Have you noticed your hair isn’t as long as it was before? With age, the anagen (growing) phase of hair will begin to end sooner than it used to in our youth. This is controlled by the ever changing levels of gonadotropin-releasing hormones and our diet! While there isn’t much that can be done about the naturally occurring changes in hormones, we can control the food we eat.
It is important to have a healthy and balanced diet for many reasons, but we will focus on the nutrients that help our hair. Vitamins and nutrients found in foods that can help strengthen your hair and nails include iron, vitamin A, vitamin B12, and protein.
Sources of Iron
- Red meats
- Spinach and other leafy greens
- Fish and other seafoods
- Cherries, Apples and Pomegranates.
Visit this blog post at My Net Diary for more dietary tips on increasing Iron
Sources of Vitamin A
- Eggs
- Cheese
- Carrots and other orange vegetables
- Fish
- Mangos
Visit this blog post at My Net Diary for more dietary tips for Vitamin A sources
Sources of Vitamin B12
- Dairy products (yogurt, milk, cheese)
- Fish
- Beef
Visit this blog post at Healthify Me for more dietary tips for Vitamin B12.
If there is no deficiency in your diet, there is little scientific evidence that hair supplements will guarantee an increase in hair growth or strength. If you do have a deficiency in your diet, a multivitamin is helpful as well as, including new sources of vitamins or iron in your diet. Meeting your nutritional needs is the best way to encourage healthy hair growth. Keep in mind that your nutritional needs will change as your body ages.
Another factor of hair growth is scalp health! Your hair needs blood flow to deliver the nutrients to the hair bulb, and excessive buildup or dryness can reduce that flow.
Scalp massage can reduce buildup, bring blood up to the scalp and can relax tension (and who doesn’t want that?).
References
Al-Azzawi, Farook, and Santiago Palacios. “Hormonal Changes during Menopause.” Maturitas, vol. 63, no. 2, 2009, pp. 135–137., doi:10.1016/j.maturitas.2009.03.009.
Goluch-Koniuszy, Zuzanna Sabina. “Nutrition of Women with Hair Loss Problem during the Period of Menopause.” Menopausal Review, vol. 1, 2016, pp. 56–61., doi:10.5114/pm.2016.58776.
Takahashi, Toshie, et al. “Age-Dependent Changes in Damage Processes of Hair Cuticle.” Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, vol. 14, no. 1, 2015, pp. 2–8., doi:10.1111/jocd.12129.
Van Neste, D. J., and D. H. Rushton. “Gender Differences in Scalp Hair Growth Rates Are Maintained but Reduced in Pattern Hair Loss Compared to Controls.” Skin Research and Technology, vol. 22, no. 3, 2015, pp. 363–369., doi:10.1111/srt.12274.