Incomplete diet = "difficult" hair??

[JustKiya]

This is a spinoff from the 'Is our hair supposed to be this difficult' Thread.... I would like to hear some of ya'll opinions - esp. the REALLY healthy eating folx (looks at Isis )

Oooohhh!!

I knew there was something else I wanted to speak on - the whole thing about babies hair/is our hair supposed to be like this/Africans being able to grow more/longer hair.

I HONESTLY think that a LOT of it is our diets. You are what you eat, and I think that hair shows that a lot. I've talked to Indian women, who have commented on the HUGE difference in their hair (in a YEAR) between living in India vs. the US or Canada. It doesn't grow as fast, it breaks off more, it isn't as thick/full/shiny...
But! Over here, the water has more chemicals in it, the food isn't as fresh or as wholesome, the soil has been stripped of all it's natural goodness (if you can even CALL the dirt that a lot of our food is grown in 'soil'), the air is full of chemicals, the meat is full of chemicals and hormones, etc, etc, etc. Unless you are eating a locally grown, totally organic, mostly raw, grassfed/free range meat containing diet - who KNOWS how many trace minerals we are missing out on?

I think that is why so many of us have seen changes in our hair once we start taking supplements - because we are now supplying our body with the nutrients that it NEEDS and that our food is simply NOT providing. I also think it's a factor in why babies hair is so different - while they were in the womb, they got about the MOST perfect food possible....and it changes around six months or so? I wonder how many of those babies were BREASTFED (bestfed, as I like to call it) until they were six months and then stopped?

*grins* Perhaps a slightly less volatile topic to speak on.....

 

[LocksOfLuV]

I dunno about that one....

Or maybe it is a coincidence that most of the 'rather large' women I know (in real life), have the best hair.

 

[locabouthair]

I have been thinking about this for a while now. I have stretching my perms, and haven't used heat since August and my hair is thinning. I know some people on this forum do those things and their hair improves dramatically but mine hasnt. So that made me think maybe it's my diet which isn't good. I've done a lot of research on this and i keep reading that healthy looking hair starts with a healthy body. So yes I do think that diet plays a role but I dont think it affects everyone because some people make progress without changing their diet. But it's just like people who can stay slim and eat all they want while others gain weight very easily.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

YES!!!

I noticed a dramatic change in the condition of my hair once I started drinking more water, eating more fruits & vegetables, eating organic, and staying away from sugar.

I was able to stretch MUCH longer, and now I've been without a relaxer for 15 months. I'm convinced that my diet/lifestyle is responsible for how manageable and soft my new growth is.

People really don't understand the profundity of the effects of their diet on EVERYTHING. Our BRAINS, BODIES, HAIR, SKIN...everything!!!

Garbage in, garbage out!

 

[CAPlush]

I agree that nutrition is going to reflect in our hair, skin, and nails, but I know for a fact that the main reason baby's hair is different is because it is a totally different type of hair. Babies entire bodies are covered in hair (just like a lil animal) while they are in the womb called vellus hairs. When they are born, they have both vellus and terminal hairs on their heads. Over time, the vellus hairs are shed and more of the terminal hairs start growing in. All the vellus hairs are not shed until puberty, which is the main reason you should avoid processing little girl's hairs until that time. This aspect of the difference between adult and baby hair has nothing to do with nutrition, but nutrition affects everything so I don't want to discount that there might be some connection.

 

[dlewis]

My hair has strived still September when I went from eating out, junk foods and social drinking to cooking at home. I cook very heathly foods. I actually started a thread a my progress. Tell me find it.

here it is

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=113630

thanks to photos I can see the difference

 

[trulyurangel82]

I believe it. When i started taking a multivitamin and drank more water my hair grew faster.

now lately i havent drinking much water because i got lazy but im going to try to drink more.

I noticed when i drank more water my stomach was less bloated and my skin was much clearer.

 

[glamazon386]

Good thread! I got good growth from vitamins. I do think that diet and hair condition are related. But I would think that for those of us born and raised in the US we would be used to the chemicals and things in the food here versus someone coming from another country. I honestly can't say that changing my diet has helped my hair though. I've just recently made a concious effort to watch what I eat. My eating habits have always been pretty reckless. I'll let you guys know when I notice a difference though.

 

[karmelsassy]

YES!!!

I noticed a dramatic change in the condition of my hair once I started drinking more water, eating more fruits & vegetables, eating organic, and staying away from sugar.

I was able to stretch MUCH longer, and now I've been without a relaxer for 15 months. I'm convinced that my diet/lifestyle is responsible for how manageable and soft my new growth is.

People really don't understand the profundity of the effects of their diet on EVERYTHING. Our BRAINS, BODIES, HAIR, SKIN...everything!!!

Garbage in, garbage out!

DI, I don't know if you remember but you started a challenge a while ago regarding getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Well I started then and haven't stopped. And ever since then, my hair is the thickest and longest and healthest it's EVA been. I started with thin, see through, ear length hair and with upping my intake of fruits and veggies (I have at least 3 servings a day) my hair is SUPA thick. I just said to myself the other day, now what am I gonna do with all this hair..LOL.

 

[lovegan]

I am a vegan: when i stopped eating processed animal foods and prodcuts and ate more organic, natural fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, my skin my nails and my hair were more vibrant and lucious. My skin most notably improved in clairty.

my motto is: garbage in- garbage out. you eat garbage, your skin will reflect it.

 

[Divine Inspiration]

DI, I don't know if you remember but you started a challenge a while ago regarding getting more fruits and vegetables into your diet. Well I started then and haven't stopped. And ever since then, my hair is the thickest and longest and healthest it's EVA been. I started with thin, see through, ear length hair and with upping my intake of fruits and veggies (I have at least 3 servings a day) my hair is SUPA thick. I just said to myself the other day, now what am I gonna do with all this hair..LOL.

Yeah, I remember. Makes a huge difference, huh? We really are what we eat.

 

[Bunny77]

I do notice my hair seems to grow more quickly when I'm drinking lots of water and exercising (which makes me want to drink more water, and blah blah blah).

I've always been a pretty healthy eater, so it's hard to say whether that's made a difference, but the water thing definitely has.

I also don't know if my hair texture has changed... I'd say its much softer than it was when I first went natural about 8 years ago, but that could also be from the products I use.

I definitely believe though that a good diet helps improve the condition of one's hair, like it does with every other part of our body.

 

[Crissi]

My hair has strived still September when I went from eating out, junk foods and social drinking to cooking at home. I cook very heathly foods. I actually started a thread a my progress. Tell me find it.

here it is

http://www.longhaircareforum.com/showthread.php?t=113630

thanks to photos I can see the difference

OT: You have some sexy hair!!!, lol i would say beautiful but i think sexy puts more emphasis on it lol absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Crissi]

There is a correlation between hair and diet, most definetely (but i wouldn't say it = difficult hair). When i lived with my Grandma (eating good), i had beautiful clear skin and thriving hair (i was also taking vitamins), but my hair grew soooo good.

When i was in FLA, my friends auntie was a health FREAK, i was only there 3 weeks but it took just over a week for my skin to clear up, by time the 3 weeks was over, the people i was staying with kept complementing my hair, and how much it has grown, and how clearmy skin was. BTW i was taking no vitamins at the time. Your hair and skin show what goes in (owe i like that it has a jingle lol)

 

[Poohbear]

I am a vegan: when i stopped eating processed animal foods and prodcuts and ate more organic, natural fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, my skin my nails and my hair were more vibrant and lucious. My skin most notably improved in clairty.

my motto is: garbage in- garbage out. you eat garbage, your skin will reflect it.

I agree!

Last year, I ate organic foods for about a month or so and my face was much clearer and even toned. When I started back eating any old way, my face started breaking out once again. However, my hair has always been the same no matter what I do. It wasn't anymore difficult or easier to deal with.

In my opinion, I do not think an incomplete diet="difficult" hair... Trying to do all types of stuff to your hair, overstyling, overcombing/brushing, using lots of products, excessive manipulation, and basically improper care = "difficult" hair.

 

[Country gal]

Interesting.

 

[patient1]

The fact of the matter is that our body is one of the finest, smartest systems on earth. Health and wellness starts at your very core, pushes its way out, and is made visible on your exterior.

I'd go a step further and state the obvious, a toxic diet is hades for your mind and spirit, i.e. STRESS, DEPRESSION, and the inevitable merrygoround of eating poorly (or not at all) in response to the stress and depression...

Under those conditions, your hair won't be the only thing you find hard to manage.

People know that a little green plant can affect your mind, mood, spirit , but find it hard to believe that other herbs and vegies and fruits can too.

p1

 

[Bunny77]

When i was in FLA, my friends auntie was a health FREAK, i was only there 3 weeks but it took just over a week for my skin to clear up, by time the 3 weeks was over, the people i was staying with kept complementing my hair, and how much it has grown, and how clearmy skin was. BTW i was taking no vitamins at the time. Your hair and skin show what goes in (owe i like that it has a jingle lol)

Florida is no joke when it comes to providing a healthy environment as far as I'm concerned. All that heat and humidity was very good for my hair and my skin and with it being hot as the devil down there, you want to eat lighter foods like fruits and vegetables and stuff because all that other heavy stuff is too much!

I was just talking to a dude who has a brother in Ft. Lauderdale and he said the same thing. When he visited, he felt compelled to be healthier but now back up here in cold-butt Michigan, it was all meat and potatoes and "heavy" foods... in a cold environment that dries out the hair and skin.

I miss Florida sometimes.

 

[DSP]

I've been thinking about this topic a lot, but didn't want to get mixed up in that other (heated) conversation. My mother and her 8 sisters and brothers grew up in a rural area (Western PA mountains) and had a very different lifestyle than they do now. They grew up eating fresh and canned veggies and fruits from my grandmother's garden and fruit trees, eggs and chicken raised at home, fish that my grandfather caught, and wild game that he hunted (mainly rabbits, wild turkeys, and deer). They got their milk, butter and cheese from a dairy 5 miles up the road. They didn't eat processed food and the nearest McDonald's was 50 miles away in Pittsburgh. My mother and her 5 sisters all had APL to BSL hair until they left home - even with weekly hot combing using Vaseline. Now none of them have hair longer than chin length even though they all spend fortunes on hair products and salon visits.

Some other environmental differences in their old way of life: they didn't have central heating and AC, so the air inside the house wasn't all dried out. The tap water in that area is from mountain springs so the water isn't hard/over-chlorinated like city water. There are lots of trees and few cars, so the air is clean. They also walked or rode bikes everywhere since there was only one car and Grandpa used it for work. And the TV reception is terrible in the mountains (pre-cable/satellite), so people were outside doing things instead of being couch potatoes. Of course, my mother and her siblings didn't appreciate that way of living and as each child grew up they left the area for more exciting locations. Over the years, as my family has prospered, their hair has gotten more and more damaged-looking and short. I haven't seen my second eldest aunt without a wig in 15 years.

 

[DSP]

The fact of the matter is that our body is one of the finest, smartest systems on earth. Health and wellness starts at your very core, pushes its way out, and is made visible on your exterior.

I'd go a step further and state the obvious, a toxic diet is hades for your mind and spirit, i.e. STRESS, DEPRESSION, and the inevitable merrygoround of eating poorly (or not at all) in response to the stress and depression...

Under those conditions, your hair won't be the only thing you find hard to manage.

People know that a little green plant can affect your mind, mood, spirit , but find it hard to believe that other herbs and vegies and fruits can too.

p1

You are speaking the truth!

My Grandma died in 2001 but I've been feeling her spirit as my husband and I make some healthy changes in our lives. DLewis inspired me and I'm cooking more instead of eating out. I'm using my FoodSaver to freeze entrees for lunches and quick dinners during the week. I've been making and freezing lots of homemade soups and stews the way I learned from Grandma. This summer, mum is going to teach me how to can vegetables.

I bought a room humidifier for the bedroom and I'm trying to keep the heat set at 70 degrees instead of the usual 74 degrees. Our house is on ¼ acre lot, so we have room for a garden if I take out one of my flowerbeds. I'm looking at veggie seeds on Burpee.com and counting the days 'til spring. I already planted herbs in indoors containers this Christmas and have more basil than I know what to do with. My neighbors are loving all the free herbs in the middle of winter.

I think sometimes the old ways are best. But I'll have to see how these changes along with what I'm learning from LHCF will improve my hair. In the mean time, my skin looks awesome and I feel more peaceful -- especially since we're saving all this money!

 

[Bunny77]

My mother and her 5 sisters all had APL to BSL hair until they left home - even with weekly hot combing using Vaseline. Now none of them have hair longer than chin length even though they all spend fortunes on hair products and salon visits.

This was my aunt (still is)... Vaseline was her main hair-grooming product and she had hair for days. Weekly hot combing and vaseline. That was it.

And her hair was gorgeous. And if you look back at old pictures of black people from the 1870s up to say, maybe the 1950s, they had beautiful, thick and often long hair.

It is very interesting that now that we collectively are doing better than past generations, our hair has gotten worse. The products we're using are better too, but still... it's not helping.

 

[Crissi]

Florida is no joke when it comes to providing a healthy environment as far as I'm concerned. All that heat and humidity was very good for my hair and my skin and with it being hot as the devil down there, you want to eat lighter foods like fruits and vegetables and stuff because all that other heavy stuff is too much!

I was just talking to a dude who has a brother in Ft. Lauderdale and he said the same thing. When he visited, he felt compelled to be healthier but now back up here in cold-butt Michigan, it was all meat and potatoes and "heavy" foods... in a cold environment that dries out the hair and skin.

I miss Florida sometimes.

Ft Lauderdaleeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! lol sorry,i was only there 3 weeks, but i miss it, i cant wait to go back, its true what you say about eating lighter!

 

[DSP]

It is very interesting that now that we collectively are doing better than past generations, our hair has gotten worse.

I think that goes across the board as far as people's health. Growing up, how many over-weight children did you know? We were too busy riding our bikes and running around to sit indoors. In the summertime the rule was "when the street lights come on, get your happy behind in the house." Now I pay good money to go somewhere and run around and sweat.

 

[naturallylovely]

I dunno about that one....

Or maybe it is a coincidence that most of the 'rather large' women I know (in real life), have the best hair.

if they're rather large, then i don't think they are eating very healthy....maybe a lot, but being large is a sign of unhealthy eating (trust me, I know )....must be a coincidence.

 

[pattycake0701]

This was my aunt (still is)... Vaseline was her main hair-grooming product and she had hair for days. Weekly hot combing and vaseline. That was it.

And her hair was gorgeous. And if you look back at old pictures of black people from the 1870s up to say, maybe the 1950s, they had beautiful, thick and often long hair.

It is very interesting that now that we collectively are doing better than past generations, our hair has gotten worse. The products we're using are better too, but still... it's not helping.

This is my grandma...she's in her mid-80s, she used to wash her hair with Ivory dish soap, press her hair (with the comb you put on the stove) about once a week with vaseline and use brown pre-con gel and sponge rollers to set it. Her hair has always been at least BSL and full. Grandma never smoked, never drank and never was into junk food and fast food.

 

[LocksOfLuV]

if they're rather large, then i don't think they are eating very healthy....maybe a lot, but being large is a sign of unhealthy eating (trust me, I know )....must be a coincidence.

true true...

 

[MizAvalon]

YES!!!

I noticed a dramatic change in the condition of my hair once I started drinking more water, eating more fruits & vegetables, eating organic, and staying away from sugar.

I was able to stretch MUCH longer, and now I've been without a relaxer for 15 months. I'm convinced that my diet/lifestyle is responsible for how manageable and soft my new growth is.

People really don't understand the profundity of the effects of their diet on EVERYTHING. Our BRAINS, BODIES, HAIR, SKIN...everything!!!

Garbage in, garbage out!

I knew my girl DI would be in here to chime in. This entire post is on point.

 

[MizAvalon]

I am a vegan: when i stopped eating processed animal foods and prodcuts and ate more organic, natural fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, my skin my nails and my hair were more vibrant and lucious. My skin most notably improved in clairty.

my motto is: garbage in- garbage out. you eat garbage, your skin will reflect it.

I'm not a vegan myself, but this post is the TRUTH. Vegans have the most beautiful hair and skin that I have ever seen because they are not filling their bodies with trash.

 

[Isis]

This is a spinoff from the 'Is our hair supposed to be this difficult' Thread.... I would like to hear some of ya'll opinions - esp. the REALLY healthy eating folx (looks at Isis )

I just saw my name in your post

Seriously though, I truly believe there is something to this. Before I started learning about hair care, my diet was pretty much the same as it is now, although I eat more protein now than before. I exercised daily and drank the recommended amount of water, taking my daily dose of flaxseed oil. I still had hair on my head no matter what torture I put it through. It could have very well been my healthy diet that saved my hair until I discovered LHCF and started a hair care regimen. Then it really began to thrive.

I stay away from sugar, starchy white foods, alcohol, drugs, enjoying a vegetarian diet (not vegan, I love my eggs!) of mainly organic fruits, vegetables, sprouted grains, brown rice and nuts.

 

[kally]

I think that diet for the most part plays a huge role in the health of hair. Isis does have beautiful hair as does many other on this board. Her hair though was the reason I started drinking Nettle tea and taking Kelp.

There are however some people who can get away with not eating healthy and still have hair that thrives. Look at men. and teenage boys lots of them eat junk food on daily bases and their hair grows like weeds.