April 03

Feed Your Hair
If you are what you eat, what is your hair made of? If the answer is fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and cold-pressed oils, you're already eating for optimum hair health.

By Susan Weiner

   Our perception of ourselves—our youthfulness, self-esteem and desirability—is greatly influenced by the appearance of our hair. To build esteem, we cut it, color it, curl it, straighten it, perm it and subject it to an array of chemical treatments. But to get to the root of caring for your hair, you have to start from the inside out.
   Your tresses demand the very same care as every other part of your body: nutrition and nurturing. Food choices are vital to hair health, since hair is typically the first area of the body to benefit or suffer as a result of poor dietary choices.
   Healthy hairs originate in healthy follicles nourished by a rich network of capillaries, the tiny vessels that bring blood to the tissues. Inadequate diet, in addition to poor circulation due to muscles tightened by stress and tension, can nutritionally shortchange the 100,000 strands that push their way through your scalp.
   While the scalp is a living organism, hair is not. Comprised of non-living keratinized proteins, each hair shaft consists of three parts: The cuticle, or outermost layer; the cortex, minute strands called fibrils that form 80% of the hair shaft; and the medulla, or central core of the hair.
   Sebaceous glands at the scalp’s surface lubricate the first inch or two of hair with an oily substance called sebum. Keeping the remainder of your locks in tiptop shape is up to you.
“Malnourishment of the hair follicle is primarily caused by the clogging of the fine capillaries with mucus from mucus-forming foods,” says David Wolfe, authority on raw food nutrition and author of Eating for Beauty (Maul Brothers Publishing).
   If dull hair is weighing you down, introducing more nutrient-rich foods to your diet, in addition to using supplements and all-natural hair care products, can bring back healthy bounce, body and shine.

Supplementally Speaking
   A proponent of a diet rich in raw foods, Wolfe believes that “our diet must be raw, mineral-rich, and nutrient-dense to achieve the extraordinary result we are seeking.” Wolfe recommends a diet high in hemp seeds, a wide variety of organic vegetables and juices and super-food blends. He also supports MSM supplementation: “The first thing you will notice after taking MSM is that your hair growth will be stronger and more vigorous.”
   An organic sulfur-containing compound that occurs naturally in a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains, MSM, or methyl-sulfonyl-methane, is a water-soluble, solid substance. White and odorless, MSM has a slightly bitter taste and dissolves very easily, releasing bone-, skin- and hair-helping, biologically active sulfur.
   When MSM was fed to folks who were interested in improved hair health, nearly every participant showed increased hair growth when compared with a group taking a lookalike substance, according to Ronald M. Lawrence, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of the UCLA School of Medicine. An additional 30% showed improvement in hair brilliance.
   “All subjects supplementing with MSM were impressed with the changes in the health and appearance of their hair,” says Dr. Lawrence. “The cosmetologists literally could differentiate which participants were on MSM by the appearance of the hair, alone, after six weeks.”
   Another supportive substance, silica, is one of the most abundant minerals on earth: In addition to its presence in sand, quartz and granite, the mineral is found in blood vessels, cartilage, muscles, skin and teeth, with the highest concentration found in nails and hair. A precursor to strong bone, teeth and connective tissue formation, a silicon-rich diet can improve the condition of aging skin, nails and hair.
   Silica is versatile in that it can be utilized both internally and externally, via high-quality, silicon-rich supplements and skin and hair care products. Foods high in silica include radish, romaine lettuce, New Zealand spinach, burdock root and oats, along with the skins of cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes.

Enhance Your Hair
Anyone who has a pet knows that hair is affected by diet; switch your dog or cat to a nutritionally rich pet food and watch how dryness disappears and the coat becomes lustrous. What’s good for Fido is good for you, too. “The same thing happens when sufficient nutrients are added to the (human) diet,” says Ronald Hoffman, MD.
   All the hair-revitalizing products you can find on the shelf won’t save your hair if you aren’t nurturing your body with fresh, nutritious foods.
   A food plan crammed with a rainbow of colorful fruits and vegetables high in vitamins and antioxidants, whole grains for minerals, nuts and seeds for vitamins and minerals, and meat for iron will get your hair looking its best, suggests Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE.
   “The fiber from fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes is good for your body and hair,” says Grieger, whose Healthy Hair Diet incorporates eight to ten glasses of water and juices a day to hydrate hair, leaving it silky and shiny. A fortified breakfast cereal and soy products rich in phytoestrogens will help your body get the other nutrients it needs.
   Lily Morgan, author of Beauty, Health and Happiness (HCO Publishing) and founder of Lily of Colorado, a botanical skin care company based in Denver, has her own ideas on what should appear on your healthy-hair plate. Her list of foods necessary for hair health: whole grains, brown rice, oatmeal, brewer’s yeast, cold-pressed olive oil, organic vinegar, nuts, sunflower seeds, chickpeas, cauliflower and lentils.
   Biotin and essential fatty acids, along with the seaweeds kelp and wakame, also enhance hair, says Morgan.

Dos and Don’ts for Your Do
   Hair is evidence: It tells the world if you color, perm, straighten, blow-dry or tease your tresses. It divulges if you’re eating a diet with ample vitamins and minerals, and whether or not you keep high-quality, all-natural hair care products on your vanity table.
   If your hair tends to err on the greasy side, wash your hair with a gentle dishwashing liquid. Hair too dry? Run a dollop of conditioner through your hair after showering or swimming.
   To condition both your scalp and dry or damaged hair, apply warm olive, jojoba or coconut oil. For added fragrance and conditioning, try adding chamomile for a gentle lightening effect, eucalyptus to fend off dandruff, lavender to thicken hair or rosemary to stimulate hair growth. Heat the mixture in a hot-water bath, massage (the massage itself will stimulate circulation) the warm oil into your scalp and brush it through your hair. Be sure to use a natural-bristle brush.
That said, you’re going to have those times when your locks don’t look their best; humidity and a host of other factors can affect the way hair looks on any given day.
   When a bad hair day hits, it’s best to just laugh it off, recommends Nadine Kaslow, PhD. Her advice on how to put hair problems into perspective? “You almost have to have a sense of humor about it,” says Kaslow. “Work to say to yourself that even if your hair doesn’t look good today, it doesn’t reflect on you as a person.”
   “Bad hair days significantly affect self-esteem,” adds Marianne LaFrance, PhD. “And it affects males as much as it does females.”
   But with the right foods, supplements and care, you can leave your bad hair days behind.

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