As you may well know, my hair has been the bane of my existence from a very young age. Getting afro combs tangled in it, being mega jealous of friends with sleek hair (I still am), scraping it back and pretending it wasn't there, shaving 2/3 of it off just to be rid of the majority of it and even being jealous of my Dad for having alopecia. Yep, I hated my hair so much I craved that it would fall out and leave me completely bald.
[[ Uh, yeah, actually I shaved 2/3 off any dyed it green...Take THAT hair, y'bitch. ]]
Right now I'm actually trying to grow it all back - I have three odd lengths, with one side basically being a mini afro (now you know why all my FOTD pics are from the side/ hand over half my head!) It isn't so bad since I started using hot oils and Naked products, but it still leaves a lot to be desired. I figured since 99.9% of 'nourishing', 'moisture rich', 'repairing' hair products I've tried have zero effect on my hair - maybe I should try and improve it from the inside out with hair loving foods...
Food Groups/ Vitamins/ Minerals
Proteins - Liver and blood rich meats, marmite, brewer's yeast, fatty fish (mackerel, tuna, salmon), cottage cheese, cheese in general, yogurt, tofu.Iron - Liver and blood rich meats, whole grain cereal, dark green veg (helloooo spinach!), eggs (also great for protein), dates, dried apricots, prunes, peas raisins, cocoa powder and chocolate, sun dried tomatoes, molasses.
B Vitamins - Eggs, turkey and other poultry, tuna and other fish, potatoes, bananas, lentils, chilli peppers.
Essential Fatty Acids - Walnuts, sunflower seeds, canola (rapeseed) oil, fish, shellfish, soy.
Vitamin E - Avacados, almonds, pine nuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, olive oil, paprika and red chilli powder, dried herbs, dried apricots, green olives.
Sulfur - Onion, meat, fish, nuts, asparagus, sprouts, broccoli, kale, turnips and garlic. The sulphur content of food is often lost once it has been cooked or processed, so try eating raw or partially cooked food (like stir fries) where you can.
Zinc - Barley grass, kelp, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, whole grain, brewers yeast, milk, nuts, cocoa powder and chocolate, avacados, blackberries, raspberries, wasabi root, lemon grass and beans.
Water - Goes without saying, really, doesn't it?!
What to Avoid
Caffeine - Tea, coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, fizzy drinks.
Sugar - Sweets, desserts, fizzy drinks, refined white flour, alcohol.
Fat - Fatty meats and fish, fried food, crisps, desserts, junk food.
Carbonated Drinks - Sorry, your addiction to coca-cola ends here!
I shall let you know how I'm incorporating all of the different food groups into my diet at some point next week, I wonder if it will really be any different to what I already eat... I'm not expecting a huge difference any time soon, especially since I have bleached my hair recently and straighten it fairly often - but at least I'll know I'm doing something good for it!
How do you look after your hair? Do you take vitamin tablets for it? Any hair growing tips?
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