It is a well-known fact that what you eat affects the health of your body, including your hair.

Beautiful, thick, shiny and bouncy hair is usually a sign of good health and it is what we all aim for. However, the food we eat these days is not as ‘healthy’ as it may have been 100 years ago. Artificial this and genetically modified that are added to our food and you are left wondering if your thin and dull hair may be caused by your diet.

So, does what you eat affect the texture of your hair?

The short answer is YES. Think about it this way-as hair grows from within your scalp, the follicles receive blood cells filled with all kinds of nutrients to feed the newly growing hair. A diet high in protein can help keratin (hair protein) to give your hair strength and volume.

This is unlike hair care products that you would apply directly onto your hair. It is impossible for them to be absorbed INTO each strand of hair. Instead, they merely coat it to give volume, no-frizz, curls or whatever you are looking for in the hair products you are using. So, these products are basically a quick and temporary fix. That is why you need to go to the salon every week to get the beautiful hair you want.

As mentioned before, a change in diet for beautiful hair starts at the roots and so, NEW hair will benefit from your protein rich diet for beautiful hair. So, it will take you 6 months to 1 year before you can see a visible difference in the texture of your hair.

What should you eat, then?

Food rich in Vitamin B and iron rich proteins are crucial. Vitamin B and iron are responsible for the creation of red blood cells, which carry oxygen and nutrients around the body. Your follicles and so, new growing hair will gobble up these nutrients and happily grow long and strong. Foods with Vitamin B and iron include – Potatoes, eggs, cheese, tuna, soy milk, Chicken, lentils, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, bananas, oats – among many others. So, basically, it shouldn’t be too hard to include Vitamin B or iron in your diet.

Also, vitamin C and zinc are great for healthy hair. These are involved in keeping hair looking shiny and healthy. Vitamin C helps to form collagen and so, keeps everything help together. A Vitamin C deficiency can lead to dry and brittle hair. Zinc helps with tissue growth and repair. Also, it helps control the oiliness of the scalp and hair. Zinc deficiency leads to hair loss and dandruff.

Aaaand, what are the bad foods?

What we all don’t like to hear are the foods that we should AVOID and we all know it’s always the good stuff. But, you can, at the very least, half the amount of coffee, alcohol, black tea and sugar you currently consume. This is because they compromise the absorption of zinc, Vitamin B and iron.

Fortunately, the nutrients we need can be accessed easily through ‘every day’ food. Preparing your own meals from fresh veggies, eggs, meat and so on will give you the nutrients you need for healthy hair.

Of course, you hair does need a little help from products to give it extra shine and strength. Also, changing naturally straight hair to curly or straightening curly hair requires styling products and styling tools to achieve the look you want.

Read this VO5 Curl Defining Mousse review to find out how well it can help you create long lasting curls and bounce for your hair.