Five Super Foods for Super Fabulous Locks

Humidity, heat, rain, air conditioning, heating, heat-styling, harsh chemicals, the environment… it can be exhausting taking note of all the things that can cause damage to your hair.

We all know that in order to keep our locks in a luscious condition we should use professional haircare products, apply a weekly treatment to help quench its thirst and use the holy grail of styling products, heat protection should we even glance at heated tools. But there is something else we can do to help give our hair a boost – eat well.

Here we give you five super foods, and tasty ones at that too, that can help flood your cuticles with beautiful nutrients and in turn help your hair to grow healthy and strong.

Whole Grains

Whilst many people give carbs a suspicious glare, you would be wise to give whole grain carbs a second look. Brown rice, brown bread and whole wheat pasta are packed with nutrients like vitamin B, folic acid, essential fatty acids and vitamin E – all which help to strengthen your hair. So no need to fear that bread basket next time you’re eating out. Just make sure you choose the whole grain options and your hair and health will thank you for it.

Protein

Protein is absolutely essential, not only for our hair, but for our cells, muscles, hormones and immune system. One of the best protein sources is egg. A mere medium egg has around 6g of protein in an easily digestible form. Packed to the shell with biotin, which improves hair growth and prevents brittleness, munching on a hardboiled egg twice a week can help keep your mane in great condition.

Avocado

Ahhh the stuff of Instagram legend, the humble avocado, or should we say the infamous avocado? Either way, this celebrity fruit is packed with vitamin E, which is a saviour for dry, frizzy hair. If from all the Instagram hype you cannot bare to look at another avocado, then you can always try a product that contains it such as Kiehl’s Strengthening and Hydrating Hair Oil-in-Cream – all the benefits and not a slice of avocado toast in sight.

Calcium

Milk, cheese, yogurt, tofu, broccoli and nuts are all fantastic sources of calcium, and calcium is an essential nutrient for hair growth. So instead of skimping on the milk with your next hot beverage, add a splash of non-fat, low-fat, full-fat, not quite full-fat but still tasty-fat milk so your precious strands can reap the benefits.

Zinc

Zinc is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table – just in case you were interested in that side of things. It is also a fabulous mineral for your hair. Some big sources of zinc are oily fish, meat, oysters, turnips, almonds and whole wheat. Not only does zinc help to prevent hair loss, but when you eat oily fish as a source of zinc, the omega-3 fatty acids will also hydrate your scalp to help give hair that coveted shine – a win, win.