting it also can help prevent hair loss.

Some medicines help in slowing or preventing common baldness. Some common medicines used for treating baldness are Minoxidil (brand name: Rogaine) and Finasteride (brand name: Propecia). These medicines are available without prescriptions. It can take anywhere between 5 to 6 months before one can decide whether the medicine is working.

Whatever medicines you might want to use for treating hair loss, the best way to stop it is to make dietary changes.

Dietary Changes for Hair loss:

Diets that reduce your testosterone levels would help logically. Girls have low levels of testosterone; so eating a diet of steamed chicken, green salads, low-fat milk and chocolate whenever you feel a little bit depressed should absolutely prevent baldness.

Healthy hair needs care to keep it soft and shining. It also needs a lot of food from the inside. That means consuming fruits, vegetables and grains in higher proportion to prevent hair loss and reverse the conditions that may lead to hair loss.

You must take a wholesome diet that comprises of calcium, silica, and iron. Green, good mineral sources are leafy vegetables, more so sea vegetables. Raw oats are a good source of silica.You can increase your intake of iron by consuming lots of dried fruits and cherry juice.

Hairloss and foods:

One of the most common cause of hair loss is anemia. The answer is to eat bounty full iron rich food like animal protein (must avoid if you are pregnant) and liver, whole grain including green leafy vegetables, dates, eggs, and raisins. To boost hair growth, a protein rich diet mechanism does well. Calves liver, brewer's yeast, wheat germ, and two tablespoons of granulated lecithin are rich in protein. Also they are high in B vitamins, an important hair nutrient.

Vitamin C helps in the assimilation of iron. Take in a good share of vegetables and fruits in your diet. Vitamin E is significant for vigorous hair growth. Have nuts, avocados and olive oil regularly. If the hair loss is because of thyroid dysfunction, then take foods that contain iodine and vitamin A. Consume vegetables like spinach and carrots in raw, oil seeds that are cold compressed like walnut, flax or pumpkin seed plus sea salt. Get cabbage, turnips, mustard, peanuts, soybeans, millet and pine nuts in case of a deficiency of iodine. A word of caution: have down pat that excessive use of Vitamin A also leads to hair loss.

Foods that are useful are: Oats, Sweet rice and pounded sweet rice, root vegetables like carrots, rutabagas, parsnips, ginger, turnips, and onions, black beans, winter squash, pumpkin, black pepper and brown rice syrup. Seaweed inspired daily, can avoid hair loss for many. Other ideal foods include micro algae, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds and nuts, green leafy vegetables.

Foods to avoid are: Cold foods and drinks, sugary foods and drinks, fatty foods, animal protein, too much raw foods, fruits, citrus tomatoes, tofu, millet, salt, and dairy products.

Apart from healthy diet a weekly scalp massage is a necessity for healthy hair. It helps in stimulating blood flow and reduces the stress that is a major cause for hair loss. Here are some tips for scalp massage.

• Hot steam bath will be highly beneficial for your hair and scalp. Massage hot oil and wrap up a hot damp towel on your head for sometime.
• Hot oil therapy can cure dandruff and help prevent hair loss. Massage hot oil into your scalp before going to bed. Next morning - an hour before going for bath - mix lemon juice and cosmetic vinegar, and apply it into your scalp with cotton wool. Wash your hair properly. Mix one lemon in one cup of hot water. Apply its as a last rinse.Treat yourself with this massage once or twice in a week for a minimum of three months.
• Mix 2 tablespoons of cosmetic vinegar and 6 tablespoons of hot water. Pat this with cotton on your scalp and leave it overnight. Next morning wash your hair with a shampoo.
• Mix beetroot juice in vinegar. Apply it on your scalp.
• Mix ginger juice and beetroot juice. Apply it on your head to cure dandruff and prevent hair loss.
• Mix olive oil and almond oil, and apply the mixture on your scalp. Leave it for 5 min after you get the burning sensation. Then rinse properly.
• Soak 2 tablespoons of fenugreek seeds in water before going to bed. Grind the softened seeds in morning. Apply this paste on your scalp. After half an hour wash your hair with shikakai or ritha solution.
• Warm 300 gm of coconut oil with 3 gm of black pepper. Stop heating once it starts boiling. Filter it with a fine cloth and then keep in a bottle. Massage your scalp gently with fingertips during nights.
• Use one teaspoon of fresh limejuice for last rinse while washing your hair. It helps the hair to glow and also helps remove stickiness and prevents dandruff.
• Dilute cider vinegar in equal amount of water. Dab this to your hair with cotton wool in between the shampooing of hair.
• Crush beetroot leaves in henna paste, and apply it on your head.
• Massage your hair for half an hour with curd that is left open for three days.
• Mix few drops of limejuice with amla. Apply it every night to your scalp before going to bed.
• Apply processed henna once in 15 days. It can be prepared in this way. Boil equal amounts of shikakai powder and amla in water. Allow it to cool. Then mix henna powder, small amount of roasted clove and fenugreek powder, little lemon juice and egg.
• Mix split black gram and milk, and apply it on your scalp.
• Beat two eggs. And add 2 tablespoons of water to it. Wet your hair and apply this egg mixture to your hair. Now massage your head and let the mixture be on it for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse your hair with lukewarm water. It helps in keeping both dandruff and hair loss away from you.

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