We should first start off by saying, this is a whole science in itself, and there are cases where you may need to seek more substantial interventions (transplants, etc.). However, that said, there is a lot that can be explored in your basic health that could be having a detrimental affect on your hair growth, thickness and texture.
Thinning hair and hair loss are related to losing hair follicles and dwindling production of hair by the follicle. There are two ways to influence the follicles, topically (by applications of products to your scalp) and internally (giving the hair follicle what it needs to product strong, healthy hair). The good news is there are non-toxic healthy interventions you can try at home. Let's start with the 'internals'.
As you may have guessed, protein is a big part of healthy hair, but there are also 6 more vitamins and minerals you may be missing out on that are contributing to your hair loss. They are:
Protein Iron Vitamin C Vitamin E B-Vitamins Zinc
So how does this break down? Let's look at each in turn.
Protein ~ your hair is actually made up of protein so it's easy to see how a deficiency in this area would cause brittleness. It's more common than you think for people to not eat enough protein every day. It is especially a problem as you get older. You should be eating 0.75g of protein for each kilogram of your body weight. Here are some high protein foods:
Pumpkin seeds & Peanuts - 25%
Lentils - 24%
Sunflower seeds - 19%
Cashews - 17%
Wholegrain Oats - 16%
Quinoa* - 13%
*Important note about Quinoa, it is a complete protein,meaning it contains the full range of amino acids. This makes it a great daily choice to add into your meals.
Iron ~ an iron deficiency can cause major hair loss, if you are male you should be getting 8.7 mg a day, but if you are a woman, that jumps to 14.8 mg. Iron can be tricky because direct supplementation is not always the best method to get this mineral. The good new is that there are a lot of ways to get it into your diet naturally. Foods high in iron would be dark green vegetables, lentils (6.5 g per 100g), dried apricots, figs & dates (over 3 mg per 100 g), sesame seeds (10 mg per 100g), and cashews (6 mg per 100g).
Vitamin C ~ Vitamin C supports collagen production which helps protect and strengthen hair strands and is also essential to the absorption of Iron. You should be getting 40 mg a day. Vitamin C is generally pretty easy to supplement through capsules. Some foods high in Vitamin C include dried cranberries, Goji berries, blueberries or apricots.
Omega 3's ~ Oh, Omega 3's, these little guys really should have a golden throne to sit upon! They do so much for our entire bodies, should we be surprised they also help with our hair? EPA, DHA &ALA are all forms of Omega 3's. You can get some fancy gel cap supplements (see our page for recommended supplement manufacturers) which can be the easiest way to ensure you are getting enough of these little super heros. Good foods for Omega 3's are Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds, Hempheart seeds and walnuts.
Vitamin E ~ This powerhouse vitamin is much touted for skin but is also good for your hair (your eyes and immune system!). Women should be getting 3 mg per day, men need 4 mg. Look to sunflower seeds, peanuts and almonds for your Vitamin E source.
B-Vitamins ~ Biotin (B7) and B12 are both crucial to healthy hair but it's not clear exactly how. Still, they are good for your general health too (especially B12 which is so often deficient in people's diets, particularly plant based). Again, another easy supplement with capsules (B12 is best in liquid form) but you can also get them from tomatoes, vegetables, eggs, oats & walnuts. A great food source for B12 are fortified Yeast Flakes (they taste like a cheese topping!) which can be purchased in most grocery stores.
Zinc ~ Last, but certainly not least, is the powerhouse mineral ZINC. Zinc plays a key role in our cell functions and is essential for building new cells (this means new hair cells too!!) Meat is high in zinc, but if you don't have time to grill that lamb or beef steak, try grabbing 30g handfuls of some of these high rollers: Hemp seeds (3 mg), Pumpkin & Sesame seeds(2 mg), Cashews (1.8), flaxseed (1.3), quinoa (1 mg), walnuts (0.8 mg). Woman should be getting 7 mg of zinc per day, men 9.5 mg.
Topical Applications
We are still researching this at The Holistic Life Project, what we have found so far are two essential oils, that in some cases, can help to stimulate and support the hair follicle if applied topically. These are peppermint oil and basil oil. As always, when using oils, we recommend testing small areas for sensitivity, being aware of sun exposure (it can interact with the oils and cause irritation) and using the highest quality oils for the best effects. You can also try diluting them with some fractionated coconut oil for a less intense effect.
We will continue to explore more options so check back with us here periodically or contact us directly for a personal consultation.
Because hair cells are some of the fastest growing cells in our body, they suffer from any deficiencies we might have quite quickly, which truly makes them the 'canary in the coal mine'. Keep this in mind as you start on your journey of hair nourishment, you should see results within six weeks. And remember, there are two parts to the equation,
What you put into your body + Your body's ability to absorb the nutrients = Results you are seeing
So, if you don't see exactly what you want right away, it may be a sign that you need to consider addressing other areas to get the healing equation right!
Thinning hair and hair loss are related to losing hair follicles and dwindling production of hair by the follicle. There are two ways to influence the follicles, topically (by applications of products to your scalp) and internally (giving the hair follicle what it needs to product strong, healthy hair). The good news is there are non-toxic healthy interventions you can try at home. Let's start with the 'internals'.
As you may have guessed, protein is a big part of healthy hair, but there are also 6 more vitamins and minerals you may be missing out on that are contributing to your hair loss. They are:
Protein Iron Vitamin C Vitamin E B-Vitamins Zinc
So how does this break down? Let's look at each in turn.
Protein ~ your hair is actually made up of protein so it's easy to see how a deficiency in this area would cause brittleness. It's more common than you think for people to not eat enough protein every day. It is especially a problem as you get older. You should be eating 0.75g of protein for each kilogram of your body weight. Here are some high protein foods:
Pumpkin seeds & Peanuts - 25%
Lentils - 24%
Sunflower seeds - 19%
Cashews - 17%
Wholegrain Oats - 16%
Quinoa* - 13%
*Important note about Quinoa, it is a complete protein,meaning it contains the full range of amino acids. This makes it a great daily choice to add into your meals.
Iron ~ an iron deficiency can cause major hair loss, if you are male you should be getting 8.7 mg a day, but if you are a woman, that jumps to 14.8 mg. Iron can be tricky because direct supplementation is not always the best method to get this mineral. The good new is that there are a lot of ways to get it into your diet naturally. Foods high in iron would be dark green vegetables, lentils (6.5 g per 100g), dried apricots, figs & dates (over 3 mg per 100 g), sesame seeds (10 mg per 100g), and cashews (6 mg per 100g).
Vitamin C ~ Vitamin C supports collagen production which helps protect and strengthen hair strands and is also essential to the absorption of Iron. You should be getting 40 mg a day. Vitamin C is generally pretty easy to supplement through capsules. Some foods high in Vitamin C include dried cranberries, Goji berries, blueberries or apricots.
Omega 3's ~ Oh, Omega 3's, these little guys really should have a golden throne to sit upon! They do so much for our entire bodies, should we be surprised they also help with our hair? EPA, DHA &ALA are all forms of Omega 3's. You can get some fancy gel cap supplements (see our page for recommended supplement manufacturers) which can be the easiest way to ensure you are getting enough of these little super heros. Good foods for Omega 3's are Flaxseeds, Chia Seeds, Hempheart seeds and walnuts.
Vitamin E ~ This powerhouse vitamin is much touted for skin but is also good for your hair (your eyes and immune system!). Women should be getting 3 mg per day, men need 4 mg. Look to sunflower seeds, peanuts and almonds for your Vitamin E source.
B-Vitamins ~ Biotin (B7) and B12 are both crucial to healthy hair but it's not clear exactly how. Still, they are good for your general health too (especially B12 which is so often deficient in people's diets, particularly plant based). Again, another easy supplement with capsules (B12 is best in liquid form) but you can also get them from tomatoes, vegetables, eggs, oats & walnuts. A great food source for B12 are fortified Yeast Flakes (they taste like a cheese topping!) which can be purchased in most grocery stores.
Zinc ~ Last, but certainly not least, is the powerhouse mineral ZINC. Zinc plays a key role in our cell functions and is essential for building new cells (this means new hair cells too!!) Meat is high in zinc, but if you don't have time to grill that lamb or beef steak, try grabbing 30g handfuls of some of these high rollers: Hemp seeds (3 mg), Pumpkin & Sesame seeds(2 mg), Cashews (1.8), flaxseed (1.3), quinoa (1 mg), walnuts (0.8 mg). Woman should be getting 7 mg of zinc per day, men 9.5 mg.
Topical Applications
We are still researching this at The Holistic Life Project, what we have found so far are two essential oils, that in some cases, can help to stimulate and support the hair follicle if applied topically. These are peppermint oil and basil oil. As always, when using oils, we recommend testing small areas for sensitivity, being aware of sun exposure (it can interact with the oils and cause irritation) and using the highest quality oils for the best effects. You can also try diluting them with some fractionated coconut oil for a less intense effect.
We will continue to explore more options so check back with us here periodically or contact us directly for a personal consultation.
Because hair cells are some of the fastest growing cells in our body, they suffer from any deficiencies we might have quite quickly, which truly makes them the 'canary in the coal mine'. Keep this in mind as you start on your journey of hair nourishment, you should see results within six weeks. And remember, there are two parts to the equation,
What you put into your body + Your body's ability to absorb the nutrients = Results you are seeing
So, if you don't see exactly what you want right away, it may be a sign that you need to consider addressing other areas to get the healing equation right!