When it comes to healthy hair, it's not just what you put on your hair that counts - it's what you put into your body that's more important. If you long for healthy vibrant hair it may not be worth spending a fortune on exotic shampoos and conditioners. You might be wiser to consider the nutritional needs of your hair. Hair grows only slowly, usually about a quarter to half an inch per month, but during the entire growth period hair requires adequate supplies of protein, vitamins and minerals to enable it to achieve proper strength and hence, longevity. Thin weak hair is unlikely to last as long as thicker stronger hair.
To meet your hair's nutritional needs is not so difficult. It really only requires common sense. If you eat a good, varied diet that contains all the ingredients necessary for health in general, then you should be able to satisfy your hair's requirements. A healthy diet contains a mix of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, of which at least 20% should be protein. More protein than this is fine, and would reduce the need for carbohydrates, which, especially in refined form, are over consumed by our society in general.
Whole Food Vitamins
Good sources of protein are meat, fish, eggs, cheese, legumes, beans, nuts pulses and seeds. The type of protein consumed doesn't matter as the body breaks it down into amino acids and then re-combines these to form new proteins in accordance with its requirements.
The process of protein synthesis is complex and involves chains of chemical reactions that require catalysts and enzymes along the way. There is thus a need for an array of micronutrients that are not required in bulk quantities but are nevertheless essential to the process.
Minerals such as silica, calcium, and iron are important, and these can be obtained from green, leafy vegetables particularly, such as cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale and broccoli. Dried fruits and cherry juice are a source of iron, which can also obtained from meat, especially liver, some whole grain cereals and eggs. Silica is also found in green and red peppers, and bean sprouts. Sulphur is obtained from meats, fish, legumes, vegetables, especially onions.
The other major class of micronutrients important for both general and hair health are the vitamins. The B vitamin group comprises eight water soluble vitamins that have been given specific names. The important ones for hair growth are: thiamine, riboflavin, niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine, biotin (B7), folic acid (B9), and cobalamin (B12). B vitamins are concerned with cell growth and division and are essential to metabolism. Other important vitamins in hair growth and in general are Vitamin C and Vitamin E.
The best sources of B vitamins are whole, unprocessed foods, since processing significantly reduces content. Hence the need for some bread manufacturers to put back vitamins into their product after having removed them by using refined flour.
B vitamins are derived from meat, tuna, potatoes, bananas, lentils, soy milk, fish, tofu and yoghurt. Vitamin C is mainly derived from fruit and vegetables, whilst Vitamin E can be obtained from avocados, nuts, seeds, and olive oil.
It should not be difficult to meet your body's nutritional needs if you have a varied diet of predominantly natural foods including plenty of fruit and vegetables. People who rely on a totally artificial diet of ready prepared meals, junk foods and high carbohydrate products off the supermarket shelf, are most likely to find their diet wanting. If your health is important to you it is worth trying to eat the right way, i.e. the natural way, as far as possible.