Hair Care & Styling

Better-looking hair can start at your next meal.

"Just like every other part of your body, the cells and processes that support strong, vibrant hair depend on a balanced diet," says New York nutritionist Lisa Drayer, MA, RD, author of The Beauty Diet.

It can take longer to notice changes (both good or bad!) in your hair than in your skin. For example, "just one week with a poor diet can yield acne flare-ups or dry, sallow skin within days," says New York City dermatologist Cybele Fishman, MD, "but with hair, it can take a few months for a nutritional deficiency or the effects of a crash diet to show up."

The nutrients you eat today help fortify the hair follicle -- from which each strand is born -- and the scalp that surrounds it. "Healthier follicles? Healthier hair. Healthier scalp? Healthier hair!" Drayer says.

Of course, there's more to your hair than what you eat. Smoking, hormonal imbalances, and not enough sleep can also affect how your hair looks and feels. No magic nutrient can make up for those concerns.

Still, you have a lot more leverage than you might think. If you eat a balanced, varied, protein-rich diet that focuses on the following 10 foods, you'll be giving your hair the TLC it needs and deserves.

1. Salmon

Besides being rich in protein and vitamin D (both are key to strong hair) the omega-3 fatty acids found in this tasty cold-water fish are the true superstar. Your body can't make those fatty acids, which your body needs to grow hair. About 3% of the hair shaft is make up of these fatty acids, Drayer says. Omega-3s are also found in cell membranes in the skin of your scalp, and in the natural oils that keep your scalp and hair hydrated.

Other options: If salmon doesn't thrill you, you can also get essential fatty acids from fish like herring, sardines, trout, and mackerel, as well as avocado, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts (see below for more wonderful things about walnuts.)

If you've got curly hair, you may daydream about having smooth, straight locks. There are several options for taming curls, and each has pros and cons.

Keratin Treatments

Many women swear by this salon treatment, which smoothes and straightens hair by coating it with chemicals. Stylists say it provides a glossy, frizz-free finish and makes hair much easier to care for. To keep that finish, you need to reapply keratin treatments about every 12 weeks. Treatments can cost $200 or more.

Keratin treatments don't work well on tightly kinked hair. And they can make your hair brittle, so you'll need to use conditioner generously when you shampoo.           

Or you may want to skip keratin treatments altogether. There have been safety questions about the treatments, particularly for stylists who work with them. Some brands may contain or release unsafe levels of formaldehyde, a chemical that has been linked to health problems, including cancer.

Chemical Relaxers

Salon and home chemical relaxers last longer than keratin. The treated hair stays straight permanently. If you have it done in a salon it's about half the price of a keratin treatment. But the roots grow back curly. That two-textured look bothers some women, says Anthony Cress, a hair stylist in Newport Beach, CA.

Salon stylists usually use relaxers with lye because they work faster. They can be more irritating to your scalp than those without lye and are best done in salons, says Paradi Mirmirani, MD, a dermatologist with Kaiser Permanente in Vallejo, CA. If you straighten your hair at home, use a no-lye relaxer, which is less likely to irritate your scalp, and don't leave it on longer than directed.

All chemical relaxers can make your hair dry and brittle and harm your scalp. And the damage can build up. For touch-ups, though, you only need to apply the relaxer to your roots, not all over.

Victoria Barbosa, MD, MPH, a dermatologist in Chicago, says she advises her patients not to use a chemical relaxer if their scalp is unhealthy or they have serious problems with hair breakage or hair loss. 

To protect your hair, don't use a relaxer more than every 8 weeks, and use moisturizers generously on your hair.

Blow-Dryers and Flat Irons

If you don't want to pay for salon treatments or expose yourself to chemicals, you can straighten your hair between shampoos or swims with a blow-dryer or flat iron. “Heat rearranges hydrogen bonds in the hair, causing temporary straightening, which lasts until the hair is exposed to humidity or water,” Barbosa says.

Too much heat can also damage hair. To prevent damage, try these tips:

• Blow-dry only once or twice a week on a low setting. “If you start getting flyaways, breakage, or the hair isn't as shiny, what you're doing is too much,” Mirmirani says.
• To cut back on heat, wash your hair at night. Let it air-dry, and straighten it with a flat iron in the morning.
• Use a flat iron on dry hair only. Keep it on a low setting and don't hold it in one place too long. "If the flat iron or curling iron is not moved along the hair shaft swiftly enough, an entire section of hair can be singed off at one time," Barbosa says.
• Cress suggests stretching the time between stylings by using dry shampoo. "It absorbs the oils from your scalp, and you don't have to restyle," he says.
• The hair texture you grow up with becomes part of your identity. You learn to style it in a way that flatters you and fits your lifestyle. It can be unsettling if it changes. Over time, your hair may become curly, straight, thin, or coarse.

  Many things can make hair change texture. Some you can't control. Others you may cause without knowing it.  

  Read on to see why your hair texture may be changing and what you can do to make the best of it.

  The Cause: Graying

  Gray hair grows when hydrogen peroxide builds up in your hair follicle. "This causes hair to bleach itself from the inside out," says Debra Jaliman, MD, a dermatologist in New York and spokesperson for the American Academy of Dermatology. Gray hairs are thicker and wirier, so your hair gets coarser as they multiply.

  You can't do anything to stop graying -- it's something you inherit. But you can tame gray hair with a good hairstyle and special care.

  Solutions: Shampoo and condition your hair with products designed for dry hair. Use a leave-in conditioner to help smooth coarser strands.

  Occasional home or salon deep-conditioning treatments can also help, says Eugene Toye, senior stylist at Rita Hazan Salon in New York. He has styled hair for Sofia Vergara and Neil Patrick Harris.

  Some hairstylists use keratin treatments to improve the rough texture of gray hair. But they are expensive and may contain unsafe levels of formaldehyde, which is known to cause cancer.

  Toye suggests getting a cut that works with your new texture. "Don’t try to fight your hair," he says. "If it’s wavy, don’t try to get it stick straight."

  The Cause: Chemotherapy

  Chemotherapy can cause big changes in your hair texture or none at all. If you lose your hair during treatment, it may grow back thicker, curlier, or straighter all over or just in some spots.

  Solutions: Over time, your hair may return to its pre-chemo texture. But the first hair that grows back is especially fragile. Avoid chemical processes like coloring or straightening for a while. And it's not just the early hair that's prone to damage. The skin on your scalp may be sensitive for 6 months or more after treatment.

  Condition your post-chemo hair to help it grow back healthy. If you're not used to short hair, think of the grow-back period as a time to try out shorter styles. If you're really unhappy with hair that is coming in thin or patchy, Toye suggests wearing a hairpiece or wig while it continues to grow in.

  Do you have a head full of damaged, dry, and unruly hair? Like many women, you likely use strong shampoos and blow dry every day as you pull, twist, and tease to style. Over time, this ritual depletes your hair’s nourishing oils.

  Essential oils may be the rescue you’re looking for. Using them as part of your hair care routine can breathe new life and luster into your hair. Essential oils also infuse your hair with a burst of fragrance.

  Oils Shine and Moisturize

  For centuries, people have used essential oils for a variety of medicinal and cosmetic purposes. The beauty industry eventually caught on, marketing luxurious aromatherapy shampoos, serums, and other hair care products -- with equally luxurious prices.

  Today, you don't have to spend a fortune for essential oils. Many health food stores sell inexpensive versions. Here are some essential oils that experts recommend for dry hair.

  • Almond oil soothes and moisturizes the scalp.
  • Cedarwood oil stimulates the scalp and promotes hair growth
  • Chamomile oil adds shine and softness to hair, and soothes the scalp
  • Clary sage oil promotes hair growth and stimulates the scalp
  • Coconut oil softens hair and increases shine
  • Geranium oil strengthens hair
  • Jojoba oil moisturizes the hair, adds nutrients, and stimulates the scalp
  • Lavender oil deep conditions the hair, keeps it shiny, and helps control dandruff
  • Moroccan argan oil moisturizes, nourishes, and provides antioxidants to hair
  • Rosemary oil stimulates the roots, improves hair growth, and increases circulation in the scalp
  • Sandalwood oil helps with dry ends, and adds fragrance to the hair

  How to Use Essential Oils

  You only need a few drops of an essential oil -- mix one or more types in a shampoo or conditioner. Or mix the drops into 2 ounces of a "carrier" oil, such as olive or jojoba.  Experts suggest these combos.

  • Cedarwood, clary sage, and lavender
  • Jojoba, clary sage, and cedarwood

  After you apply the oil mixture, cover your head in a towel or shower cap.

  You can either wash out the treatment after 30 minutes or leave it on overnight and shampoo in the morning.

  Remember to wash out oils completely. When you leave them in too long, they weigh down hair, leaving it limp and oily.

  If You Have AllergiesTake note if you have sensitive skin:

  • If you apply some essential oils directly to your scalp, they may cause irritation. Diluting them is the answer. Read label instructions for how to dilute oils, and never use them in higher-than-recommended amounts.
  • If you're allergic to plants such as ragweed, test the oil on a small area of your skin or hair to see if you have a reaction.