Whipping up a delicious smoothie for breakfast or a snack? Here’s a great idea that your hair will love: you can add one or a few ingredients to your smoothie that can help make your hair stronger, healthier, and even thicker looking. So, while you’re getting in your daily protein via a quality protein powder or trying to increase the number of antioxidant-rich fruits you incorporate into your diet, consider also adding this one ingredient you can add to your smoothies to grow thicker hair.
Flaxseed
With few calories but an abundance of omega-3 fatty acids that amount to more than than you’ll find in salmon, flaxseeds are great for detoxification, boosting weight loss, and improving heart health, says Christine Kingsley, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse at the Lung Institute. But here’s another plus: they’re also wonderful for your hair.
“Flaxseeds also deliver vitamin E, zinc, and selenium which are fundamental nutrients for hair growth and skin care,” Kingsley said. “Not to mention, this ingredient is widely available commercially and helps curb appetites, preventing you from overeating and causing hormonal imbalances that negatively affect hair.”
Kingsley also offers two additional hair-health ingredients (and the best part? All of these ingredients work beautifully together in a smoothie).
Coconut Milk
“Nothing says holistic more than the age-old practice of maximizing the benefits of coconut milk,” Kingsley said. “Instead of creating a mask out of it, swap out your go-to milk with unsweetened coconut milk to consume some of the purest iron, potassium, magnesium, and vitamin C in liquid form. The combination of all these nutrients will promote rapid hair growth so it’s thick, shiny, and healthy from root to tip. Coconut milk is also a great milk alternative to a vegan diet.”
Spinach
A handful of spinach in your blueberry, vanilla protein powder, flaxseed, and coconut milk smoothie will round it out perfectly, while adding minerals that boost your hair health.
“Acting as a healthy sweetener alternative that’s light and will not overpower all other ingredients in your smoothie, spinach is one of the ultimate hair-growth powerhouses,” Kingsley said. “The prevalence of folate and iron makes this potent in alleviating hair-loss symptoms caused by iron deficiency or anemia. By promoting the oxygen transport of red blood cells throughout the body, spinach helps improve metabolism and cell repair, as well as aids in enhancing heart health.”
The next time you’re in the mood for a pick-me-up snack, reach for these ingredients and a blender and create a yummy smoothie that packs amazing benefits for your hair and skin.
