How to get longer, stronger hair

Guys, I am not crazy. I swear.
I realise that my saying, “we need to feed our hair” sounds a little insane, but just hear me out.
Just like the rest of our body, the cells that support strong, healthy vibrant hair depend on a balanced diet packed full of nutrients. “The fuel you put into your body is going to carry through to the the health of your hair and skin,” says nutritionist and author of Eat, Taste, Nourish, Zoe Bingley-Pullin. Yep, you heard right. Shinier, happier hair will happen as soon as you start eating the right foods.
Our hair grows from follicles underneath the skin, known as the hair root, that receives nutrients from the foods we eat. Eating the good stuff means we’ll keep our locks happy and healthy, and while there is a little more to the process, let’s keep it simple for now and start at the guts of the problem (sorry, couldn’t help it). The important thing to remember is that “you are what you eat”, so with that in mind, let’s feed those tresses! Here are my top tips for luscious strands...
Ginger
Malting all over the bathroom floor? Me too. Thankfully, a little thing called ginger can solve that. Ginger contains magnesium, phosphorous, potassium and vitamins which help in making hair strong and shiny and the oil it produces is great for solving dandruff woes. The best way to nip this in the bud is with regular treatments from products like the Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Treatment Oil that will nourish and treat your precious scalp.
Salmon
Our bodies can’t naturally create omega 3 fatty acids so it’s super important for us to eat them, and that’s why Mr. Salmon is your guy. This high-quality protein source is loaded with all the good stuff, and will keep your scalp healthy and your hair a dull-free zone. Vegetarians, don’t fret! Try including ground flaxseed into your diet for some plant-based omega 3 fats. I love the De Lorezno Prescriptive Solutions Intense Hair Moisturiser that's enriched with omega 3 and ideal for daily use.
Nuts
Cashews, pecans and almonds are a great source of zinc, which is needed to prevent the loss of hair, so go nuts! A great way to keep your scalp in check is to get your dose of selenium from those delicious Brazilians (the nuts, not the men) and if you’re not a fan of the whole fish thing, then get on over here and make nuts a regular on your hair menu. Walnuts not only rank as one of the nuts with the highest amounts of omega 3s, they also come jam packed with biotin, which will keep your locks safe from sun damage. The perfect summer hair care treatment.
Banana
Rich in potassium, natural oils, carbohydrates and vitamins A and C, there’s a whole lotta lovin’ we get from bananas. This happy fruit protects our hair’s natural elasticity, preventing breakage and split ends, while also encouraging shine and growth. Thankfully the world of haircare has jumped on the yellow bandwagon and now we can get our daily dose of it in the shower too.
The Body Shop Banana Conditioner contains banana puree that’ll keep you tangle-free and delightfully banana-scented, so take a big whiff.
The green stuff
Remember how our mammas always told us to eat our greens? No, she wasn’t just being a bully, there was damn good reason. Dark green veggies like spinach, broccoli and kale are a great sources of calcium, iron, magnesium, protein, omega 3 fatty acids AND vitamins A and C, which are the vitamins needed to produce sebum - the oil that’s a natural hair conditioner.
Carrots
While they won’t help you see in the dark they will help you reach expert levels of hairy-ness. With a whole heap of vitamin A, your hair is bound to receive enough sebum to keep it looking super thick and shiny. Another sweet advantage of carrots is their prevention of premature greying. Yes To Carrots Scalp Relief Shampoo is a great one for tackling an irritated, flaking scalp.
Sweet potato
Apart from being so freakin’ tasty, they’re also full of beta-carotene, the antioxidant our bodies naturally turn into vitamin A. So like our good friend broccoli, sweet potato actually help us keep the dandruff at bay (cheers, you guys).
Eggs
Eggs and hair are both filled with protein, so by eating these on the regular, you’ll literally be feeding your hair and making it stronger, thicker and oh-so-happy. Eggs also carry our daily dose of iron, which we all need for general health and wellbeing - particularly us chickies who are susceptible to anemia. The ugly truth is that anemia is a major cause of hair loss, so let’s try and avoid that one, shall we? Try the Sukin Protein Hair Treatment for ultimate shine and nourishment.
Blueberries
The hair benefits of blueberries are just phenom. These little guys are a serious super food because they are just loaded with the vitamin C, which feeds our hair follicles and helps stimulate hair growth, giving us the ultimate mermaidy-mane.
What are your tips for healthy, festive tresses this season? How you got any other yummy hair-y tips?
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83 Member Comments
I eat all of these except sweet potatoes but my hair still gets split ends
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Yummm! I love blueberries and I love to make sweet potato fries
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I eat a lot of these, but the damage to my hair mainly comes from repeated dying of my hair :(
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I actually eat at least 2 of them every day but my hair is still falling. Maybe I should include supplements for hair as well???
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These foods are so good for you!
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I already eat heaps of good, healthy foods. But my hair keeps breaking!
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These are my favourite foods, just keep it up
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I eat all of these, guess I will have to eat more of them!
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I think I need to try all of these suggestions.
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Feeding from the inside!
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Very interesting article
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This is a great article on how to benefit your hair from the inside out, but another great tip is to use castor oil mixed with a coconut oil for a weekly oil overnight treatment. castor oil is amazing for growing hair!
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Feed the hair .eat healthy food .
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In short, do not starve (causes hair loss)-load on best quality carbs preferably fruit, eat as much as you care for as long as is plant based whole foods high carb, low fat.
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I had terrible hair loss (my scalp was visible!) was due to hormone imbalance, when by trial (to get rid of hormone disrupting foods like farmed salmon, other fish, eggs, and esterogen loaded diary and meat saturated with stress hormones) I went high fruit based vegan - it just suddenly started to grow back, now it is long up to my bottom!!! full head ! I never turned back with my food choices! Also my sis cured her anemia by adopting same diet after suffering from it since childhood
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I will definitely be making a homemade sweet potato hair mask!
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Yummy. Everything i live love to eat here minus the lovely ginger. Salmon is amazing for so many health benefits. I find the less i style my hair grows so much quicker.
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Ginger! Who would have thought? I'm going to start adding all these products to my grocery list. Fingers crossed for thick , healthy hair!
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Thanks so much I will up all these foods !
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I didn't know ginger was good for the hair. I do love it in my dishes, so will be extra generous in using this from now on.
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Oh but also my hair is still struggling to grow and is still falling out like crazy. I haven't used heat on my hair in over a year and it still struggles. It's just not ideal.
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I honestly eat all of this. Salmon I could eat till I grew scales and I love broccoli, carrot, ginger infact if you haven't tried honey ginger carrots I suggest you go try them now. Yum.
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I love cooking stirfries with lots of freshly grated ginger
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Banana conditioner... sounds great!
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