The hair has a well-defined life cycle which breaks down into 3 periods: the growth phase (anagen), the rest phase (catagen) and finally the expulsion phase (telogen).
It is during the expulsion phase that occurs: hair loss . And the cycle begins again with the regrowth of new hair. Hair loss is completely normal, it is natural that we lose it from time to time.
But our hair is very reactive to many elements such as fatigue, stress, anxiety, emotional shocks and especially the foods we are used to consuming daily.
Indeed, the quality of our hair is reflected by our diet . In other words, the vitality of our mane simply depends on our diet.
You may experience significant hair loss if you are not paying enough attention to your nutrition.
The high consumption of fatty foods, foods that are too sweet or too salty and the habitual consumption of alcohol may well be the major causes.
Here are 6 bad foods for the hair that we must avoid at all costs knowing that they can severely deteriorate the quality of our mane. We have everything you need to know.
Foods and drinks your hair doesn’t like
A healthy diet provides us with many benefits for balanced growth and proper functioning of our body. It is a universal truth.
We all know it, we often hear it from our doctors, our relatives, and even from our neighbours.
What you may not know is that this diet also plays a very important role in the growth and quality of our hair , and that there are foods that can harm hair growth.
Alcohol and ultra-processed fatty foods
- Aperitifs with friends, evenings, parties, alcoholic drinks cannot escape us. Cocktails, wine and whisky, we love it. But you have to be very careful!.
- Excessive alcohol consumption causes dehydration. The body suffers from a deficiency in B vitamins and iron, which is essential for hair renewal.
- The overconsumption of alcohol corrupts our body by destabilizing the production of sebum, which promotes the growth of our hair and plays an essential role in their good health.
- Fatty and ultra-processed foods are foods that are very high in saturated fatty acids. Like cold meats, fast food meals and all kinds of fried foods.
A rise in cholesterol
Overconsumption of these foods leads to a rise in cholesterol.
So unlike alcohol, fatty foods cause excess sebum through the overabundance of B vitamins.
This causes the stimulation of “seborrhoea” (inflammatory skin disease) and the skin becomes acne-prone.
Do not confuse fatty foods with good fat foods such as salmon, avocados, tofu, olive oil , seeds and nuts, etc.
Which contribute to the good health of our mane and its regenerative cells.
Refined sugars
- These are very low nutritious foods that do not provide much in the way of white sugar.
- Foods very rich in refined sugar such as beer, white bread, industrial jam, white pasta and other refined cereals have a very low mineral content, they are of little interest for the body’s nutrition and even cause an increase in the secretion of insulin and an increase in the production of sebum causing our hair the appearance of impurities such as dandruff.
- In addition, these are foods with a high glycemic index (the normal set at 60) which prevent the proper circulation of blood to the root of our hair.
What foods weren’t thought to harm our hair?
There are many foods that can easily be part of our cute sins , by their irresistible taste or by their contribution that is thought to be beneficial to us. You can’t help consuming it, and more than you need.
Rebalancing our eating habits by establishing a barrier to our whims would be wise.
For dessert or just morning or afternoon snacks for example, instead of cheese or snacks, you can opt for fruit and smoothies with no added sugar. You can see this article for the list of good hair foods.
That said, if we don’t discipline ourselves or set limits , these foods could cause us more danger than we can imagine. Here they are.
Low-protein foods and processed foods
- Our manes need an essential protein to stay strong and supple: keratin. It guarantees the good structure of the hair fiber. Click here to find out more.
- Some fruits are low in protein, such as apples and pears.
- Junk foods are among the most consumed processed foods. They are very rich in fat (sugar, salt, oil, flour, etc.) which cause an excess of Vitamins A and B.
Dairy products
- Despite their great reputation for growth, dairy products are not always our friends for life, high in fat (creams, cheese, butters, etc.) and high in sugar. (sweetened yoghurt and milk)
- Excess consumption of dairy products leads to an overproduction of calcium which can easily get out of balance with magnesium. This will have a negative impact on the regrowth of our hair.
- An increase in calcium causes our hair to fall out.
Food is sacred, because our general health and the health of our hair depend on it.
We must resort to a fairly strict diet and avoid excess. A high consumption of the foods mentioned above is essential to have the best possible quality of hair.
