Top 10 Foods for Healthy Hair
Salmon for Shine
Fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel are packed with healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Your body can't make these healthy fats, so you have to get them from food or supplements. They help protect you from disease, but your body also needs them to grow hair and keep it shiny and full.
Swipe to advance
Grow With Greek Yogurt
It’s packed with protein, the building block of your locks. Greek yogurt also has an ingredient that helps with blood flow to your scalp and hair growth. It’s called vitamin B5 (known as pantothenic acid) and may even help against hair thinning and loss. You may recognize pantothenic acid as an ingredient on your hair and skincare product labels.
Swipe to advance
Spinach to Battle Brittle Hair
Like so many dark green leafy vegetables, spinach is full of amazing nutrients. It has tons of vitamin A, plus iron, beta carotene, folate, and vitamin C. These work together for a healthy scalp and mane. They keep your hair moisturized so it doesn't break. Want to mix it up a little? Kale is another great green choice.
Swipe to advance
Guava to Prevent Breakage
This tropical fruit brims with vitamin C. It protects your hair from breaking. One cup of guava has 377 milligrams of vitamin C. That's more than four times the minimum daily recommended amount. Bonus!
Swipe to advance
Iron-Fortified Cereal to Prevent Loss
Getting too little iron can lead to hair loss. But you can find this important nutrient in fortified cereal, grains, and pastas, and in soybeans and lentils. Beef, especially organ meats like liver, have lots of it. Shellfish and dark leafy greens do too.
Swipe to advance
Lean Poultry for Thickness
When you don't get enough protein, hair growth "rests." Since it stops and older hairs fall out, you can have hair loss. To get protein from meat, pick lean options like chicken or turkey, which have less saturated fat than sources like beef and pork.
Swipe to advance
Sweet Potatoes to Fight Dull Locks
Have dry hair that's lost its shine? Sweet potatoes are filled with a good-for-you antioxidant called beta carotene. Your body turns beta carotene into vitamin A. That helps protect against dry, dull hair. It also encourages the glands in your scalp to make an oily fluid called sebum that keeps hair from drying out. You can also find beta carotene in other orange vegetables like carrots, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and mangoes.
Swipe to advance
Cinnamon for Circulation
Sprinkle this spice on your oatmeal, toast, and in your coffee. It helps with blood flow, also called circulation. That's what brings oxygen and nutrients to your hair follicles.
Swipe to advance
Eggs for Growth
Your protein and iron bases are covered when you eat eggs. They're rich in a B vitamin called biotin that helps hair grow. Not having enough of this vitamin can lead to hair loss. Biotin also helps strengthen brittle fingernails.
Swipe to advance
Oysters for Fullness
These are rich in zinc. When you don't have enough of this mineral in your diet, you can have hair loss -- even in your eyelashes. Cells that build hair rely on zinc to help them work their hardest. You can also find this mineral in beef, crab, lobster, and fortified cereal.
Swipe to advance
Sources Medically Reviewed on 02/28/2019 Reviewed by Stephanie S. Gardner, MD on February 28, 2019
IMAGES PROVIDED BY:
1) Getty Images
2) Getty Images
3) Thinkstock Images
4) Getty Images
5) Thinkstock Images
6) Thinkstock Images
7) Thinkstock Images
8) Thinkstock Images
9) Thinkstock Images
10) Thinkstock Images
SOURCES:
Sandra Allonen, registered dietitian, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Aoi, M. Stem Cells Translational Medicine, June 18, 2012.
Whitney Bowe, MD, board-certified dermatologist; clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center.
CosmeticsInfo.org: "Panthenol and Pantothenic Acid."
Hossein, N. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research, May 17, 2013.
Iowa State University: "Protein."
Kelly, G. Alternative Medicine Review, 2011.
Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University: "Biotin."
National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements: "Zinc."
Julie Negrin, MS, CN, nutritionist, speaker, and author of "How to Teach Cooking to Kids."
Ordon, A. MD, Better in 7: The Ultlimate 7-Day Guide to a Better You, 2013.
The Merck Manual Home Edition: "Vitamin A."
Ohio State University: "Vitamin A (Retinol)."
The Vegetarian Resource Group: "Iron in the Vegan Diet."
USDA National Nutrient Database.
Reviewed by Stephanie S. Gardner, MD on February 28, 2019
This tool does not provide medical advice. See additional information.
THIS TOOL DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and should not be relied on to make decisions about your health. Never ignore professional medical advice in seeking treatment because of something you have read on the WebMD Site. If you think you may have a medical emergency, immediately call your doctor or dial 911.
