Two Foods Black Women Should Eat for Luscious Natural Hair
Black women's luscious coils have less tensile strength and can snap off considerably easier than other racial groups, but with the proper care, those light coils can bounce and glisten as much as anyone else's. Luckily, introducing a few foods to your diet is all you need to help restore shine to damaged, over-manipulated locs.
The Benefits of Fish for Hair
Fish rich in fatty omega 3's, proteins, and nutrients can help prevent hair follicle inflammation, a common cause of hair loss. Omega-3 fatty acids also help heal scalp conditions and can promote bounce and shine.
The best omega-3 rich fish to introduce to your diet include:
Salmon: culturally, salmon is a staple food for ingenious people or first nation peoples. Many tribes have dances and celebrations in the fishes honor.
Herring: This fish is culturally significant in Dutch cuisine, but it's also widely popular in Caribbean and Jamaican dishes.
Mackerel: Enjoyed worldwide, but especially in Germany and the Inuit people of North America. Indigenous communities have been thriving off of a diet rich in fish for generations. Mackerel is not only rich in Omega-3's but Selenium, providing 71% of the suggested 55mcg daily intake.
Fish is an Excellent Source of Selenium
Selenium, an essential trace mineral, often flies under the radar, but it's curiously fabulous for health and beauty. It kills free radicals that hinder hair growth (and dull complexions.) This mineral also produces enzymes that support the regeneration of certain antioxidants, like Vitamin C.
Other Fish (and Seafood) that Contain Selenium Include:
Fish: Yellowfin tuna, Sardines, Halibut, Salmon
Seafood: Oysters, Clams, Shrimp, Crab
In summary, you should eat more fish if you suffer from itchy scalp conditions, limp tresses, or thinning hair.
The Benefits of Squash for Hair
We know how frustrating it is when excessive hair breakage leads to hair that's seemingly, forever "bob-length." So, to help support the strength of hair strands (and thus the length), include squash in your meals. For example, the beta-carotene content in winter squash is converted into Vitamin A, preventing breakage, promoting length-retention. [Beta-carotene also leads to increased sebum production to keep hair follicles moisturized, another key to avoiding breakage.]
Squash isn't the only vegetable that contains beta-carotene; so do carrots, dark leafy greens, cantaloupe, and lettuce.
Squashes can include any of these vital nutrients:
- Vitamin A & Beta-Carotene: promotes sebum production (hair stays moisturized longer. (e.g., butternut squash, winter squash, zucchini.)
- Zinc: helps repair damaged hair tissue.
- Vitamin C: Not enough of this vitamin can lead to split ends and dry, frizzy curls.
- Niacin: Moves oxygen and increases blood flow to the hair follicle and scalp. Poor blood flow can lead to hair thinning.
- Iron: improves blood circulation similar to niacin. Those with an iron deficiency may experience hair loss.
- Riboflavin: This nutrient triggers vitamins B6 and Niacin, which help hair follicle development. (Zucchini contains more riboflavin than squash, but squash has more niacin, so eat both.)Riboflavin is also known as vitamin B2, which is needed for the proper production of collagen.
The best Squashes to introduce to your diet include zucchini, winter squash (so many different varieties), butternut, or yellow (a.k.a. summer squash.)
We understand you don't want to eat squash and fish every night of your life, so on the nights you opt for something a little less nutritious, you can take a supplement [because cheat days happen.]
There's a Plant-Based Supplement for That!
Our Renew Energy Drops are formulated for gorgeous hair, skin, and nails. The B-vitamin complex features both niacin and riboflavin. The formula is also designed to give you energy, wake up your metabolism, and reduce brain fog.
We design our plant-based products leading with the idea of "beauty from within."