Lily and Loaf
If you exclude hair that is damaged by physical, thermal or chemical means or hair loss/thinning which has a hereditary cause, poor hair in terms of its appearance and response to hair dressing reflects internal function.
Our hair and skin rely on the consumption of many nutrients daily and this is often reflected by the foods we eat and how we absorb those nutrients. Absorption relies on a good, healthy digestive and intestinal tract. If we suffer from heartburn or indigestion or, if we are unfortunate enough to suffer from bowel issues such as IBS, Crohn’s or diverticulitis we may not be benefitting from the food we eat as we would hope.
Other factors that can affect absorption of the food we eat are:
Overprocessed or refined foods
Storage of foods – many foods can be kept in cold storage for long periods of time before hitting the supermarket shelves – nutrients can be lost
Cooking methods – overcooking foods can destroy essential vitamins such as the B complex vitamins, which are essential to both the hair and the skin
Aging – our bodies are not always able to absorb the foods we used to eat or we may be lacking intrinsic factors to aid with absorption e.g., in the case of vitamin B12
Medications – although essential, these can often affect the absorption of nutrients