 Your diet is hugely important to the health of your hair, and the effects of your daily nutrition on its growth and appearance should not be underestimated. To help you understand this better, we will put hair growth and the energy needed to sustain it into perspective.
Your hair is comprised of the second fastest-growing cells in your body – intestinal cells being the first. To add to this, you have roughly 120,000 hairs growing on your scalp at any given time, all of which need to be supported. However, what may be the most challenging part of sustaining hair growth is this: hair is not a vital organ or tissue, and this means your body will never prioritize its nutritional needs. Due to its expendable nature, a nutritional imbalance will often show up first in the form of excessive hair loss. Hair and scalp problems can arise from either a deficiency or an excess of nutrients in your diet, and in some cases nutrition alone can be the cause of hair loss. For example, in both our London and New York Clinics, we often see hair loss as the sole result of iron and ferritin (stored) iron deficiency. We have also seen hair loss from too much Vitamin A. However, what many people have been led to believe is a ‘healthy diet’ often doesn’t include all of the elements needed for optimum hair growth, health and appearance. These include diets that consist of mainly of fruits, vegetables and salads, with only minimal amounts of protein and calories. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, diets that are high in protein and fat, with little or no carbohydrates (i.e. an Atkins-type diet). Your hair cells, as well as the cells throughout your body, need a balance of proteins, complex carbohydrates, iron, vitamins and minerals to function at their best. For breakfast and lunch, we suggest including a portion of any primary protein (i.e. fish, chicken, lean meat, or 2 eggs) with a portion of complex carbohdrates. For example, whole wheat toast, potatoes (with skin), oats, barley, brown rice, or pasta. Reference: philipkingsley.co.uk  Avocado for hair Avocado is a delicious fruit that adds a healthy punch to any meal. The fat content, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and minerals also makes a great ingredient for your hair and skin. Learn how avocado oil hair can help tame frizz while promoting growth, shine, and more. Benefits of avocado oil You can use avocado as the fruit or oil for your hair. The oil itself is rich in:
Eating healthily is the best way to keep your hair strong. Biotin, vitamin B-5, and vitamin E all promote hair health. Add more avocado to your diet or swap your cooking oil with avocado oil to reap the benefits. From the outside, avocado oil can benefit your hair, as well. Treating your hair with avocado can moisturize, repair, and strengthen your hair. A 2015 International Journal of Trichologystudy found that minerals like those in avocado oil can help seal cuticle cells, which can prevent hair from breaking. How to use avocados for hair growth Animal studies suggest that lavender and peppermint essential oils can promote hair growth. Avocado oil is commonly used as a carrier oil for essential oils. Mix an ounce of avocado oil with three to six drops of peppermint or lavender essential oil for a homemade hair treatment. You can also massage a nickel-size amount of avocado oil onto your scalp. Avocado oil will help stimulate blood flow and unclog blocked follicles. These effects may help fight hair loss. Your skin will absorb the oil easily, so don’t worry — it won't leave a greasy film on your scalp. If you do use too much avocado oil on your hair, you can wash it out thoroughly with a chemical-free shampoo until you feel the oil is gone. How to use avocado oil for conditioning Hair mask You can purchase avocado-based hair masks at the store or make one in your own kitchen. For a lump-free, protein-rich hair treatment, whip together the following ingredients:
 Other methods
Leave-in conditioner Distribute a nickel-size amount of avocado oil evenly through the ends of damp hair. You can also apply it once you’ve dried your hair. Avoid styling with heat unless the oil is completely dry. Detangler Run a dab of avocado oil through the tangled parts of your hair. Using avocado oil to detangle hair will cause less damage than a comb. Antibreakage solution Rub avocado oil on the ends of your hair to guard against split ends and breakage. Use the oil sparingly to avoid over greasing your ends. How to use avocado oil as a hot oil treatmentWhat you need:
Steps:
What the research says There is limited research on the benefits of using avocado oil for hair. Although it’s a great moisturizer, avocado oil isn’t as beneficial when you use it as a topical treatment as when you eat it as part of a healthy diet. Hair is made of dead cells, which is why maintaining overall health is the best way to get healthy hair. Risks and warningsOverall, avocado is safe to use, but people who are allergic to avocados should check with their doctor. Using avocado oil may still cause side effects, even if you aren’t eating it. You should do a patch skin test before using avocado oil to rule out any allergies before using it on your hair. The bottom line Eating avocado is associated with overall better quality of diet and health, according to results from a national survey. A 2012 study found that avocado consumption supports heart and digestive health, as well as healthy aging. To amp up your diet, replace corn or castor oil with avocado oil when you cook or make salad dressings. You can find avocado oil in any food store. The nutrients in avocados may be especially beneficial for hair growth. For long-term results, make sure to eat a well-balanced diet that allows you get the vitamins and nutrients you need for hair growth and health.  1. Remember that it can't grow overnight. Unless your scalp unleashes new strands like a Chia Pet, gaining new length is going to take time. "Hair typically only grows about a quarter of an inch — to a half an inch max — a month," says celebrity hair stylist Mark Townsend, who helped Ashley Olsen grow out her asymmetric bob to past her waist. "And that's only if it is super-healthy and doesn't have a ton of split ends." The bottom line: Practice patience. 2. Ironically, scissors are your friend. Although getting regular trims to snip splits won't make your hair actually grow faster, it will keep tips looking healthy and prevent splits from working their way up strands, requiring you to chop hair off more often. "If you wait so long that splits are causing your hair to break off high up on the strand, your hair will actually be shorter than if you get consistent trims," Townsend says, who suggests asking your stylist to take around just an eighth of an inch off every 10 to 12 weeks to prevent extreme split ends before they start. 3. Use conditioner every time you shampoo. "If your hair is wet, that means you have to condition it," Townsend says. "Over time, from coloring and heat styling, strands start to get thinner at the bottom." Conditioner helps replace the lipids and proteins inside the hair shaft, "as well as seal the cuticle to help prevent more damage from happening so that you can get your hair to grow longer and look healthier," he says. 4. And don't shampoo every time you shower. "It's shocking to me how many women skip conditioner when showering, which is the worst thing you can do for your hair — especially when you're trying to grow it long — and it's actually shampoo that you should be skipping as much as possible," Townsend says. Here's why: The purpose of shampoo is to wash away dirt and product buildup, but it can also take essential natural oils that keep strands soft and healthy along with it. When you really do need shampoo, be gentler on your hair by only lathering up at your scalp and then simply letting the suds slide down strands, hitting the rest of the hair as the water rinses it away. 5. Do a cold-water rinse at the end of each shower. "This really does help to grow hair and keep long hair healthy for longer," Townsend says. "Cold water lays down the outer layer of hair more smoothly, which helps prevent moisture loss, snags and heat damage — you only need to do it for a few seconds, but this one extra step over time can make a huge difference." 6. Apply an oil or mask treatment weekly. Hair that touches your shoulders or beyond can be several years old and most likely needs more TLC than normal conditioner. Townsend suggests using moisture-based masks and oils weekly. "I make a natural oil treatment and give it to all of my clients to use pre-shampoo," Townsend says. (His easy recipe: 1 cup of unrefined coconut oil mixed with 1 tablespoon each of almond, macadamia, and jojoba oils.) Because oils can leave a residue on hair, he says to apply it to damp hair, leave it on for 10 minutes, then shampoo and condition like normal. "These oils are able to fill strands up with fatty acids and then, when rinsed out, using regular shampoo helps seal them inside hair," Townsend says, adding that Kate Bosworth, Diane Kruger, and Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen are fans. Not into DIY? Try an oil-based hair treatment instead.
7. Consider trying hair-boosting supplements. Your body requires many vital nutrients to create new hair, from ample protein to a slew of essential minerals. So take a look at your diet — because while eating a balanced diet helps, you may not be getting the proper amount of all the hair-building nutrients needed to create healthy hair that can grow super-long and withstand damage. "I take Viviscal Extra Strength and biotin tablets every day and tell my clients to do so as well — especially if they want to grow their hair and make it healthier as soon as it comes out of the follicle," Townsend says. Before starting to take supplements, it's best to check in with your doctor to make sure that you take the right amounts and that they won't interact with any medications you're currently taking.
8. Brush your hair like it's spun from gold. Constant brushing can cause physical harm to your hair. "When you detangle wet hair, be sure to start from the bottom and work your way up — we often instinctually go from the scalp down, but that just brings small tangles into one large knot and can cause you to lose a lot of hair," Townsend explains. He also suggests reaching for the Sheila Stotts Natural Boar Bristle Brush, as boar bristle brushes are good at distributing your scalp's natural oils down your hair and being extra-gentle on strands too. 9. Ditch your cotton pillowcase. Townsend recommends switching to a silk or satinfabric, because it has a softer surface that won't cause friction the way that regularly woven cotton does with your hair. That way, you'll wake up with fewer tangles. 10. Never, ever wrap your hair in a massive towel again. What could be so bad about putting hair in your super-soft bath towel? A lot. "It causes so much breakage," Townsend says. "Your hair gets caught in all the woven fibers and since most women almost always wrap it too tight around their face, all those tiny, fragile strands around your face are more prone to break." Opt for the super-thin and soft microfiber hair towels instead (like Aquis microfiber hair towel), which are totally OK to wrap into a turban. 11. Switch up your pony placement. It's an easy move that can help maintain the integrity of your strands wherever you tend to secure your ponytail all the time, which means they'll continue to grow out strong and damage-free. 12. If you have bleached (or dry, super-fragile) hair, skip putting it up with a hair tie at all. One ponytail — one! — can give you what stylists refer to as a "chemical cut." This is where your hair literally breaks off at the point of tension where the elastic ends up being wrapped around your hair to hold it into place. Instead, if you're looking to work out and want your hair off your neck, gently twist your hair into a bun and clip it with a tiny claw clip, bobby pin, or larger pin. 13. Give your hair a break when it comes to hot tools, chemical relaxers, or any other tool or service that causes a lot of damage to your hair. The healthier your hair is, the longer it will grow. |
AuthorBy Masaakii Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed