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Home / Vegetarian Diet Does Not Work for Hair

Vegetarian Diet Does Not Work for Hair

The Gorgeous-Hair Diet

Softer! Shinier! Fuller! Your hair can be all these things if you don't scrimp on a nutrient-rich diet. We've got the dish.

The GorgeousHair Diet

© Condé Nast

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    For strands like these, put down the blow-dryer and pick up a fork. "Healthy foods can feed hair the same way they nourish your body," says Elizabeth Cunnane Phillips, a trichologist at Philip Kingsley Trichological Clinic in New York City. But there's a but: Organs like your heart and lungs get first dibs on the good stuff, so hair is left limping by on scraps if your diet is deficient in key nutrients.

    Click through for our healthy hair diet—you could see results in about three months.

  • Touchable Softness

    Eat blackberries, blueberries, cherries, pomegranate

    Free radicals from the sun, air pollution and even your blow-dryer attack hair, drying it out. Your best defense against the assault are antioxidants—particularly the potent type called polyphenols found in deeply colored fruit, says Whitney Bowe, M.D., a dermatologist in NYC. There's no set dietary mandate for maximum radical-fighting power, so mix our picks generously into your five daily servings of fruit and veggies to keep hair silky.

  • Touchable Softness:
    Insta-fix

    Bandage damage and give strands a satin finish by using a weekly treatment with natural oils, vitamin E or proteins such as hydrolyzed elastin and keratin. We like Organix Moroccan Argan Crème Sheer Opulence Masque, $8.

  • Bonus!

    The Vitamin A in sweet potatoes and carrots can help soften, too.

  • Growth, Please!

    Eat red pepper, strawberries, oranges, grapefruit

    Hair grows slooowly. We're talking about a centimeter per month. And if your vitamin C levels are below the RDA of 75 milligrams, it could take even more time. "The body uses vitamin C to build collagen, which is essential for producing new hair cells," Dr. Bowe says. Hitting that 75 mark is simple with these: 1/2 cup red bell pepper (95 mg), 1 cup strawberries (89 mg), a medium orange (70 mg) or 1/2 grapefruit (39 mg).

  • Growth, Please!: Insta-fix

    Scalp buildup and poor circulation can also inhibit growth. Cedar extract in Carol's Daughter Fortifying Scalp Spray, $22, clarifies, while camphor stimulates blood flow.

  • Less Breakage

    Eat eggs, avocado, salmon

    Keeping your biotin (vitamin B7) intake up could toughen fragile hair, Dr. Bowe says. There's no definitive research, but clinicians have observed that the hair of biotin-lacking patients breaks more easily—reason to get the suggested 30 micrograms per day. Biotin-rich foods include an egg (13–25 mcg), an avocado (2–6 mcg), and 3 ounces salmon (4–5 mcg).

  • Less Breakage: Insta-fix

    Smooth a leave-in conditioner that contains proteins such as wheat or soy, like Pureology Essential Repair InstantRepair, $24, onto damp strands before styling to reinforce weakened hair shafts.

  • Thicker Strands

    Eat lean red meat, dark-meat turkey, kidney beans, oysters

    Hair growth happens in three phases—growth, transition and rest. The more strands you have in the growth phase, the fuller your head of hair looks, says Elise Olsen, M.D., director of the Duke University Hair Disorders Research and Treatment Center. Keeping hair "active" requires protein, which makes up 97 percent of hair; iron, to help blood ferry oxygen to follicles; and zinc, which helps enzymes build and repair hair. Aim for 46 grams protein, 18 mg iron and 8 mg zinc daily; the above contain all three, so grab at least two servings.

  • Thicker Strands: Insta-fix

    Stylers that have vegetable protein or acacia gum temporarily increase strand width, says Ni'Kita Wilson, a cosmetic chemist in Woodland Park, New Jersey. Try Sally Hershberger Plump Up Collagen Boost, $13.

  • Pump Iron

    Low levels of minerals have been linked to increased shedding.

  • Serious Shine

    Eat salmon, sardines, flaxseed oil, walnuts

    God love omega-3s. The fatty acids that help keep your heart healthy may also make hair shiny. The American Heart Association recommends having a 3.5-oz serving of omega-3-rich fish at least twice per week (flaxseed oil and walnuts are good veg alternatives). Eating up can help regulate oil production, telling follicles to produce just-right levels so hair gleams, Dr. Bowe says.

  • Serious Shine: Insta-fix

SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional.

Vegetarian Diet Does Not Work for Hair

Source: https://www.self.com/gallery/gorgeous-hair-diet-slideshow