by
Chinwe
In a world that is becoming more fast-paced and more food-aware than ever before, lifestyle habits are developing that are causing many to put certain necessities on the back burner. These necessities are key to our bodies functioning properly, and when we let go of them, the effects usually appear in our hair (and skin) first. Here are a few of those lifestyle habits that can negatively impact your hair growth:
1. Consistently depriving yourself of sleep
Sleep is a time when our bodies undergo renewal (e.g., protein synthesis), repair and rejuvenation. Given how busy many of our lives are, it is easy to lose hours of sleep from time to time. However, if you are consistently depriving yourself of this necessity (sleep), then your health, your skin, your brain, and many parts of your body down to your hair growth can be impacted. So if you want to reach your potential, then you may want to reconsider the importance of sleep.
2. Low intake of iron, zinc, and key vitamins due to eating poorly
I’m sure many of us know one or more people who eat fast food galore but still have long hair. We also probably know a few individuals who eat horribly but are still slim. In both of these cases, genetics wins on the surface but these people are still not all that healthy. Moreover, not everyone can get away with eating poorly and not having visible repercussions. Some people will put on extra weight, and some will see increased shedding and hair loss. If you are not getting enough nutrients, you may want to change that as well by eating less of the junk and more of the good stuff. Speaking of “good” stuff …
3. Going the raw-food route the wrong way
The general concept behind the raw food diet is that meals are consumed in their most natural and thus, “healthiest” form. Cooking vegetables and legumes tend to kill the nutrients. Processing such foods tends to add chemicals, sugars, sodium, and preservatives. Compared to the average meal, a raw food alternative is higher in fiber, lower in fat, and lower in sugar.
At this point, the raw food diet is looking mighty enticing, right? However, one must beware of certain deficiencies (e.g., vitamin B12) that can occur when avoiding animal products in a raw food diet. Meanwhile, eating raw egg whites can actually be a catalyst for a biotin deficiency. Additionally, (according to the ADA), raw foodists should eat twice as much iron than non-vegetarians to avoid an iron deficiency. All these nutrients – vitamin B12, biotin and iron – are just a few that are essential for optimal hair growth. So if you are going the raw-food route, be sure to research it well enough to go about it the most nutritious way.
4. Not drinking enough water in the day
Water is essential for keeping our bodies functioning properly and for transporting nutrients, removing toxins, for blood circulation, etc. If one is not getting enough water, the impact can be seen in one’s skin, eyes, nails and even one’s hair. Our follicles require nutrients for hair growth, so water is essential. One does not have to drink 8 glasses of water in the day; your water intake can also be gotten from fruits as well as vegetables, and the amount of water you need depends on your weight and other factors.
Ladies, do you have any of these lifestyle habits? Which one are you trying to break?
23 Responses
Well i’m reading your post at 3.30 in the morning when I should be sleeping, so maybe. Lol, i had the “clever” of massaging my scalp with peppermint yesterday morning, and that peppermint’s kept me awake, tsk tsk. Good thing though, it works!
Actually, there is more iron in a fork full of broccoli than there is in a piece of meat. When you eat animals, the vitamins you receive are the vitamins they received from eating plants. So why not go directly to the source. I just don’t agree with alluding that you MUST eat meat to get essential vitamins with that is NOT the case at all.
Isn’t this image the lovely Hadiiya Barbel and one of her fabulous custom crowns? While flawless…there is nothing natural about this image of a “black girl with long hair”
At the end of the day, hair growth has to do with genetics. But it is ideal to take care of it whether you’re naturally blessed with good hair genes or not.
Sleep? What is that? The last time I slept was three years ago before my daughter was born! I hope to get reacquainted with this thing called sleep when I a) win the lottery and no longer have to work or b) when my baby has grown up and moved out. As for the water…I have no excuse. I am so dehydrated. My hair, my skin…I could rub my legs together and start a fire. So i am basically a tired old cactus. I really need to make some life changes! Lol!
I do raw like 2 weeks out of the month. I follow Fully Raw Kristina and with her RAW Burrito, I add black beans. I know that you have to cook them for your body to break it down, but I just love black beans. Also in the burrito she adds sprouts. I back them for 3 minutes in the oven because you can get Ecoli eating them raw. I do drink a lot of water though. The most thing I’m guilty of… SLEEP! I do so much and then I have to get up at 3AM to get downtown cause parking is shotty and my company doesn’t provide parking unfortunately. Their working on it though. So I’m at work for 12 hours then I go to the gym I’m home by 8 I eat dinner take a shower get my clothes ready for the next day and if I have to set my hairstyle then I do that before bed and hopefully if all goes well I’m in bed by 10:30PM.
Because a lot of folks still don’t get it, I have to say it again: Thank you for recognizing that hair growth is largely an INTERNAL process that has next to nothing to do with products, styles, frequency of hair washing, etc.
I’m sure everybody can come up with that one example (or two, or ten) as was described in tip 2: someone who can do whatever she wants with her body and still look gorgeous. But, to paraphrase Dr. Phil, that ain’t ME! All the tips listed can help improve overall health, with healthy hair being a part of it.
Of the tips listed, the only one I’ve been struggling with lately is getting enough sleep, and that’s a BIG one, believe me.
Beyond that…I’ve been really good with eating right in general and eating iron-rich foods in particular (been anemic pretty much my entire adult life) and I can tell because my nails have been uncommonly strong and when they’re strong, my hair tends to be strong as well. Also, aside from my daily espresso, water’s pretty much all I drink these days.
I am guilty of No 1,2 and 4!!! Starting today I’m going to make big changes. Nothing is going to stop my Big a$$ fro from showing up before December 😉
Yes sleep is so important I consistently try I get my 8 hours in or more I even gave myself a curfew because sometimes I get to caught up with work.
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I work with a mental health patient who doesn’t have the capacity (or interest) in taking care of her hair (4A/B) & because she can be physically aggressive, staff can’t attend to her hair regularly. Her hair is VERY dry, often knotting up. YET, it’s medium length and there are no “obvious” signs of damage (breakage, split ends, hair loss etc). Her diet is also poor (including fluid intake). Granted, I’m sure her is not necessarily “healthy” but it shows how genetics play a role in the state of hair (at least that’s what I think her case is, here).
Another patient’s hair (looser texture, 3B/C) is broken, stagnated with damaged ends, yet she has the same hair practices! Lol.
It is not very difficult to include B vitamins, omega-3s, iron, etc. while on a kind (animal-free) diet. It’s actually quite easy. 🙂
Omega 3’s you can get it from flax seed if people are vegan or vegetarian.
I’m definitely guilty of 4….Not drinking enough water. The best thing I’ve done to improve drinking water is to stop buying soda and buy sparkling water. I haven’t missed soda for 3 years. Occasionally, I’ll mix it with juice if I want something sweet.
I’ve also noticed I only like water if it is ice cold so I keep a pitcher of water with ice in the fridge and I always try to have my ice tray full. I like to think “a pitcher a day keeps my hair at play” 😛
Yes!! It’s all about the ice!!!!!
Stress should be added to the list as well. Stress can ruin more than your hair and skin. Learning to de-stress can help your overall health in many ways.
One Word: yoga.
Great article! It’s good to recognize that healthy hair and skin start on the inside….noticed a huge, positive change in my skin and hair when I upped my daily water intake. Getting a BPA-free 32oz water bottle and carrying it everywhere really helps!
So true abt the water!A few months ago i picked up a cute hot pink BPA free water bottle that I try to take with me each morning driving to work.ive often finished the bottle by the time I get to work so that’s progress!
Great tip!
Also its water in your food. like eating watermelon, cucumbers you know the water enriched fruits and vegetables.
Three out of four. At the moment I’m working on all three. I’m iron deficient (anemic), I don’t drink enough water, and I really love the raw food diet though I’m not consistent. In fact on Friday I went to the doctor and I was told (which I already knew that I was anemic) she prescribed some iron pills for me and I have to return in a month. Guess what – I got the pills and on looking at the ingredients I just couldn’t believe it- mineral oil was one of the ingredients and sodium lauryl sulfate. You could’ve knocked me down with a feather, I was so angry. it goes without saying that I will be using another brand of pills.
Not necessarily new information, but a good reminder!
And I forgot! #5:IM THE QUEEN OF SLEEP!!! I look great great for my age bc I don’t party heavy, and i never smoke and rarely drink (one glass usually) bc over time it eventually shows in your body/skin…and you can’t undo that kind of wear&tear damage.
I have to sat that over time I’ve gotten rid of most of these bad habits .
1.I take LOTS of multivitamins even though I know most of them come out during urination but that on top of trying to incorporate lots of green and orange foods in my daily diet definitely helps to increase my Vitamin & mineral intake2.i eat better.tryinv to avoid fast food.for me the trick isceating at home.starting with breakfast& dinner.Lunch is tricky bc i have to either bring food or find healthy options in the mall (not always easy!).I’ve also learned to enjoy grilling or baking my meats vs frying
3.I like lean meats…could never go 100% vegetarian.though I LOVE my vegan burgers!!!!I get necessary nutrients from lean chicken breast,turkey tenderloin, talapia,shrimp, ground turkey, and OCCASIONALLY lean cuts of pork chop & beef (beef is too heavy for me to digest too frequently!!)
4.my one failure is probably water!!!but I feel pretty good because I do have lots of veggies and fruits daily and I only keep freshly brewed organic green tea in the house. and I TRY to get at least 8-16oz of water( when I remember!!)by bedtime so hopefully my water intake isnt too bad.
It’s all abt making the best effort & holding yourself accountable.