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View Full Version : Has your hair grown longer based on your food choices?



Fluffy01
April 9th, 2014, 01:55 PM
I know nutrition affects our hair, but I was just wondering if there were specific things you noticed when incorporated added to your lengths. This obviously isn't the most scientific study as you could've done something else unbeknownst to you that affected your length, but I thought it would be interesting to hear what you think food-wise affects it. I found one of our member's blogs that swears by peanut butter for her gorgeous length. ;-) Any other length inducing foods???

Sarahlabyrinth
April 9th, 2014, 02:03 PM
I think just a general variety of healthy foods work best, and include a little protein too. Keeping hydrated with water also.

MadeiraD
April 9th, 2014, 02:06 PM
When I dropped my vegetarianism my growth rate increased massively

Nadine <3
April 9th, 2014, 02:10 PM
I get really good growth when I eat a lot of eggs :) Unfortunately I get a lot of gas too...:o

shutterpillar
April 9th, 2014, 02:20 PM
Making sure I get enough protein, water, and Omega3 definitely affects the condition of my hair, but I cannot tell you whether it makes it grow faster. I don't track the growth of my hair on a regular basis, so I am not sure what is average for me.

Lady Mary
April 9th, 2014, 02:27 PM
My hair growth has increased pretty significantly since I went vegan. It's a lot thicker too. I wasn't actually expecting that to happen but I'm pleased it did.

ExpectoPatronum
April 9th, 2014, 02:35 PM
I struggle to get enough calories during the day, but when I do I notice my hair grows better and doesn't shed as much.

Verdandi
April 9th, 2014, 02:37 PM
Peanutbutter is my friend, and a lot of water. I don't know if it's actually the peanutbutter or something else, but I've noticed growth since I started eating about a tablespoon every day (on a sandwich, not just a spoon :p ) and making sure I drink enough water. I even downloaded an app to remind me to drink water. I'm amazed that I didn't die of dehydration before as I drink three times the ammount I used to now, and my skin and hair really loves the change.

swearnsue
April 9th, 2014, 08:13 PM
Whatever I'm eating seems to be causing a stall! I'm going to eat a tbs of peanut butter right now.

HazelBug
April 9th, 2014, 08:37 PM
I'm not sure I notice a difference in growth rate. But my hair looks better when I'm eating healthy foods. The biggest thing for me is red meat. I'm very prone to anemia. I've found that ' don't absorb plant based iron very well at all. But if I have red meat 2 to 3 times a week my hair and skin looks better and I just look and feel healthier.

bunnylake
April 9th, 2014, 08:52 PM
When I started incorporating some "superfoods" into my diet, and generally eating more whole foods and less processed, I noticed increased growth, shine, and less shedding.
Coconut oil, chia seeds, flax, hemp, Greek yogurt, raw cacao, goji berries, lots of berries and bananas, fish. I also drink a lot of coconut water and I make smoothies with some of the ingredients I mentioned above.

Aderyn
April 9th, 2014, 08:56 PM
Just generally eating healthier has led to an increase in growth (or rather, eating unhealthily lead to stunted growth). Little bit faster since having a vegetarian diet

IGIT
April 10th, 2014, 08:57 AM
I tend to grow hair faster when I drink 1-2 glasses of apple juice a day

grimsqueaker
April 12th, 2014, 10:42 PM
I noticed my hair grew a bit more when I ate at least a tablespoonful of coconut oil every day... I really need to do that again!

WagonX
April 12th, 2014, 10:45 PM
Peanutbutter is my friend, and a lot of water. I don't know if it's actually the peanutbutter or something else, but I've noticed growth since I started eating about a tablespoon every day (on a sandwich, not just a spoon :p ) and making sure I drink enough water. I even downloaded an app to remind me to drink water. I'm amazed that I didn't die of dehydration before as I drink three times the ammount I used to now, and my skin and hair really loves the change.

A water-reminder app is a great idea! I have such a hard time drinking enough, especially in the wintertime. I bet my hair would be happy if I was more vigilant about it...

walterSCAN
April 13th, 2014, 06:45 AM
My hair seems to totally ignore me and anything I do... it grows somewhere between .5" and .75" every month no matter what I do. :shrug:

Monkshood
April 13th, 2014, 07:04 AM
I grew up on junk and processed food, and I was very picky on top of that (no veggies at all until I was in my late teens). My hair grew strong and like a weed. I've been eating a whole food vegan diet for the past 3 years (vegetarian for two years prior to that). My hair still grows strong and like a weed. :shrug:

julee
April 13th, 2014, 07:06 AM
Yes! :D my hair has finally started to grow and thicken up after a few years of bad habits. Now I eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables (sometimes more) each day. I've also been eating eggs for breakfast and plenty of red meat (iron can get a bit low sometimes) I've gained about an inch in thickness over a year, from eating properly and drinking more water. It was hard work but I feel so much better now. When I don't eat well I feel the difference :)

ETA: If I have measured correctly I've gained nearly two inches in just over two months just from eating eggs every day.

Marika
April 13th, 2014, 07:07 AM
This is just my own experience but I don't think food choices affect that much on hair. I'm sure malnutrition would but that has never been my problem! :redgrin: It seems like the more c*ap (= calories) I eat, the faster my hair grows/better it looks. I hate to say this but my hair was at its healthiest and longest when I was obese. But hair isn't the most important thing in the world and that's why I lost 120 pounds. My hair is still fine and growing and I'm hoping it's getting thicker over time. I lost some thickness during weight loss and cut it from tbl to shoulder.

cathair
April 13th, 2014, 08:27 AM
I struggle to get enough calories during the day, but when I do I notice my hair grows better and doesn't shed as much.

This seems to be true for me too. I don't know if it is quite that immediate for me, but when I reached a certain weight my shedding in the shower was about a tenth of what I counted the same time in a previous year. I can't be 100% sure that was the cause of less shedding though, a few things have changed for me (better care, less stress, no combing, sleeping caps etc).

Madora
April 13th, 2014, 08:46 AM
Eating healthy is the most important thing you can do when it comes to healthy hair. This includes getting enough protein. I learned the hard way that not getting enough protein lead to a very serious case of anemia plus a ton of hair loss.

panffle
April 13th, 2014, 08:49 AM
I notice more and faster growth when I eat more eggs... I should eat more of them but I don't really like the taste...

Scarlet_Heart
April 13th, 2014, 08:50 AM
My hair seems to grow faster when I eat healthier and usually I am drinking protein shakes in the morning when I'm being good. I think bunzfan also said she gets faster growth when drinking protein shakes. I use Carnation Breakfast Essentials (no sugar added, blue box).

Sunny_side_up
April 13th, 2014, 10:14 AM
I hope to see improvements since recently cutting out soda/&diet soda. I think this caused some hair fall, I was craving bad foods after drinking pop. Last year saw a huge shed. Big factor was stress though, also seemed to stall back then too :( When I was ensuring I got adequate protein intake in a day I noticed over that month I had a spurt. Could be the protein oh and iron,i started taking my vits again, hair is responding well!

0xalis
April 13th, 2014, 07:15 PM
When I eat a lot my hair and nails are happy (also taking a daily multivitamin on top of that.)

Right when summer hits and my body gets all "uuuuuuuuuhg i dont wanna eat" my hair and nails are sad :(

But yeah, definitely getting enough calories + all my vitamin requirements = happy me!

~*~Aspen~*~
April 14th, 2014, 06:34 AM
I hate to say this but my hair was at its healthiest and longest when I was obese.

Honestly Marika, dare I say, I have noticed that commonality (too).

Any thoughts or ideas why on that??

Of the Fae
April 14th, 2014, 06:46 AM
Yes, my hair was also growing faster when I was heavier. Now that I am much thinner, my hair seems to have slower growth. I used to get almost 2 cms a month and am reduced to barely one.. some encouragement to stuff my face!

The overall condition is good though. It looks very shiny. however, I might try the protein shake thing too, sounds quite nice!

Marbid
April 14th, 2014, 07:01 AM
Perhaps the reason that happens is because of the surplus in nutrition. ( being obese and well feed dont always go in hand... You can be overweight and malnourished)

It makes since thou... Hair is the last thing to get nutrition from... When your body has more than it needs... Well it will place a portion of the extra in the hair.... But not all... The majority of the extra will go to your waistline unfortunately.

Personally.... My hair started growing in a lot less brittle and my color darkened (for some reason) my dandruff and shed also decreased a bit when i gave in to my gluten intolerance... I also gave up dairy.... And not all processes food... Just any that contain gluten.. Or dairy... Or too many chemicals i cant pronounce... Still eat corn chips with salsa... And the basic potatoes chips that have just potatoes, salt and oil iss nice too.

My diet is vegetables... Lots of meat... Fish... Eggs... Fruits and nuts... Pretty much paleo diet... My weight has not changed all that much thou... So hair change based on weight looss or gain should not be there... Also the diet change was pre lhc since it was based on severely worsening digestive issues...

With lhc... My hair shed has decreased even more... Dandruff still a small amount.... But the health of my already grown hair had improved vastly... And growth speed too since i am retaining much more if not all of my growth

Dark40
April 14th, 2014, 11:17 PM
Right now protein and peanut butter are my friends too, and I have noticed a big difference in my hair growth rate since I'm a proteinatic.

DancingQueen
April 15th, 2014, 01:22 AM
I hope I don't jinx it by writing this, but here goes. :)

I am not sure this makes my hair grow faster, but I do believe that it makes me shed less - and maybe grow a bit faster. I try to make sure to daily eat 2 eggs (1 would be fine as well), 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 or 1 onion, and at least 100 gram of meat, more is okay. In addition, I try to eat fish 2-3 times a week, and incorporate other healthy foods.

I don't know if this will work for everyone, but eggs, onion, garlic and meat seems to be doing something for my hair. :)

Carolyn
April 15th, 2014, 06:59 AM
I think protein is very important for good quality hair and faster hair growth. We are all genetically programed to only grow so much hair per month but I think a good diet can optimize what our bodies can do. A balanced diet is so important for all aspects of our health. I think plenty of water is also a key thing too. I have a meal with protein at least twice a day and try to get in at least 6-8 glasses of water per day. If I add lemon to my water it's easy for me to do. I take a multi vitamin for women over 50, MSM, fish oil, and a hair skin and nails supplement from Whole Foods. I think I'm optimizing my hair growth potential as much as I can.

Melisandre
April 15th, 2014, 07:30 AM
It seems like my hair does grow faster since I eat more eggs (about one everyday, if I can) and since I take my multi-vitamin supplement daily, which contains 7500 mcg biotin. I also eat a lot of veggies and fruits, green smoothies every two days, lots of avocado's, you name it, I probably eat it. Except for sugars and processed foods :p

I can't wait to see if it will grow longer than mbl, which is the longest my hair has everbeen.

sumidha
April 15th, 2014, 11:15 AM
Nothing I do with my diet seems to affect my hair growth. Vegan, omnivore, really bad stress diet, eating really healthy... It still grows really slow. :o

Budgie
April 15th, 2014, 11:19 AM
My hair grows faster when I eat a high protein vegan diet. For some reason animal products make me break out and shed hair like crazy. Healthy diet makes my hair grow SUPER fast though.

jeanniet
April 15th, 2014, 11:49 AM
Nope, it grows the same no matter what--a little above average. The only supplements I take are for deficiencies and per doctor, and not a lot of protein..

Eichan
April 15th, 2014, 08:14 PM
In MY experience (Everyone is different!), my hair growth is amazing when I stick to a raw vegan diet.

I get at least 20g protein a day from that, even though only 10% max of my cals are protein. Of course, with the amount of fruit and veggies I eat, it's probably like taking a super vitamin (I generally meet or surpass all dietary requirements).

That being said, I'm one of those people that absolutely thrives on that kind of diet, so that may be the deal as well.

On a non-dietary note, my hair growth while SO is always amazing. Trying to get back to it :)

LauraLongLocks
April 15th, 2014, 08:23 PM
I haven't been keeping track very long, but last fall, I was eating 100g or more of protein every day in the form of dairy, eggs, whey protein powder, fish, and meat. My hair was growing .75" a month. Then over the holidays and the first few months this year I really slacked off on my diet, and my growth was .25" to .5". In March, I really paid attention to my diet again and got .75". So far this month, I am doing pretty good on the diet (except today... I skipped my protein shake and eggs and have been shaky all day because I didn't get enough to stabilize my blood sugar). I will measure in on May 1st and see if the diet worked again.

ETA: I do take vitamin supplements as well. Some are for my hair, and others are just for my general health.

LunaLuvsU
April 15th, 2014, 08:41 PM
It isnt growth related but I noticed that when I drink more water the oiliness goes down. I havent been drinking much water lately and my hair is already oily although I just washed it yesterday T.T

jeanniet
April 15th, 2014, 09:40 PM
In MY experience (Everyone is different!), my hair growth is amazing when I stick to a raw vegan diet.

I get at least 20g protein a day from that, even though only 10% max of my cals are protein. Of course, with the amount of fruit and veggies I eat, it's probably like taking a super vitamin (I generally meet or surpass all dietary requirements).

That being said, I'm one of those people that absolutely thrives on that kind of diet, so that may be the deal as well.

On a non-dietary note, my hair growth while SO is always amazing. Trying to get back to it :)

If you're only getting 20g of protein a day, that's very deficient--and believe me, I don't eat a lot of protein because I have to moderate my intake due to a health issue. Eating lots of veggies and fruits is great, but not enough to reach the necessary daily protein intake. Nuts and seeds are decent sources of vegan protein. Of course, if you're getting more than the 20g from other sources, then you're good, but you should be getting more like 50-60g daily.

ositarosita
April 15th, 2014, 10:53 PM
I think this varies person to person as everyone has to meet specific needs for their body. For me personally increased water, avocado, oily fish (especially salmon) ... I think what you don't eat is just as important as what you do so I have cut out oil completely, no butter, no margarine, alcohol, soda/pop (anything carbonated) pretty much cutting out anything processed and eating as clean as possible (raw, mostly vegan with some exceptions to make sure I get enough protein and iron).

Aside from diet, sleep, exercise, stress levels all make a big difference. The healthier you are the better

Sunny_side_up
April 20th, 2014, 12:10 PM
I hope I don't jinx it by writing this, but here goes. :)

I am not sure this makes my hair grow faster, but I do believe that it makes me shed less - and maybe grow a bit faster. I try to make sure to daily eat 2 eggs (1 would be fine as well), 3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 or 1 onion, and at least 100 gram of meat, more is okay. In addition, I try to eat fish 2-3 times a week, and incorporate other healthy foods.

I don't know if this will work for everyone, but eggs, onion, garlic and meat seems to be doing something for my hair. :)

I noticed this too! Onion & garlic are super. I started eating onion often a few weeks back. My shedding has decreased. And definitely since eating eggs regularly again I have noticed better growth.

kganihanova
April 20th, 2014, 01:45 PM
Eating healthy has allowed me to get close to an inch a month. OP, I used to eat like you and wondered why my hair never grew. Once I started eating real healthy, I was okay.

xoChesleyy
April 21st, 2014, 10:14 AM
I noticed a massive change in my hair condition once I went vegan.
Also once I started eating a LOT more foods with healthy fats such as avocados and nuts. I eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day, and take a daily multi-vitamin along with biotin. Before I started eating healthy, my hair would have huge amounts of hair falling out and breakage. Just those simple changes seem to have made the biggest difference in my hair.. So, I must be doing something right! :p

queenovnight
April 22nd, 2014, 07:53 AM
I've definitely noticed a difference. When I was a meat eater, my hair looked thin and completely different than it does now. It was not a pretty sight. Now that I'm vegan (I eat A LOT of fresh veggies and fruit. Several pounds daily.), my hair looks a lot better and seems to be growing faster. The first thing I noticed was the shine though. A shine that I had never had. All of a sudden, people were saying that I had "shiny soft hair" and that was a compliment that I had never been given before Lol. So I definitely think your diet plays a huge part in the quality of your hair. Let me add, as a meat eater, I was extremely unhealthy. I ate a lot of processed foods. Along with some personal issues that I was having.

Rosetta
April 22nd, 2014, 08:18 AM
Short answer: no. ;) Haven't noticed it making any difference whatsoever.

xoChesleyy
April 22nd, 2014, 01:51 PM
Your hair is absolutely beautiful queenovnight!
It seems like a lot of people have had major hair improvements just from going vegan, or incorporating more fruits and veggies into their diets, which is wonderful. (:

preenprincess
April 22nd, 2014, 09:53 PM
My hair growth has increased pretty significantly since I went vegan. It's a lot thicker too. I wasn't actually expecting that to happen but I'm pleased it did.

Same here! and since switching from vegan to raw vegan it's growing even more quickly and shiny (already had shiny hair but now it's like a disco ball)
When you eat healthy your hair is healthy!

Another HUGE plus is you don't have to trim on %100 raw...ever, ever again :)

preenprincess
April 22nd, 2014, 09:56 PM
When I was a meat eater, my hair looked thin and completely different than it does now. It was not a pretty sight.

Isn't it amazing how the standard american diet wreaks havoc on hair? The people need to know!

xoChesleyy
April 22nd, 2014, 11:34 PM
Same here! and since switching from vegan to raw vegan it's growing even more quickly and shiny (already had shiny hair but now it's like a disco ball)
When you eat healthy your hair is healthy!

Another HUGE plus is you don't have to trim on %100 raw...ever, ever again :)

Hi preen, that is true! But I'm curious, why do you say you don't have to trim on 100% raw ever again?

maborosi
April 23rd, 2014, 08:00 AM
I have not noticed any difference based on my diet. My skin looks better when I have more fruits and veggies and healthy whole grains, but I don't notice any difference with my hair.

~maborosi~

Sunny_side_up
May 31st, 2014, 07:02 AM
Much better since I have ensured my iron intake is kept up and eating more portions of unprocessed foods.

HintOfMint
May 31st, 2014, 08:01 AM
A few years ago, I noticed that eating red meat on a regular basis really helped my growth in a noticeable way. Obviously, this isn't the healthiest option and I'm hoping protein shakes and eggs are a suitable replacement.

Othala
June 4th, 2014, 10:43 AM
For me - and I have been vegan (6 years), vegetarian (11 years) and meat-eating (31 years) - eating oily fish makes the biggest difference in terms of speed and quality of hair growth. Eating a lot of meat makes my hair roots strong but my sebum smells nasty. Eating a diet without meat, egg and fish really affected my energy and health negatively. I keep having periods of being vegan or vegetarian and it ends with me feeling awful or actually becoming ill and so I revert to being a carnivore.

So, marine protein and essential fatty acids from fish is my hair superfood.