If your receeding hairline and bald spot are giving you sleepless nights, here are a few dietary modifications to help keep your mane and its sheen
Men are as touchy about hair as women are about their backsides. It's a sensitive subject, one that raises many concerns and results in paranoid treatments and extreme measures. However, until the problem begins, there is little thought put into nourishing hair other than the lather and rinse routine. Before you start losing sleep over hair lossand book appointments with trichologists, take a closer look at what you're eating. Chances are that even slight modifications made to what you eat by incorporating ingredients that aid hair growth and health will have a drastic impact. While genes and lifestyle will always have the upper hand, here's what you could eat to help curb that receding hairline.
Carrots
It's not just the eyes, Vitamin A-rich carrots provide excellent nourishment for the scalp. A healthy scalp ensures shiny, well-conditioned hair that is strengthened and moisturised. An overall balanceddiet of lean proteins, fruits, and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fatty fish like the Indian salmon and low-fat dairy are great boosters for healthy hair.
Prunes
If your hair suffers from dryness, thinning, stiffness, discolouration or hair fall, depleting reserves of iron might be the culprit. Prunes are known to be great sources of iron and greatly help improve the quality of hair. Also ensure you get plenty of green vegetables and beetroots in your diet in addition to prunes.
Green peas
Although green peas are not rich in antioxidants or any specific vitamin or mineral, they contain a well-balanced amount of vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc and B group vitamins. These are essential for maintaining healthy hair.
Oats
Not only are oats loaded with fiber that helps maintain a healthy heart and bowels, they also contain a high concentration of other essential nutrients such as zinc, iron and omega-6 fatty acids. Together, these are also knows as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Omega-6 fatty acids in particular are essential to maintain normal skin, hair growth and development. Since this essential ingredient is only obtained through the diet, make sure your breakfast includes a bowl of oatmealevery few days in the week.
Shrimp
While red meats are best avoided in excess, finding an appropriate substitute for proteins might be a little difficult for those looking to build muscle etc. Alternatively, of the wide variety of sea food available, shrimps are a great substitute. They not only go excellently well in a number of curries and pastas, their potent concentration of Vitamin B12, iron, zinc contain all the necessary nourishment to prevent hair loss.
Walnuts
Not to be outdone by the oats, walnuts are one of the most hairfriendly nuts in the category. Not only do walnuts have more omega-6 fatty acids than any other food, but they're also full of zinc, iron, B vitamins (B1, B6 and B9), and plenty of protein. However, a word of caution, walnuts also contain a small trace of selenium, a mineral known to cause hair loss in people who are selenium-deficient or have way too much in their system. So a handful of nuts over the week should tide you over without much trouble.
Eggs
For a head full of healthy hair, the egg is probably one of your best friends. It's loaded with essential nutrients such as proteins, Vitamin B12, iron, zinc and Omega 6 fatty acids in large amounts. Being deficient in any of these vitamins and minerals is known to result in poor quality of hair. In addition it's also a good source for biotin (Vitamin B7) which is a great aid to fight hair loss.
Low fat dairy products
Low-fat dairy products like skim milk and yogurt are great sources of calcium, an important mineral for hair growth. They also contain whey and casein, two high-quality protein sources. Add a cup of yogurt or cottage cheese to your snack list and to help prevent hair loss, stir in a few tablespoons of flaxseed or walnuts for your required dose of omega 3 fatty acids and zinc.
Hairy mistakes
Here are a few common mistakes that severely damage hair
- Excessive stress and some medication are conclusively known to retard hair growth and promote hair loss.
- Cut down on the use of hair spray, hair gels, and styling creams that contain harsh chemical ingredients, which can dry out the scalp and cause the formation of flakes. Also harsh treatments such as perms, colours, relaxers etc take a toll on the health of your hair.
- Avoid changing your shampoo and conditioner constantly. Stick to one good mild cleansing shampoo for six months before changing.
- Excessive exposure to the sun, pollution, rain water and dust without proper protection makes the hair dry, brittle and limp. Use a live in conditioner during the rains to protect it from the humidity and wash and oil it regularly to maintain a healthy scalp.