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Interestingly, your hair grows around 0.5 inches (1.25 cm) per month, and 6
inches (15 cm) per year. How fast it grows depends on factors like age,
health, genetics and diet.
Although you can’t change factors like age and genetics, diet is one thing
you have control over. In fact, consuming a diet lacking the right nutrients
can lead to hair loss.
On the other hand, eating a balanced diet with the right nutrients can help
promote hair growth, especially if you’re experiencing hair loss due to poor
nutrition.
Here are the 14 best foods you can eat to promote hair growth.
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1. Eggs
Eggs are a great source of protein and biotin, two nutrients that may
promote hair growth.
Eating adequate protein is important for hair growth because hair follicles
are made of mostly protein. A lack of protein in the diet has been shown to
promote hair loss (1Trusted Source).
Biotin is essential for the production of a hair protein called keratin, which is
why biotin supplements are often marketed for hair growth. Research has
also shown that consuming more biotin can help improve hair growth in
people with a biotin deficiency (2).
Eggs are also a great source of zinc, selenium and other hair-healthy
nutrients. This makes them one of the best foods to consume for optimal
hair health (4).
2. Berries
Berries are loaded with beneficial compounds and vitamins that may
promote hair growth.
Also, the body uses vitamin C to produce collagen, a protein that helps
strengthen hair to prevent it from becoming brittle and breaking (8Trusted
Source, 9Trusted Source).
What’s more, vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from the diet. Low iron
levels may cause anemia, which has been linked to hair loss (10Trusted
Source).
3. Spinach
Spinach is a healthy green vegetable that’s loaded with beneficial nutrients
like folate, iron, and vitamins A and C, all of which may promote hair growth
(11).
Vitamin A helps the skin glands produce sebum. This oily substance helps
moisturize the scalp to keep hair healthy (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted
Source).
A cup (30 grams) of spinach provides up to 54% of your daily vitamin A
needs (11).
What’s more, iron deficiencies have been linked to hair loss (10Trusted
Source).
4. Fatty Fish
Fatty fish like salmon, herring and mackerel have nutrients that may
promote hair growth.
They are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked
to hair growth.
Another study found that taking a fish oil supplement significantly reduced
hair loss and increased hair growth in women with thinning hair (16Trusted
Source).
However, there are only a handful of studies on omega-3 fatty acids and
hair growth. More studies are needed before health experts can make any
recommendations.
SUMMARYFatty fish like salmon, herring and mackerel are great sources
of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to improved hair growth
and density. However, there are only a few studies in this area, so more
are needed.
5. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a great source of beta-carotene. The body converts
this compound into vitamin A, which is linked to good hair health.
What’s more, vitamin A could also speed up the rate of hair growth and
encourage the growth of thicker hair, all while preventing other hair follicles
from regressing (19, 20).
SUMMARYSweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A, which helps aid
sebum production. Additionally, it has other factors that may help speed up
the rate of hair growth.
6. Avocados
Avocados are delicious, nutritious and a great source of healthy fats.
They are also an excellent source of vitamin E, which may promote hair
growth. One medium avocado (about 200 grams) provides 21% of your
daily vitamin E needs (21).
In one study, people with hair loss experienced 34.5% more hair growth
after taking a vitamin E supplement for eight months (22Trusted Source).
Vitamin E also protects areas of the skin, like the scalp, from oxidative
stress and damage. Damaged skin on the scalp can result in poor hair
quality and fewer hair follicles (23Trusted Source, 24Trusted Source).
What’s more, avocados are a great source of essential fatty acids. These
fats cannot be produced by the body, but are essential building blocks of
your cells. A deficiency in essential fatty acids has been linked to hair loss
(25Trusted Source).
What’s more, they also provide a wide variety of B vitamins, zinc and
essential fatty acids. A deficiency in any of these nutrients has been linked
to hair loss (9Trusted Source).
Nuts have also been linked to a wide variety of other health benefits
besides hair growth, including reduced inflammation and a lower risk of
heart disease (27Trusted Source).
8. Seeds
Seeds deliver a massive amount of nutrients with relatively few calories.
Many of these nutrients may also promote hair growth. These include
vitamin E, zinc and selenium.
An ounce (28 grams) of sunflower seeds provides nearly 50% of your daily
vitamin E needs, with a wide variety of hair-healthy B vitamins (28).
What’s more, certain seeds like flaxseeds and chia seeds also
provide omega-3 fatty acids.
However, flaxseeds provide a type of omega-3 fatty acid that is not used by
the body as efficiently as the omega-3s found in fatty fish. Nonetheless, it’s
a great addition to the diet.
In order to get the widest variety of nutrients, it’s best to consume a mixture
of seeds.
SUMMARYLike nuts, seeds are rich in vitamin E and other nutrients that
may promote hair growth. Some seeds also contain omega-3s, which have
been linked to hair growth.
9. Sweet Peppers
Sweet peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, which may aid hair
growth.
In fact, one yellow pepper provides nearly 5.5 times as much vitamin C as
an orange (30).
Vitamin C helps promote collagen production, which can help strengthen
your hair strands. It’s also a strong antioxidant, which can protect hair
strands against oxidative stress.
This vitamin may help speed up hair growth while stimulating the
production of sebum, which helps keep hair healthy.
10. Oysters
Oysters are one of the best food sources of zinc (31).
Zinc is a mineral that helps support the hair growth and repair cycle
(32Trusted Source).
A lack of zinc in the diet may promote telogen effluvium, a common but
reversible form of hair loss caused by a lack of nutrients in the diet
(33Trusted Source).
Studies have shown that taking a zinc supplement can reverse the effects
of hair loss caused by a zinc deficiency (34Trusted Source, 35).
However, taking too much zinc could also promote hair loss. That’s why
getting zinc from foods like oysters may be better than taking supplements,
since foods provide zinc in small but healthy doses (36Trusted Source).
SUMMARYOysters are one of the best sources of zinc in the diet. This
mineral helps support the hair growth and repair cycle.
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11. Shrimp
Shrimp are popular shellfish rich in many nutrients that have the potential to
promote hair growth.
For example, shrimp are a great source of protein, B vitamins, zinc, iron
and vitamin D. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of shrimp provides 38% of
your daily vitamin D needs (37).
12. Beans
Beans are a great plant-based source of protein, which is essential to hair
growth.
Like oysters, beans are a good source of zinc, which aids the hair growth
and repair cycle. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of black beans provides
7% of your daily zinc needs (32Trusted Source).
They also provide many other hair-healthy nutrients, including iron, biotin
and folate (41).
On top of all these benefits, beans are highly versatile and inexpensive,
which makes them an easy addition to the diet.
SUMMARYBeans are a great source of protein, iron, zinc and biotin, which
are all essential for optimal hair health. Together, they may aid hair growth.
13. Soybeans
Studies have shown that compounds in soybeans may promote hair
growth. One of these compounds is spermidine, which is abundant in
soybeans (42Trusted Source).
Test-tube studies have also shown that spermidine promotes human hair
growth (44Trusted Source).
14. Meat
Meat is a staple in many people’s diet and is rich in nutrients that may aid
hair growth.
The protein in meat aids growth and helps repair and strengthen hair
follicles. A 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of cooked sirloin steak provides
as much as 29 grams of protein (45).
Red meat, in particular, is rich in a type of iron that’s easy to absorb. This
mineral helps the red blood cells deliver oxygen to all cells in the body,
including hair follicles (14Trusted Source).
Deficiencies in protein and iron have been linked to hair loss (1Trusted
Source, 10Trusted Source).
If you think you’re lacking any of these nutrients, try adding some of the
above foods to your diet.
When you’re suffering from hair loss, no matter the cause, it’s important to
take a multi-pronged approach to tackling the problem. And while there’s
never one answer for all types of hair loss, there is one factor that you have
the power to change: your diet.
The foods you eat have a direct impact on your body’s health and, as a
result, the health of your scalp and hair. This is why you may want to
consider making some immediate changes to your current diet in favor of
one that has more proven health benefits.
In this post, I’ll introduce the various food ‘groups’ that have some scientific
basis in promoting a healthy scalp and hair. I’ll then share with you a list of
foods you may want to consider adding to your diet, as well as a few
supplements.
The foods we eat have a net pH balance, and while the link between diet
and serum pH hasn’t been definitively proven there are studies that show
an alkaline diet can have many benefits (2).
More specifically:
This may mean that less DHT will be produced which is beneficial to men
and women with pattern baldness.
The standard Western diet consists of red meat, refined grains and sugar,
dairy, and alcohol. These are all foods with a net acidic balance and, as
such, they may contribute to 5-alpha-reductase’s optimal functionality.
Juicing vegetables is the quickest way to get your body into an alkaline
state.
Juicing gets rid of the fiber (fiber is good, but it can also impact nutrient
absorption) which makes it less filling and, therefore, easier to consume
more than you would normally be able to (4).
Fruit and vegetable smoothies and bullets are the other way to get more
alkaline foods into your diet quickly.
You can throw your favorite fruits and vegetables (and even seeds if you
want to) into the smoothie maker and have a delicious and nutritious drink
that will help alkalize your body.
Of course, it’s important to have normal meals that are more alkaline and
less acidic, but juicing and smoothies are an extra quick way to get there.
2. Fibrous Foods
One of the big things that can cause hair loss and slow hair growth is toxic
accumulation. Because toxins inside the body can cause hair to fall out, the
overall effect is that hair appears to grow much slower, because the older
(longer) hairs fall out more quickly.
One of the ways that toxins can build up inside the body is through a colon
that is unclean. If the colon is unclean, you’ll also have problems getting the
nutrition from your food into your body where it can be used to grow hair.
For these reasons, keeping your colon clean is absolutely essential for fast
hair growth and the best way to keep the colon clean is eating food with
plenty of fibre in it.
Fibrous foods literally act like a brush, sweeping out the colon with each
team time keeping it clean and unblocked. Foods that lack fibre, typically
processed and stodgy foods do the opposite.
They move slowly through the digestive tract, sticking and coating
everything, leaving a trail of impacted mucus.
This is why refined carbs, plus dairy, plus meat, such as a pizza can leave
you feeling so stodgy and fatigued after eating it. Your body finds it hard to
digest it and the unnatural combination is sticky and gooey. The perfect
combination for blocking the colon.
The foods we’ve been eating for 99.9% of human evolution are naturally
high in fibre, but our modern foods get processed and much of the fibre
(and natural digestive enzymes) get stripped out in the process.
Without the fibre the foods cling to the colon walls, stopping waste products
being excreted and stopping nutrition from our food being absorbed. Both
of these can be really bad for hair growth.
3. Probiotic Foods
Fibrous foods aren’t the only ones that you should be adding to your diet.
There are many foods that contribute to a healthy gut and, therefore, a
healthy body. But the best food for the gut is by and far probiotics.
In short, probiotics are live microorganisms (5). They’re often referred to as
your body’s ‘good’ bacteria as they help to support the digestive system.
But what does the gut – or more specifically, the microbiome of the gut –
have to do with hair growth?
This is great if you want to preserve the shelf life of your processed foods,
but the preservatives will kill off the good bacteria in your stomach (9).
Then there is also the problem of yeasty, acidic, and fiber-less foods. All of
these unnatural foods sitting in your digestive tract give the bad bacteria a
boost whilst hurting the good bacteria.
So, what is the solution? The best solution is to add healthy probiotic foods
to your diet.
You can introduce powerful probiotics into your diet, and here are some of
the best ones that I recommend:
Yogurt
Sauerkraut
Miso Soup
Kefir
Sour pickles
Kimchi
Kombucha
Sourdough bread
Raw cheese
All of these foods contain naturally high amounts of probiotics so try to get
two portions of any of these into your diet on a daily basis. Probiotic
supplements are also highly recommended.
4. Micro-Nutrient Foods
Your hair needs nutrients and minerals to grow. These are the building
blocks from which the hair follicle itself is made. If there aren’t enough of
these building blocks then hair growth is stunted, and of course the building
blocks come from the food you eat.
Macronutrients on the other hand are the larger nutrients that we do need,
but are found in abundance in our modern diet. These are the protein and
carbohydrate.
Our body needs them for energy and muscle growth, but we usually have
enough of them in our diet and the abundance of them means we don’t
need more for our hair.
But by eating these macronutrients we essentially push out the foods that
contain high amounts of micronutrients meaning we could actually be
completely undernourished.
When it comes to our hair, it’s important to opt for more micronutrients than
macronutrients. Further down on this page you’ll learn about the foods that
contain the highest amounts of micro-nutrients.
Almonds
Walnuts
Pecans
Brazil nuts
Pine nuts
Cashews
Flax seeds
Chia seeds
Hemp seeds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sesame seeds
Apricot kernels
Tahini
Coconuts and coconut oil
Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables are your best sources of nutrients, trace minerals,
and vitamins like folate (13). All of which go on to help with healthy hair
growth.
One of the main ways these vegetables help reduce hair fall is through their
anti-inflammatory effects (14). By reducing inflammation in the scalp hairs
seem to last longer and stay healthy for longer.
The compounds in cruciferous vegetables have also been proven to protect
cells from DNA damage which reduces age related hair loss (15).
Here are a selection of the most common cruciferous vegetables:
Arugula
Shepherd’s purse
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Turnip
Chinese cabbage
Collard greens
Bok choy
Horseradish
Kale
Kohlrabi
Land cress
Rutabaga
Watercress
Cauliflower
Mustard greens
Daikon radish
Radish
Beans, Peas, and Lentils
Legumes, consisting of beans, peas, and lentils are nature’s ultimate
protein sources, perfect for natural, bioavailable sources of hair building
keratin (16).
If your hair feels thin and lifeless, or if it falls out easily and grows slowly,
then upping the amount of plant-based protein from these 3 sources will
definitely help.
Soaking, sprouting, and boiling must be used with most legumes since
many contain anti-nutrients and some toxic substances when raw.
Kidney bean
Navy bean
Pinto bean
Haricot bean
Lima bean
Butter bean
Adzuki bean
Azuki bean
Mung bean
Golden gram
Green gram
Black gram
Scarlet runner bean
Ricebean
Moth bean
Tepary bean
Broad beans
Garden pea
Chickpea,
Garbanzo,
Quinoa
Lentils
Herbs and Spices
Herbs and spices contain some of the most concentrated forms
of antioxidants of any foods (17). These antioxidants reduce free radicals;
free radicals that cause cellular and genetic damage and increase aging
(18). Therefore antioxidants may increase hair growth by reducing the free
radicals that cause age related hair loss.
The best spice for your hair is turmeric, and there are plenty of others such
as ginger, basil, cloves, pepper, vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, and
many more.
Final Thoughts
A diet change alone will not stop your hair loss, or even promote hair
growth. However, it’s a step in the right direction.
Do you need to add in all of the foods mentioned above? Not right away,
but it never hurts to diversify your diet and you can easily do so with the
lists I’ve provided.
And remember: hair growth is about so much more than just your diet.
There is very likely an underlying issue – one not directly linked to food
intake – that is driving your hair loss. It’s important to find and target this
issue now before the problem becomes irreversible.