Your Hair And Nails Can Benefit From An Improved Diet
The first signs of not having enough Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) in your diet is often seen on the outside of your body, with your skin, hair, and nails. Most people try to fix problems in any of these areas with skincare products, special nail strengtheners, and expensive shampoos and conditioners. The answer may be much simpler.
Your entire body is covered in tiny hair follicles – apart from the soles of your feet, your palms, lips, and eyelids. One of the ways that people judge themselves, in terms of their physical attractiveness, is by the quantity and quality of their hair.
Hair and fat
The part of your hair that lies beneath the skin, is called the hair follicle and is the part of the hair that is responsible for hair growth. A tiny oil gland right next to this hair follicle keeps the hair shaft soft and lubricated as it grows out from under the skin. Interestingly, this is the part of the hair that is alive, as when it pops up out of your skin it’s dead, only pushed up, to keep growing, by cell division beneath the skin.
The hair you can see…
The hair cuticle is the part of your hair that you see, which covers the hair shaft. The hair cuticle is covered with a very thin layer of oil to protect it, and keep it from breaking. If your diet doesn’t contain the right oils, this part of your hair will be dehydrated, resulting in brittle, easily breakable hair.
What hair is made up of
The actual substance that makes up hair is called keratin, a specific type of protein. It provides strength too, but without the right kinds of fats, it can’t provide enough strength to keep your hair from breakage and dehydration. Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) are natural moisturizers, they provide a natural conditioning treatment from the inside.
How hair grows
The way that your hair grows is determined by a special growth signal that occurs within your skin, but it’s influenced by the health and functioning of the cells and membranes that make up your skin. These structures are in turn influenced by the nutrients that you eat, of which protein and the right fats make a considerable contribution.
Nails and fat
Women desire strong, flexible nails, that look beautiful, but often find themselves at their wit’s end because their nails need special strengthening polish to stay flexible. Your nails, like your hair, are also made up of dead cells but start as living cells underneath your skin. You can therefore influence their structure too.
Nails and hair are made up of the same compound
Nails are also made up of keratin, the specialized protein that hair is made up of, and as women get older they often expect their nails to get thinner and less attractive.
When your cells are hydrated, or moisturized with the right kinds of fats, from the inside, and you consume enough protein, your nails can stay both strong and flexible.
It can take up to 60 days to see a difference in the structure and even growth rate of your hair and nails after you start consuming the right fats, but you’re feeding your cells from the inside, not simply using more conditioner or nail polish, so the benefits are long-lasting and real.
