Gut Health X Hair
What does your hair say about your gut?
To get started, we need to understand the Gut Brain Connection – The vagus nerve is the major pathway that connects the brain to the gut. It runs from the brain, through the lungs, heart, spleen, liver, kidneys, and down to the intestines.
So it comes as no surprise that the gut is at the center of our existence!
Understanding what goes on internally within your body is so important because it has a direct impact (ripple effect) on what goes on externally. And that’s why I personally believe that the gut is the most important organ we have.
The health of our microbiome contributes to a huge percentage of our wellbeing; affecting not only our health but our energy levels, digestion, sleep, periods, cramps, skin, hair growth, moods as well as our mental health. Which is why it is really important to take active steps towards strengthening and rebalancing our gut health and food is at the centre of who we are.
A lot of what we consume on a day to day basis such as red meat, processed foods, fatty foods, medications, and dairy have the potential to significantly affect our bodies ability to digest and absorb good nutrients that are essential for our bodily function. This can later manifest itself as anxiety, hair loss, acne, fluctuation in weight, lack of sleep, food sensitivities, fatigue, and the list is endless.
When it comes to hair growth, we focus a lot of our attention on the products that we use topically, which is great but what we eat really has a significant impact on the overall health of our hair.
So what does your hair says about your gut?
- Thinning and hair loss – Iron
A common sign of an iron deficiency is hair loss and thinning. Iron is such a crucial nutrient for hair growth. It helps form hemoglobin which carries oxygen to our cells and to our hair follicles. Iron deficiency is mostly common with women because we cycle. It’s therefore important to make sure your diet has foods rich in iron such as beans, lentils, pumpkin seeds, seafood and red meat.
- Breakage and frail looking strands – Water
I mean I can’t stress this enough but water is so important for hair growth both externally and internally. I always say, water it like a plant and when it comes to our gut, it still applies. Every single cell in our bodies needs water to function properly and that includes our hair follicles. Water acts as a filtration system for toxic waste removal within our kidneys. It also helps break down food making it easier for nutrients to be absorbed within our body
- Inflammation, itchiness of scalp and lack of growth – Biotin and B9
Biotin helps convert nutrients into energy. Some bacteria in our gut produces biotin which is why we must take care of our gut. However, we can supplement biotin with foods such as sunflower seeds, peaches which reduce inflammation on our scalp. Vitamin B9 or folic acid is good for cell renewal and supporting hair growth and beans are a great source.
- Unhealthy hair, shedding and dullness – Probiotics
We talk about probiotics all the time and that’s because Probiotics are crucial for digestion. What you might not know is that they promote hair growth by helping reduce stress induced skin inflammation which can manifest itself physically; one of the effects being hair loss and thinning. Probiotics support the body by balancing our hormones which makes it easier to sustain growth. A few simple ways you can support your gut through your diet is by introducing fermented foods such as Kombucha, Yogurt high in probiotics.
- Breakage and dullness – Omega 3
Omega 3 nourishes the follicles and hair shafts, making them stronger and prevents hair breakage which leads to healthy and shiny Hair. Flax seeds are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids. .
Having a healthy gut means that your hair has potential to grow and remain healthy. And since everything is all interconnected within our gut, it’s important to make sure we are taking care of your internal environment. Manage your stress levels, watch what you eat, exercise, be nice to someone today and remember that healthy hair looks different on everyone!