How to have healthy hair at any age.

Originally, this post was about how to have healthy hair using nutrition and supplements.  However, since the start of 2016, I have been growing my red/orange colour out to go naturally and fashionably grey.  It's a very long & pricey process involving bleaching my hair to an inch of its life but I am glad to report that thanks to Olaplex, a good hairdresser, and my healthy diet, it has remained thick and healthy! And I am now fashionably grey, with the odd bit of pink or blonde thrown in!

If you have a red or orange permanent tint, going grey involves going to the hairdresser every 3 months and a lot of bleaching.

The good news is I have far fewer trips to the hair dresser to cover my roots and I think this in between stage is so much more flattering to my ageing skin tone. The bad news is that you need the patience of a saint and a hefty bank balance! But I should be there in a few months and it will all have been worthwhile in the end. Watch this space.  Meanwhile, here are my tips for having healthier hair.

Here I am with the great Trevor Sorbie in the days of bright red hair!

Part of the reason my hair's so thick at Well Over Fifty (over 60 actually!) is my genes. I am half Bulgarian, and from what I've seen in my mother's country, they all seem to have thick hair, and strong nails & teeth. The foods I grew up eating, and still do, certainly helped as well. Think Mediterranean diet.  Also, because of it's thickness & unruliness, I have never washed my hair more than once a week! Most hairdressers have agreed with me over the years, less is more, and washing it less frequently can help keep your hair from thinning.

My orange phase. It was great at the time.

But the main reason women's hair thins as we get older is falling oestrogen levels. Dull, coarse & greying hair is the so-called natural process of ageing. Bummer! Oestrogen-rich foods are listed below. Another reason for thinning hair could be due to a sluggish thyroid, which needs iodine to help it function properly. (If you are on any medication for your thyroid, please check with your doctor first, before incorporating any of these suggestions into your diet) 

IODINE-RICH FOODS

Add kelp, or other sea vegetables to your meals or take in supplement form. Spirulina & wheatgrass are also the best for encouraging hair-growth as is nettle tea. In fact, one top tip I found is to use nettle teabags rubbed into your scalp to stimulate hair growth.  Nettles contain huge amounts of vitamin C, which helps hair growth, as well as natural silicone, which helps protect and strengthen the hair shaft. (Please let me know if you try this weird one and have any success!) A list of the best foods & supplements are below.

I had such success taking spirulina that my hair began growing too fast.  That's why I started wearing my trade mark head scarves.  They hide my roots so I don't have to get my colour/color done so often! 

Here are a few of my dietary suggestions & why.  Let me know how you get on, and good luck!

HAIR HELPERS. MY TOP TEN TIPS.

Vitamin C: all berries, oranges, lemons or a supplement Think orange, yellow & red fruit & veg.

Cucumber: rich in silicon & sulphur for strong skin, nails & hair

Nettle tea or fresh nettles from your garden!

Essential Fatty Acids: Omega 3 in the form of: flaxseed oil, flaxseeds (a natural form of plant oestrogens), oily fish such as salmon, or a fish oil supplement, & chia seeds.

Avocados & avocado oil: a power house of hair nutrients!

Argan oil: great for hair and skin because of the high Vitamin E content.

Green powders such as wheatgrass & spirulina.

Sea vegetables such as kelp & nori.

Green veg: such as kale, spinach & swiss chard: for all the essential minerals, such as calcium & magnesium.

Eggs: high in lecithin and all the amino acids needed to help your cells grow stronger.

And finally, there are many supplements around especially made for hair, skin & nails.  I am a big fan of Vitabiotics, because they are very well researched, so give one of theirs a go. 

Let me know if you're going naturally grey and how you are doing if you are.  Love mine, hope you do too. 

x