Link between food and hair health? also hair and nail health?

[Angelicblaze]

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has found in their experience a definite link between food and hair health. Like if I eat more protein will I notice that my hair is shinier and healthier looking? Or does it just affect the new growth? Also I am wondering about hair and nail health. Do you think that if someone has healthy hair then they likely have healthy nails? Barring any damaging external factors.

[Crumpet]

The hair that you see is dead so the most important way to impact your future hair is from healthy habits (eating well, avoiding unhealthy habits, sleep etc). Everything else is prevention when the hair is on the outside.

[ExpectoPatronum]

The way I think of is, healthy insides mean healthy outside. Your body won't grow hair to its full potential if you're lacking in essential nutrients. Hair isn't on top of your body's priority list in things to maintain. While eating a healthy diet won't benefit the hair on your head now, it should benefit new growth. However, I feel a difference in my body when I eat healthier before I notice any difference in my hair. I personally feel like crap if I'm not on top of my diet. That said, I've always eaten semi-healthily, so I can't say for sure whether I notice a difference in my nails or hair.

I would say that someone has healthy hair more than likely also has healthy nails. Again, like you said barring any other factors.

[goldenlady]

I used to eat rubbish and my hair grew slowly.. I eat really healthily now.. My friends have all started to comment on how 'quick' my hair grows. I feel a lot happier in myself too :). Eating healthily is key to life in my opinion!

[Madora]

There is a definite correlations between eating healthy and having healthy hair!

Speaking from personal experience, I wasn't eating enough protein...for some time...and ended up with severe anemia that required transfusions and an overnight stay in hospital. The only thing that finally tipped me off was the hair loss I was experiencing...much, more than usual.

My hair is fine now, except it is not as thick as it once was and is a lot thinner on one side than the other.

And personally speaking, your hair will benefit from healthy eating than anything else you do for it.

[Amapola]

OK, I raise horses (miniature horses) and I know that at least some of this comes down to genetics. Some horses have the "hair gene" and grow tails that drag the ground (*swoon*) and some, like the Appaloosa breed, are "hair challenged" and hardly grow enough to keep the flys at bay! But no matter WHAT your genetics might be - this goes for horses, goats, sheep and humans or whatever - if you do not have a proper diet you will never realize your genetic potential! Whatever that might be! So *always* try to eat a healthy, balanced diet. I can tell you that the "magic ingredient" in animal care is FOOD. Animals who do not get a healthy, balanced diet show this in their hair coats or their hair. And this is so simple and basic!

[vindo]

Hi, I am wondering if anyone has found in their experience a definite link between food and hair health.
Well, not just from experience. There are countless studies that show that diet is everything!
It is true that some people are affected little by diet while still younger, because they don't have as much of a genetic tendency to develop certain diseases. But I haven't met anyone of age with a crappy diet that looked great.

You hair, skin, body needs important nutrients and Vitamins to be at it's best. If you eat crap (not you in particular, just generally speaking) you can end up looking like crap. If you eat well you can not only max out your hair's overall potential, you will also age slower, look more radiant.

A standard diet is pretty unbalanced and lacks nutrients from good meats (and eggs), veggies, fruits and very heavy in high carb and sugar foods, breads, dairy products...a bit one sided. Now imagine someone having cereal grains for breakfast, a bagel on the way to work, Soda and Pasta for lunch, a donut for dessert, coffee after work, rice for dinner....many people do eat like that and you can't possibly add enough fresh foods to that because you will be full off of the foods named...

My own experience:
Diet made a huge difference for me. I was sick with a bunch of illnesses (some said to be chronic, permanent...whatever :P), my hair was not in a good condition and I was not even eating the worst diet (organic with lots of veggies, some meat, and I loved bread and rice). I went on a diet that focuses on being nutrient rich and avoiding certain empty calorie not nutrient rich foods too and now I'm healthy and my hair has improved in many ways too. In some ways it is even better than in "healthier" days. Less taper, grows much faster...My skin and how I look overall has improved too, just more healthy and even a bit younger than a little bit ago.

So for me personally, I have to be on a great diet. I will never go back because I want to be 100% healthy and look 100% my possible best (not saying I'm awesome but you know, everyone has a personal best...great skin, healthy hair, aging well, fit, healthy, vitality)


Like if I eat more protein will I notice that my hair is shinier and healthier looking? Or does it just affect the new growth? Also I am wondering about hair and nail health. Do you think that if someone has healthy hair then they likely have healthy nails? Barring any damaging external factors.

There can always be too much of a good thing, Protein is one of them. While it is true that a good amount of protein is needed for not just healthy hair, too much can be detrimental to you health and hair.

Nails and Hair: Hair and Nails are connected and what benefits your nails also benefits your hair (and skin) and vice versa. BUT, it is still possible to have not so healthy nails and healthy hair. When you are lacking something, or you are ill, it does not cause your whole body to be affected immediately. It can start with only affecting your nails and later possibly other things.
My nails weren't great while my hair was extremely healthy. Later my nails recovered before my hair did. Atm they are both doing pretty good.

[Andeee]

I am just going to echo what everyone else has said. Healthy diet means a healthy body (and mind!) As ExpectroPatrum has pointed out, your hair (skin and nails as well) is last on your body's maintenance list. Your internal organs get the nutrients first, so if there isn't enough to go 'round, your hair won't get any.

I also became anemic and almost needed a blood transfusion, but it was due to not enough iron and not enough blood in general (I was losing too much every month). One of the first tip-offs that something was very wrong was my hair became thinner (the thickness of each strand) and began to fall out. At this time my once strong nails were soft and tearing.

[furnival]

I've always had incredibly tough, fast-growing, almost unbreakable nails, whilst my hair is fine, slow-growing and prone to breakage. My sister's hair is thick, coarse and fast-growing, whilst her nails are thin, slow and prone to breakage. I've always wondered if this was unusual, though, as you'd expect the characteristics of hair and nails to be connected somehow.

[alyanna]

I was raised on a mediterranean/middle-eastern diet, which in my opinion is one of the healthier, more balanced diets out there. As long as this is my baseline, I feel healthy and my hair and nails do well.

What hasn't worked for me is eliminating food groups. I tried low carb, still mediterranean/middle-eastern, but with a reduction of carbs -- didn't fare so well. I also tried eliminating protein and becoming vegetarian -- that was just a disaster. I also find that as long as I maintain the baseline diet I grew up with, adding junk or fast food does not seem to hurt anything but my waistline. I don't have to eat clean. I just have to make sure I don't exclusively eat junk food.

My nails have always been super-strong and grow very quickly. The only time they became ridgy and flaky was when I was vegetarian.
My hair has given me problems though over the past few years. Maintaining an adequate caloric intake seems to make a huge difference though.

[neko_kawaii]

I've always had incredibly tough, fast-growing, almost unbreakable nails, whilst my hair is fine, slow-growing and prone to breakage. My sister's hair is thick, coarse and fast-growing, whilst her nails are thin, slow and prone to breakage. I've always wondered if this was unusual, though, as you'd expect the characteristics of hair and nails to be connected somehow.

As a kid my hair grew very fast and was healthy but my nails were paper thin and cracked and tore easily. Over time my nails thickened (they will grow past the tips of my fingers without breaking now) and my hair growth slowed down. My mother has extremely thick strong nails and has always had very slow growing hair (she claims she still looked bald at 3 years old because her hair grew so slowly). So in my experience nails and hair are not so closely tied but they are both good indicators of general health. I know my sons birth was a big shock to my system because my thumb nails formed a horizontal ridge in their new growth in his first week or two. I didn't have any postpartum shedding though.

[jacqueline101]

I've had people tell me that when they changed from an unhealthy diet to a good one that everything improved. Their body health, hair, skin, and nails. They had more energy and all.