There are people who seem to be very lucky to have been born with naturally beautiful, shiny, healthy hair.
They don’t need to spend a lot of time in front of the mirror fixing their hair, or spend a lot of money on various products that promise to make one’s crowning glory look beautiful and be easier to manage.
Different types of hair
Unfortunately, there are also some of us who are not so lucky in the hair department. It seems like they’ve had coarse, unmanageable hair for forever.
Some of us need to buy several hair products just to get the right texture and the look we want for our hair. Although this situation sometimes does run in the family, some people suffer frequent bad hair days simply because they are not eating the right kind of food.
Yes, your diet directly affects the health and appearance of your hair. That’s why some would even say that one only has to look at another person’s hair to see if he or she maintains a healthful, balanced diet. The nutrition the body gets from the food a person eats shows in the skin and hair.
3 Main Ingredients
There are three in particular that dieticians, doctors, and health buffs found to be very helpful in keeping one’s hair healthy, shiny and beautiful: carrots, cucumber, and green, leafy vegetables.
Juicing these three lets you get all the vitamins and nutrients that would otherwise mostly wash off when you just cook them. Eating vegetables fresh has always been the better option as far as getting the most nutrition is concerned. In this case, juicing lets you experiment on the flavors as well without sacrificing the nutrients needed by the body—and your hair.
Carrots
As hard as the carrot is, you’d think there’s no juice to be squeezed out of it. That’s actually the beauty of juicing carrots: you can use additional ingredients that will add to the total nutritional value of the drink.
Of course, for this to hold true, you’ll have to use other very good ingredients like lemon juice, orange juice, or milk. If you have a really good electric juicer, you won’t need liquids to squeeze out the juice from the carrots.
Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which is important for maintaining the health and improving the texture of hair. The nutrient helps condition and moisturize the scalp.
It also makes hair stronger and thicker. If there’s enough vitamin A in your diet, you will have less fallen/broken hair when you brush it.
Sample recipe:
- 8 large carrots
- 2 sliced apples (green or red) or
- 2 cups cherries (pits removed) or
- 2 large tomatoes
Wash the carrots and your chosen additional ingredient. Slice them if needed to fit into the juicer. Afterwards, stir to evenly mix the flavors of the ingredients.
You may sweeten or add milk to taste, but it would be better to drink the entire juice fresh.
Cucumber
Cucumber is a known food for speeding up hair growth. It is rich in silica, a mineral essential in practically every cell in the body—and of course, hair.
Carrot, cucumber, and tomato juice combo
It promotes the healthy growth of hair and improves its condition (actually including skin and nails, too). Aside from that, cucumbers are also rich in sulfur, manganese, and potassium, which are also needed by the body.
Cucumbers have a high water content, that’s why it is usually mixed with other fruits and vegetables that seem difficult to juice. As a matter of fact, juice recipes for carrots and greens usually include cucumber.
Sample recipe:
- 1/2 cucumber
Mixed with:
- 5 carrots or
- 3 celery sticks
Flavored with:
- 1 apple (green or red) or
- 1 large tomato or
- 1/2 beet or
- 1 lemon
As always, wash and clean the fresh vegetables before putting them in the juicer. As you can see, there are different combinations that you can try. Just experiment until you find the taste that you like.
Green, leafy vegetables
These are very rich in essential vitamins and nutrients. They contain B vitamins, calcium, vitamins A, E, K, and C, to name a few. Drinking the fresh juice of green, leafy vegetables will give you all that and more. These vitamins and nutrients will go on to nourish the body, including the hair.
The B vitamins in particular help maintain hair strength and volume. They regulate the production of sebum in the scalp. Sebum is the natural oily substance that coats the hair follicles. When there’s too much of it produced, it leads to greasy hair and massive hair loss. Vitamin B also keeps the hair shiny and vibrant-looking.
We already know vitamin A is an essential component for beautiful, healthy hair. As for the other nutrients found in green vegetables, they no doubt contribute to hair health.
When juicing greens, you’ll achieve a much better-tasting drink if you have 60% dark green vegetables and 40% fruits (or other vegetables with complimentary flavors).
Sample recipe:
- 6 large kale leaves
- 4 celery stalks
- 2 green apples
- 1 cucumber
Additions for flavor:
- lemon
- ginger root
Don’t forget to wash the kale leaves, celery, cucumber, and apples. You can also slice them beforehand to make it easier on your juicer. Some avid juicers like to drink fresh green juice. For those whose taste buds are new to it, they can add lemon and ginger for added taste.
All three—carrots, greens, and cucumbers—can be matched with each other or any other vegetable or fruit. Just think, it’s not just your hair that will benefit from their nutrients but also the rest of your body.
Image by gadl at Flickr.com
edit: 25.9.2017 – 404 link removed.
I just read your blog. Amazing post, thanks for sharing. Which is the best juice(fruit or vegetable) for height growth and weight loss?
When all of the various vegetables and fruits are combined and the elements are combined, this enhances every feature and health benefit that each possesses. Consuming servings of fruits and vegetables in this manner can be convenient and tasty for those who do not normally eat enough of in this vital food group.