Healthy Hair Basics

Healthy hair… everybody wants healthy hair. Full and rich in natural color healthy hair. But why can’t we? The question is… what are you doing to have unhealthy hair? Well, to better answer that question one must first understand some basics of human hair.

For the first part, hair is a protein filament. The keyword here, being protein. We all know the importance of protein. As you most probably know, hair is divided into three parts length-wise… the bulb, the root, and the shaft.

The main component of hair fiber is keratin. The keyword here is keratin. In the cross-section of hair, there are also three parts… the medulla, an area in the core which contains loose cells and airspaces… the cortex, which contains densely packed keratin… and the cuticle.

Keratins contain a high proportion of the smallest of the 20 amino acids. As one who works out a lot, I know the importance of amino acids and supplement my diet with amino acids. However, the point here is these two keywords (protein and keratin), which brings us to proper nutrition.

So the main factor for healthy hair of any type remains at the nutrition level, or if you prefer, proper diet. Mostly everyone understands that the factor to optimum health is nutrition. This element is also true for healthy hair. This following will help you understand better why nutrition is a key factor for healthy hair.

Keep in mind that the living part of hair is under the scalp skin where the hair root is housed in the hair follicle. The entire follicle and root are fed by a vein, and blood in that vein carries nutrients to the follicle/root. Any time an individual has any kind of health concern from stress, trauma, medications of various sorts, chronic medical conditions or medical conditions that come and then wane, heavy metals in waters and food, smoking etc., all of these elements and more these and more will affect the hair, its growth, and its appearance.

So generally, when eating a full diet that contains protein, fruits, vegetables, grains, and even an appropriate amount of fat is important to healthy hair. Here is the key factor. Any deficiency will typically first show up in the hair, perhaps even before it is diagnosed. For example, even a mild case of anemia can cause shedding and hair loss.

So what becomes important for healthy hair you ask? Among others, the B group of vitamins are the most important for healthy hair, especially biotin. B5 (Pantothenic Acid) gives hair flexibility, strength and shine and helps prevent hair loss and graying. B6 helps prevent dandruff and can be found in cereals, egg yolk and liver. Vitamin B12 helps prevent the loss of hair and can be found in fish, eggs, chicken and milk. So if you think your diet lacks the B group of vitamins, then get yourself a good vitamin B at your local store.

Here is something else to consider. When the body is under strain, it reprioritizes its processes. In other words, it doesn’t process the same way. For example, the vital organs will be attended to first, meaning that healthy, oxygenated blood may not feed into the hair follicle, since hair is not a vital organ to keep you alive, resulting in less healthy hair or a decline in growth rate. While not all hair health issues stem from malnutrition, it is a valuable symptom in diagnosis.