Hair loss, graying hair, dull hair, crazy cowlicks, and split ends … all of these can equal a bad hair day! Yuck. That’s not pretty, whether you are a guy or a girl. No one likes a bad hair day.
Luckily scientists have been busy figuring out what causes bad hair days, and determined which nutrients your body needs to grow hair that is healthy, rich, lustrous, and, well, good!
Nutrition for Healthy Hair
Studies show that one of the main reasons we suffer from “bad hair days” is because our bodies don’t have enough sulfur. Sulfur directly affects the health of not just our hair, but also our skin.
That’s where biotin comes in. Biotin is a water-soluble B-vitamin coenzyme that incorporates sulfur into its molecular structure. So when our bodies produce enough biotin, we end up with healthier hair and skin. In fact, biotin has been nicknamed the “good hair day” vitamin.
Biotin also reduces glucose levels in the blood, which is good news for diabetics. If you’re not sure whether your body is lacking in biotin, check for other signs of biotin deficiency, which include brittle fingernails, depression, and chronic fatigue.
Sources of Biotin for Healthy Hair
Now the question becomes, “Where do we get biotin?” Lucky for us, the beneficial bacteria in our guts produce biotin. That is, if we have enough acidophilus and bifidus in our intestines, then we tend to have enough biotin, and we also avoid bad hair days.
You can also eat foods high in biotin to increase the levels of biotin in your body. Foods high in biotin include:
– AFA blue-green algae
– brown rice
– mushrooms
– eggs
– liver
There are also topical biotin salves on the market, however studies indicate that biotin is not easily absorbed through the skin. So rubbing biotin salves on your scalp won’t help you as much as eating foods rich in biotin, or increasing your intake of probiotics like acidophilus and bifidus, which help your body increase its production of biotin.
Having good hair days isn’t difficult. At 73, I still have a full head of rich dark hair, and I have eating acidophilus, bifidus, and blue-green algae for over 25 years. I’m also fond of eggs and brown rice, too. Eating healthy for “good hair days” doesn’t have to be complicated … in fact, just follow the guidelines above for a convenient approach to healthy, shiny, lustrous hair. Enjoy!
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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29654876@N02/ / CC BY 2.0
