Does Your Hair Reveal Your Diet?
People say that eyes are the window to the soul, but is your hair the window to your diet? Some doctors believe that your bad hair days may not be as related to your styling choice as much as your food choices. Healthy hair is a combination of hormones, vitamins taken and the foods a person eats...and even the ones they don't eat. So put down your hair dryer, styling gel and color kit and read more about healthy ways to enhance your crowing glory.
You're hair says more about you than just your choice of color
While your hair may seem like it has a mind of its own, it doesn't. In fact, hair is non-living. More specifically, hair is dead protein fibers gracing the top of your head. That may not sound great, but it's a fact.
Another fact is that while your hair is dead, the follicle that sprouts your hair is not. Located under your scalp, the hair follicle is fed by all the foods in your diet, but it gets its best source of fuel from protein. Carbs, protein and iron are the substances that will grow hair strong.
Eat the right foods to make your hair shine
What sorts of foods should you eat to ensure that you're getting enough of those ingredients in your diet? Foods such as eggs, fish, bananas and spinach provide your hair with rich nutrients that stimulate hair growth, strengthen hair cuticles and give it that overall luster that we all crave. The hair is one of the first tale-tell signs of a bad diet. Persons with a diet severely lacking in nutrients will have hair that is dry, brittle and even more lifeless and it should be (given that hair is dead already).
Reading this, you may think that you can change your diet now and expect to see results akin to the hair models in the Pantene commercials. However, it doesn't quite work that way. Hair sticks with you (unless you cut it) and the hair you have on your head now has been with you for months and in some cases years. Because hair grows at a rate of a half inch every four to six weeks, if you change your diet now, you can expect to see better results in about 3 to 6 months.
Other lifestyle factors that affect your hair
If you have a great diet and you hair still looks like the end of a broom, then you have stress and hormones to thank. Actually, it's not just the stress that causes hair to look bad. It's the way in which stress affects one's hormones. If you can live a relatively stress-free life, then viola! You can have great hair! Of course, it's not that simple. Your hair will enter into a resting phase if your stress is causing your hormones to go hay-wire.
Illness will affect the look of the hair also. Conditions such as diabetes and thyroid disease can cause lifeless looking locks. If you have experienced any dramatic changes to the look and feel of your hair, then you may consider calling your doctor to schedule a physical. The results may provide clues to help you better manage the health of your hair (as well as your overall health). Luckily, as the stress subsides and any illness have been diagnosed and treated, your hair will bounce back as luxurious as it ever was.
Hormones can be a good thing too though. The pregnancy glow that people rave about is definitely the result of increased hormones. Those increased hormones cause hair to shine more brightly than it ever has before. An abundance of estrogen may help the growth and retention of hair, while too much testosterone can have the opposite effect. Also worth mentioning, birth control pills can cause hair thinning as well. If you find that has been the case for you, then be sure to speak to your doctor about the possibility of changing your prescription from a higher progesterone pill to a lower progesterone pill. That may make all the difference.
Overall, your diet, hormones and vitamins can effect the look your hair, but you still have an obligation not to fry and dye your hair into oblivion. Too much flat ironing, dye treatments and harsh products will do nothing to enhance the look of your hair. If you have all the other ducks in a row and your hair still looks unhealthy, then it may be time to call a good stylist to help you establish a healthy hair regimen.
Finding a great hair stylist
A great hair stylist is as valuable as a your favorite pair of jeans that makes your butt look hot - right?
I get my hair done at dk hair in Hillcrest. David, one of the owners, is fantastic at cutting my hair. Brittany, my color specialist at dk hair, treats my hair with my favorite shades of red. You'll find Brittany in our morning Hillcrest bootcamp! dk hair is one of our community partners, so all Bootique Fitness ladies get 20% off their first treatment. Just tell them you're a friend of ours!
Several of our boot campers have already been to dk hair. Leave a comment and share your experience.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.