Vitamins and Nutritions for the Healthiest Hair

1. Eat more protein, if your locks are limp, lifeless, and slow growing. Good sources of protein include eggs, lean meat and fish, beans and seeds, whole grains, and low-fat diary or soy products.

2. Get your ABCs. These vitamins are vital to the health of your hair and scalp.

• Good sources of vitamin A include cod liver oil; red, yellow, and orange vegetables and fruits; spiralina; egg yolks; and deep green leafy vegetables.
• Good sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits, deep green leafy vegetables, rose hips, tomatoes, berries, pineapple, apples, persimmons, cherries, bell and hot peppers, papayas, and currants.
• Good sources of vitamin B include lean beef, poultry, egg yolks, liver, milk, brewer’s yeast, whole grains, alfalfa, nuts and seeds, soy products, deep green leafy vegetables, spiralina, wheat germ, molasses, peas, and beans.

3. Cut back on caffeine, alcohol, refined sugar and flour, and junky snacks. These empty-calorie foods deplete your body’s stores of vitamins B and C.

4. Inclue iodine, sulfur, zinc, and silica in your diet. These four minerals are essential for proper hair health.

• Good sources of iodine include all types of fish, spiraling, sunflower seeds, iodized salt, and sea salt.
• Good sources of sulfur include turnips, dandelion greens, radishes, horseradish, string beans, onions, garlic, cabbage, celery, kale, watercress, fish, lean meats, eggs, and asparagus.
• Good sources of zinc include spiralina, barley grass, alfalfa, kelp, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, brewer’s yeast, milk, eggs, oysters, nuts, and beans.
• Good sources of silica include horsetail, spiralina, nettles, dandelion root, alfalfa, kelp, flaxseeds, oat straw, barley grass, wheat grass, apples, berries, burdock roots, beets, onions, almonds, sunflower seeds, and grapes.

Adapted from 50 Simple Ways to Pamper Yourself, by Stephanie Tourles (Storey Books, 1999).