5 Best Diets For Hair Loss & Growth (2023)

Can foods boost your hair health? Or is there a special diet for hair growth?

Pretty much yes (for both questions).

Certain foods can improve your hair in several ways.

For this reason – here are the 5 best diets for hair loss & growth.

 

 

---

Best 5 Foods Against Hair Loss

---

Let’s take the first case scenario: your hair is falling out massively.

Your goal is to stop the shedding and restore its health.

Can certain foods help? Pretty much yes.

1. Nuts – they’re rich in Omega 3 and 6, so they moisturize hair ends and reduce breakage. 
2. Spinach – it’s rich in iron so it decreases shedding due to an iron deficiency. [1]
3. Eggs – since they contain a lot of biotin, they can prevent and decrease hair loss. [2]
4. Avocados – they hydrate the hair strands, thus preventing breakage. 
5. Pomegranate – it’s a strong antioxidant and prevents hair loss due to stress.

Obviously – there are a lot more helpful foods.

This can include fish, fruits colored in strong colors, whole grains and the list could go on.

So if you’re interested in restoring your hair’s health – these are the best foods you can choose.

 

---

Best 5 Foods For Hair Growth

---

In case your hair is overall healthy but you only want to grow it out faster – foods can also help.

But what exactly should you use?

Here’s a quick list:

1. Salmon & Fish – fish contains high amounts of Omega Fatty Acids, which promote hair health and growth.
2. Whole Grains – as they’re rich in fiber, they strengthen hair and increase growth. 
3. Seeds – they are also rich in fiber, so they can speed up hair growth considerably.
4. Yellow peppers – they’re full of vitamin C, an antioxidant that can boost growth.
5. Berries – they’re probably the best fruits for hair growth, due to their high amounts of vitamins.

Now – all the foods I mentioned above (against hair loss) are also effective for hair growth.

For this reason, you should add eggs, nuts and spinach to this list as well.

 

---

5 Best Diets For Hair Loss & Growth

---

So now that you know the best foods for hair – how exactly should you eat them?

Is there a special diet that includes most of them?

Or you would just have to add them to your meals randomly?

Well – I actually made a list with some of the most helpful diets I know.

Note: Following a diet alone won’t stop your hair loss or make it grow faster (at least not on the short term).

This kind of diet can be really helpful, but it needs time (at least 2-3 months) and it works better combined with stronger remedies (like hair supplements).

 

---

#1 – Mediterranean Diet

---

According to studies – this is one of the healthiest diets in the world. [3]

So there’s no surprise it’s also helpful for hair.

1. What To Eat

---

This diet promotes regular foods from the Mediterranean region:

1. Plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables: olives, pomegranate, leafy vegetables, etc.
2. Whole grain cereals
3. Fish and poultry
4. Olive oil (instead of Sunflower oil)
5. Green tea

How can these foods boost hair health?

Well – they’re a lot more natural and have a high quantity of Omega Acids, vitamins and antioxidants.

2. What To Avoid

---

Luckily – this diet is actually very permissive.

So it doesn’t forbid any food – unless we’re talking about junk or fast food.

But other than that, you can eat anything (even sugar or coffee).

3. My Verdict

---

In my opinion – that’s one of the most helpful diets you can follow:

• a lot of various foods available
• almost nothing is forbidden
• really easy to follow

Now – your hair won’t feel any difference on the short term. So don’t expect to see any result in a few weeks.

But if you follow this diet for several months, your hair could get a lot healthier.

 

---

#2 – Whole Grains Diet

---

Here’s another really healthy diet.

And even though it doesn’t have any studies for hair behind – logically speaking, it should really help.

1. What To Eat

---

Shortly – this diet promotes whole-grain foods:

1. Whole grain bread and cereals (and everything based on them)
2. Whole grain pasta
3. Oatmeal
4. Brown rice

Whole grains have a high amount of fibers inside – which strengthen hair and reduce breakage.

Also, they can improve hair roots and speed up growth in some cases.

2. What To Avoid

---

Even though it’s not based on meat – this diet doesn’t forbid it.

So you can have meat several times a day (as long as you don’t skip whole grain foods either).

Instead – it doesn’t recommend:

• sugars and candies (especially processed ones)
• fast food and carbs

Other than that – you can eat anything that is organic or fresh.

3. My Verdict

---

I personally like this whole-grains diet and consider it really effective for hair (especially for fragile one):

• quite easy to follow
• allows you to eat many different foods
• not very expensive overall

Also – it’s not the kind of diet that will make you starve. So that’s another important aspect.

 

---

#3 – Paleo Diet

---

When it comes to weight loss – that’s probably the most popular diet in the world.

However, it seems to help hair health as well.

1. What To Eat

---

Basically – this diet promotes eating as our ancestors did.

The top foods it recommends are:

1. Fresh fruits and vegetables
2. Nuts and seeds
3. Fresh organic meat (unprocessed one is highly forbidden)

Some versions of this diet also allow cheese, butter and certain dairy. But most of the times – they’re forbidden.

So how can these fresh foods help?

It’s simple – as they don’t have any processed chemicals, your body only receives the healthy nutrients.

This can have a big impact on your hair’s health and growth rate as well.

2. What To Avoid

---

Mostly processed foods – that includes:

• sugars and sugary beverages 
• store meat
• processed dairy and milk

You’re free to eat anything that is natural, organic and doesn’t have to be cooked (that depends from the version of Paleo diet).

3. My Verdict

---

Though it’s not my favorite diet, Paleo can help hair:

• fight hair loss due to stress or aging
• improve hair health

However, this diet can be quite hard to follow (especially if you live in a large city).

So from this point of view – it’s really strict and serious.

Also – make sure to have your daily intake of proteins. Otherwise, this diet may have negative effects on your hair.

 

---

#4 – Low-Carb Diet

---

That’s another really popular diet for weight loss.

But logically speaking – it should also help hair (if it’s followed correctly).

1. What To Eat

---

What makes this diet special is that it reduces your carbs intake and replaces it with proteins and fats.

When it comes to hair – this can only be helpful.

So here’s what you could eat in this diet:

1. Lean meats (chicken breast, pork)
2. Fish and eggs
3. Nuts and seeds
4. Leafy vegetables
5. Unsweetened dairy

Basically – you can eat as many proteins and fats as you want, just try to avoid carbs.

Since your hair is made of proteins (keratin), this diet is more than helpful.

2. What To Avoid

---

As you probably guessed – carbs are a big NO:

• processed meat
• sugars, candies and cakes
• junk food

In other words – try to go for the natural side instead of eating out in your local fast-food.

3. My Verdict

---

The low-carb diet can be really useful for hair – especially if you’re dealing with dry and brittle hair that is falling out.

However – it’s not the easiest diet ever:

• most of the recommended foods are organic
• you should also eat mostly fresh foods
• sugars and processed foods are totally forbidden

Anyway – if you manage to follow this diet for at least one month, you should start seeing results.

 

---

#5 – Antioxidant Diet

---

This isn’t actually a diet – it’s rather an eating habit.

However, it has some amazing benefits for hair (on the long term).

1. What To Eat

---

Basically – this so-called diet promotes eating foods that are rich in antioxidants. Why exactly?

1. Antioxidants fight oxidative stress and aging.
2. They’re great against hair loss and thinning.
3. Additionally, they can help with growth.

Now – which are the foods with the highest amount of antioxidants?

• Leafy vegetables
• Berries, pomegranate and other dark colored fruits
• Kale and beetroots
• Spinach
• Turmeric

And the list could go on forever.

But basically – antioxidants are mostly found in fresh and natural foods. So adding these to your diet is a must.

2. What To Avoid

---

Fortunately – this diet doesn’t forbid any single food.

However, for the sake of its positive results – I don’t recommend:

• Fast and junk foods
• Processed meats and sugars
• Carbs in a high amount

Basically – all those unhealthy foods mentioned all over this article. They’re about the same.

3. My Verdict

---

This is actually one of the best diets for hair:

• promotes healthy eating and general health
• improves hair from the inside

Even though it’s not a real diet itself – adding antioxidant foods to your meals can make a big difference in your hair (on the long term).

 

---

My Final Thoughts – Can Diet Help Hair?

---

Short answer: Definitely.

It can also impact your body’s general health – but also your hair’s aspect.

So what diet should you go for? They all have their ups and downs:

1. Mediterranean Diet – great for hair health in general.
2. Whole Grains Diet – useful for hair that is prone to breakage.
3. Paleo Diet – can help damaged hair.
4. Low-Carbs Diet – effective for weak and fragile hair.
5. Antioxidant Diet – works best for prevention and extra growth.

However – I personally wouldn’t go for one diet.

Instead, I would try to combine the tips from several different diets:

1. Use Olive oil instead of regular Sunflower oil.
2. Try to replace processed meat with poultry or fish cooked at home.
3. Add leafy vegetables to your daily meals.
4. Make sure you consume red/violet fruits daily.
5. Give up sugars and fast foods completely.

However – keep in mind that diet alone won’t be able to stop your hair loss completely (or make your hair grow like crazy).

They might help, but results won’t come up faster than 2-3 months.

And even so – you won’t be able to see a big change very soon. 

If you want to stop your shedding/grow your hair fast – you need additional products for this.

I personally recommend a natural hair supplement (the one I’m using):

• based on herbal extracts and vitamins
• decreased my hair loss completely in 2 months
• increased my growth rate considerably
• cost me very little money (about $25)

So my advice is to change your eating habits and try to follow the tips from this article.

Additionally – if you want to see big results fast, go for a natural supplement. Diet alone won’t make any miracles for your hair.

References:

1 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/-pmc/articles/PMC3678013/

2 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/-pubmed/28879195

3 – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/-pmc/articles/PMC5902736/