Long Hair, Does Care: From the Inside

Long Hair, Does Care:

From the inside

Most naturals dream of having a huge afro and twist out that race to the ground. I dream of having the world’s longest afro one day, but retaining this length is not easy. On average our hair grows about 1/2" per month, thats about 6" per year.

 When I was growing up, I was led to believe that black women just could not grow long hair, and based on what I saw as a child it was something I held to be true. I was under the impression that the only reason my hair was even kind of long was because I wasn’t fully black. In fact, it wasn’t until high school that I realized this wasn’t true.

Now as naturals, it is harder than ever to debunk this myth. Not only due to the fact that no matter how long our hair grows, it always shrinks back up to our foreheads and kills our dreams.  But, also due to the fact that we must work even harder to take care of our hair and making sure it is getting all the proper nutrients and moisture that it needs to remain healthy.

This is care that we must make sure we are taking from both the inside of our bodies and the outside. First, I will be discussing the things we must do from the inside to ensure hair health and promote growth.

·         The primary composition of your hair is keratin which is a protein that is formed with amino acids. To grow new hair, we must produce amino acids by consuming protein. A few ways that we can ensure that we are consuming healthy protein is by incorporating the following foods into our diets:  lean meat, fish, eggs, nuts, beans, and soy products.

·         Other nutrients that are needed for both healthy hair and bodies are iron and zinc. Iron and zinc deficits can cause both anemia and poor hair. 

o   In order to transmit oxygen to our cells and help our body build protein we must have sufficient iron. Good sources of iron to incorporate into your diet include: leans meats, poultry, eggs, beans, lentils, tofu and soybeans.

o   Zinc works to repair tissue and keep oil glands working as they should. Good sources of Zinc include: peanut butter, lean meat, oyster, crabs, poultry, pumpkin seeds, chickpeas or fortified grain products.

·         This one may be hard, but don’t be afraid of fat. We need healthy fats to promote hair growth. Fats help absorb Vitamins A, D, E and K. It is important to limit fat intake and primarily intake unsaturated fats and fatty acids like Omega 3.

·         A lack of sufficient Vitamin C in your diet can lead to dry, weak, dull hair that is more vulnerable to breakage. Vitamin C builds collagen which assist in producing new hair cells. Another process that Vitamin C assists with is the absorption of iron. You can get your Vitamin C from sources such as: citrus fruits, pineapples, strawberries, guava, broccoli, kale and peppers.

·         Another vitamin that supports healthy hair and growth is Vitamin B. While there is no scientific proof that shows that taking Vitamin B supplements such as riboflavin or biotin will make hair grow, there is evidence to support that a lack Vitamin B can cause hair loss and hair thinning. Sources of natural Vitamin B include: seafood, spinach, oatmeal, whole grains, soybean products, lean dairy, lean meats, bananas, lentils, potatoes, peas, beets, broccoli and artichokes.

So, in order to have long healthy hair, we must take care of our bodies. Consuming these foods and vitamins will not only benefit our hair health but will also improve our overall health!