Posted on

The 18 Best Foods for Hair Growth

What are the best Foods for Hair Growth? there are some major factors that influence your hair—genetics, age, hormones, nutrient deficiencies, and more. But what you eat is one of the few things you can do to control your hair’s appearance.

Interestingly, your hair grows around 0.5 inches (1.25 cm) per month, and 6 inches (15 cm) per year. How fast it grows depends on factors like age, health, genetics and diet.

Although you can’t change factors like age and genetics, diet is one thing you have control over. In fact, consuming a diet lacking the right nutrients can lead to hair loss.

On the other hand, eating a balanced diet with the right nutrients can help promote hair growth, especially if you’re experiencing hair loss due to poor nutrition.

Here are the 14 best foods you can eat to promote hair growth.

The 18 best Foods for Hair Growth

By eating nutrient-rich foods that are scientifically proven to help your hair—and avoiding those that only do harm—you can influence your hair’s thickness, its growth or shedding, how shiny it is, and even its likelihood of greying. Compare the list below with what you usually have in your pantry, and use it to inform your next grocery shopping trip.

1. Spinach – best Foods for Hair Growth

Spinach - best Foods for Hair Growth
Spinach – best Foods for Hair Growth

Spinach contains a variety of nutrients and minerals that can benefit your hair, as well as your overall health.

“It’s important to make sure you don’t have a lack of something in your diet that could be leading to hair loss,” Jacob told EatThis.com. “We check protein levels, iron, iron storage, vitamin D and a number of other labs to make sure you don’t have deficiencies.”

In addition to having a high iron and magnesium content, spinach can help your hair produce sebum, too.

2. Eggs – best Foods for Hair Growth

Eggs - best Foods for Hair Growth
Eggs – best Foods for Hair Growth

Eggs are a great source of protein and biotin, two nutrients that may promote hair growth.

Eating adequate protein is important for hair growth because hair follicles are made of mostly protein. A lack of protein in the diet has been shown to promote hair loss .

Biotin is essential for the production of a hair protein called keratin, which is why biotin supplements are often marketed for hair growth. Research has also shown that consuming more biotin can help improve hair growth in people with a biotin deficiency.

However, biotin deficiencies are uncommon if you consume a balanced diet. There is little evidence to show healthy people benefit from consuming more biotin .

Eggs are also a great source of zinc, selenium and other hair-healthy nutrients. This makes them one of the best foods to consume for optimal hair health.

3. Berries

Berries are loaded with beneficial compounds and vitamins that may promote hair growth.

This includes vitamin C, which has strong antioxidant properties.

Antioxidants can help protect hair follicles against damage from harmful molecules called free radicals. These molecules exist naturally in the body and the environment .

For example, 1 cup (144 grams) of strawberries provides an impressive 141% of your daily vitamin C needs (7).

Also, the body uses vitamin C to produce collagen, a protein that helps strengthen hair to prevent it from becoming brittle and breaking (Trusted SourceTrusted Source).

What’s more, vitamin C helps the body absorb iron from the diet. Low iron levels may cause anemia, which has been linked to hair loss (Trusted Source).

4. Salmon

Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which have a number of health benefits.

“Omega-3’s are anti-inflammatory. They can help if you have inflammation that’s causing hair shedding,” dermatologist Dr. Carolyn Jacob told EatThis.com when speaking about the best foods to prevent hair loss. Some other great sources of omega-3s include walnuts, chia seeds, and flax seeds.

In addition to helping you stay fit and disease-free, omega-3’s enable you to grow hair and keep it shiny and full. According to nutritionist Dr. Joseph Debé, CD, CDN, both male-pattern balding and female hair loss is often associated with insulin resistance. Salmon is one food that helps the body process insulin more efficiently.

Plus, salmon and other fatty fish are teeming with follicle-stimulating vitamin D. Per a study printed in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, vitamin D may also help stimulate hair follicles that have become dormant. In other words, there’s evidence to suggest the nutrient may help prevent thinning hair and even bald spots.

5. Greek Yogurt

Ever notice what sits atop nearly every ancient Greek statue? A mop of thick, full, wavy hair. An artistic choice? Perhaps. But maybe it’s due to the thick, protein-rich yogurt that Greeks and other cultures have been eating for hundreds of years. Greek yogurt contains vitamin B5 (known as pantothenic acid), and B vitamins can help you maintain healthy skin and hair.7

6. Oatmeal

Oats are rich in iron, fiber, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which stimulate hair growth, making it thick and healthy.

RELATED: Easy, healthy, 350-calorie recipe ideas you can make at home.8

7. Guava

Guavas, like tangerines, are high in vitamin C. In a study published in the Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology, a vitamin C supplement was found to promote “significant hair growth in women with temporary hair thinning.” Although we often think of oranges as the best source of vitamin C, one guava packs four to five times as much.9

8. Lentils

Lentils are rich in folic acid, which can help your body make red blood cells. Those red blood cells bring oxygen to your organs, including your skin and scalp.10

9. Oysters

If you find your hair thinning or falling out completely, it could be because you’re not getting enough zinc in your diet. Thankfully, research has shown that hair loss related to zinc deficiency can be reversed simply by eating more of the all-important nutrient. According to a review in the journal Dermatology Research and Practice, 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight was sufficient to induce hair growth in patients with alopecia. One way to boost your zinc intake is to load up on oysters. Just six of the shelled seafood will give you 30 milligrams of zinc, which is double the DV of the nutrient! Some other foods high in zinc include meat and beans.11

10. Liver

As we mentioned, iron deficiency can lead to hair loss, most notably in women. Iron is plentiful in our ol’ friend spinach (and other dark leafy greens), soybeans, lentils, fortified grains, and pasta. Liver may sound much less appetizing, but if you like pâté, your hair will benefit. Organ meats like liver have iron in abundance.12

11. Blueberries

Oxidative stress has been linked to hair loss and unhealthy scalps per an International Journal of Cosmetic Science review, so to keep your scalp and hair happy it’s important to load up on antioxidants, which counteract oxidative stress. And blueberries are rich in antioxidants, including vitamin B and proanthocyanidins.13

12. Barley

Like almond butter, barley is rich in vitamin E. It can help with hair growth, so eating foods high in this nutrient is always a good idea if you’re looking to add more foods for hair growth to your diet.14

13. Walnuts

According to a review published in a journal called Dermatology Practical & Conceptual, deficiency of the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3 fatty acid) can cause hair changes including loss of scalp hair and eyebrows, as well as lightening of hair. To prevent any of that from happening to you or your hair, eat foods packed with linolenic and alpha-linolenic acids, such as walnuts.15

14. Carrots

When converted to vitamin A, beta-carotene protects against dry, dull hair and stimulates the glands in your scalp to make an oily fluid called sebum. So where do you find this elixir of the locks? Orange-colored fruits and vegetables are your best bet: Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, cantaloupe, and mangoes.16

15. Halibut

Halibut is high in magnesium, which helps the body maintain healthy insulin levels. And diabetes has been linked to hair loss, so keeping your insulin levels regulated is important for a number of reasons. Yes, halibut is one of the best foods for hair growth, but it has plenty of other health benefits, too.17

16. Shiitake Mushrooms

Copper is essential for keratin fiber strength, according to a Dermatologic Clinics report. The trace mineral may also help hair maintain its natural color and prevent graying, according to a 2012 Biological Trace Element Research study. A cup of cooked shiitake mushrooms contains 1,299 micrograms of the mineral, which is 145 percent of your RDA. Seaweed and sesame seeds are also great sources.18

17. Chickpeas

Chickpeas are high in folate, which helps your body’s red blood cells function, as we mentioned with lentils.

18. Kiwi

Kiwi is rich in vitamin C. It can help your body absorb iron and could promote hair growth on its own, as mentioned. So dig into your favorite citrus fruits, like this one.