Smoothies for Hair Growth: Can You Drink Your Way to Stronger Hair?
Have you ever heard that beauty comes from within? Well, so is true about your hair, and you may be just a few smoothie glasses away from shiny locks.
It’s not only the genes that decide the way your hair looks, but nutrients in your diet also have a say in it. Even when using all the recommended products on hair, it may occasionally fall short of being beautiful and healthy. Poor nutrition could be to blame for this.
Smoothie hair treatment can be a great way to add all the vitamins and micro-nutrients to your diet for hair growth. Continue reading to discover ten delicious and healthy smoothie recipes to boost your hair.
Smoothies for Hair Growth: Do They Work?
Yes, smoothies can help your hair grow if they contain certain nutrients and ingredients. Smoothies for healthier hair are made from all-natural and healthy ingredients such as vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
When you eat and drink nutritious foods, you’re not only getting healthy energy, but you’re also nourishing your hair follicles, which can lead to optimal hair growth. This strengthens the hair roots without the need for supplements. And as a bonus, you can also get glowing skin.
Hair Growth Smoothies: What Should They Contain?
Some foods, such as dark leafy greens and berries, may play a role in promoting hair growth or slowing hair loss. Some more than others.
The following are the vitamins and minerals that are essential and should be included in a hair growth smoothie:
- Biotin: Maintains hair growth and helps with inflammation.
- Iron: Its deficiency has been related to hair loss in some studies.
- Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant. It reduces oxidative stress on the scalp, which has been linked to hair loss.
- Vitamin D encourages hair growth by promoting cell regeneration in the scalp.
- Vitamin E is also an antioxidant. This property of the vitamin helps to minimize free radical injury that causes the cells in hair follicles to break down.
- Omega-3 fatty acids help to protect against thinning hair.
- Zinc is closely related to the part of the immune system that supports hair growth. It’s required by metalloenzymes that are involved in cell regeneration and may also play a role in maintaining the structure of hair follicles.
- Proteins are the building blocks of hair and are necessary for healthy hair.
Best Smoothies for Hair Growth: 10 Recipes to Try
Adding the right ingredients in the right amounts to your smoothie will give you a 2-in-1 combination of healthy hair and glowing skin. Now that we know the ingredients necessary for hair health, let’s dive into the recipes.
#1 Biotin smoothie
Biotin is well known for its beneficial effects on nail and hair growth. Daily consumption may help in the treatment of brittle hair and nails. Banana is one of the fruits with the highest biotin content (0.2mcg in half a cup). Add berries to it, and you have a powerful punch of antioxidants with anti-inflammatory qualities.
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe banana
- 1 cup of mixed blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries
- ¾ cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Method: Blend the berries, banana, and milk in a blender until desired consistency is achieved, then serve.
#2 Green smoothie
Not only are vegetables great for our bodies, but they keep our hair healthy, lustrous, and moisturized. Vegetables like spinach and kale are loaded with vitamins and nutrients like iron and folate. Green smoothie is a great way to consume your daily requirement of dark leafy greens.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup spinach
- Half a banana
- ½ cup almond milk (plain or vanilla)
- 1 tbsp shelled hemp seeds
Method: Blend all ingredients, and then serve. You can add 3–4 ice cubes if desired.
#3 Protein smoothie
Each strand of hair is made up of keratin-a protein that is also part of skin and nails. Adequate protein intake is essential to provide amino acids for hair growth. Correspondingly, its deficiency can lead to hair loss. This high-protein smoothie will keep you full until lunchtime while promoting hair growth.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup banana
- 1 tbsp peanut butter
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ ripe avocado
Method: Blend all the ingredients until pureed, and then serve.
#4 Iron smoothie
Even when you aren’t iron deficient, you can and should consume foods rich in this mineral for healthier hair. Iron is required for DNA synthesis during cell division, and hair follicles have some of the most rapidly dividing cells in the body. This delicious green smoothie recipe is power packed with the goodness of iron.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup spinach
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ¾ cup strawberries
- ¾ cup banana
- ¾ cup almond milk
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Method: Blend the fruits and almond milk until pureed. Pulse once or twice after adding chia seeds, and then serve.
#5 Vitamin A smoothie
This hair growth smoothie will give you a lot of vitamin A, which is important to promote hair growth and an even skin tone. It is a fat-soluble vitamin found mainly in orange and green foods. Milk is also a rich source of vitamin A. But if not tolerated well, it can be substituted with yogurt or plant-based milk.
Ingredients:
- Carrots (peeled and grated)
- ½ cup milk or yogurt
- ½ cup mangoes
Method: Blend all ingredients till desired consistency is achieved, then serve.
#6 Vitamin C smoothie
Not only is vitamin C an excellent antioxidant, but it also helps in the absorption of iron from the gut. The iron stored in your body also helps in combating hair loss. This healthy smoothie will deliver vitamin C to your hair follicles to promote hair health.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup fresh pineapple chunks
- ¾ cup oranges (peeled and flesh cut into ¼)
- ¾ cup strawberries
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk or coconut milk
Method: Blend all ingredients until smooth, and then serve. You can add 1–2 tablespoons of honey to make it sweet.
#7 Vitamin D smoothie
Vitamin D plays a role in hair follicle cycling. Sunlight is the best source of vitamin D. However, it may not be possible for everyone to get adequate sun exposure, especially in winters. Therefore, obtaining vitamin D from a healthy diet is your next best bet. This tasty smoothie will help you achieve healthier hair while keeping your bones strong.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup fortified orange juice
- ¾ cup mango
- ¾ cup yogurt
- ¾ cup strawberries
Method: Add all ingredients to the blender, and blend on high till it’s thoroughly smooth.
#8 Vitamin E smoothie
This smoothie will pack a punch of antioxidants to give you healthier hair, nails, and skin. Oxidative stress has been linked to hair loss. Antioxidants can minimize this damage by reducing free radical generation.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup mangoes
- ¾ cup blackberries
- ¾ cup avocado
- ½ tsp lemon juice
- ¾ cup water
Method: Blend all the ingredients, and then serve.
#9 Omega-3 fatty acid smoothie
This creamy smoothie is packed with the goodness of omega-3 and seeds. The omegas may encourage healthy hair by enhancing follicle proliferation, while the peanut butter makes it sumptuous.
Ingredients:
- ¾ cup oats
- 1 cup oat milk or soy milk
- 1 tbsp omega-3 peanut butter
- 1 medium banana
- 1 tbsp chia seeds and ground flaxseeds
Method: Soak the oats in milk overnight. The following morning, mix all the ingredients and blend until smooth and consistent.
#10 Zinc smoothie
Zinc is essential for the cell division and replication process in hair growth. Nuts are a good source of zinc, but you can swap them for seeds if you have a nut allergy. This silky green smoothie will give you all the amazing benefits of zinc.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp walnuts
- 1 small banana
- 2 tbsp oats (cooked and chilled)
- ½ cup coconut water or almond milk
- ½ cup avocado
Method: Blend all ingredients, and then serve.
FAQs
A smoothie is only as good as the quality and taste of the ingredients that go in it. Choose organic or farmer’s market fruits and vegetables as they are fresh and contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals.
A smoothie will not produce results overnight. You have to be consistent for it to encourage optimal hair growth.
Smoothies are a great way to supplement your diet with all the good foods on a daily basis. Just one glass a day, and you’re set to go.
Avocado, iron-rich leafy greens like spinach, and nuts and seeds provide the body with essential nutrients to promote hair growth.
A Word From a Trichologist
Just like with everything else in life, too much or too little of nutrients in diet can prove to be detrimental to health. Since the health of hair, from your body’s perspective, is not considered vital, its nutritional demands are not the priority in case a nutritional imbalance occurs. Thus, hair is affected first in case of a dietary deficiency.
So, what should you do for healthy hair growth? Consume a diet balanced in carbohydrates, healthy fats, and protein. Make sure you are getting your micronutrients (iron, zinc, vitamins, etc) too.
You should also consider a hair care routine, including a hair growth oil that matches your needs, proper hair drying with a T-shirt or microfiber towel and styling, and getting a good night’s sleep.
Conclusion
Smoothies are a great way to nourish the body with vitamins and nutrients vital for healthy hair growth. They help in keeping hair long, strong, and shiny.
Of course, proper nutrition is just one side of the medal. If you’ve recently experienced unusual hair loss, talk to a trichologist and consider other treatment options.