12 Foods To Eat For Healthy Hair Growth

Medically reviewed by Elizabeth Barnes, RDN

Your hair is made up of two structures: the hair shaft, the visible part of hair outside of your skin, and the hair follicle, which is hidden underneath your skin. Your scalp houses around 100,000 hair shafts that are at varying stages of hair growth at any given moment. Hair growth happens in four phases: anagen (growth), catagen (regression), telogen (rest), and exogen (shedding).

The life cycle of a hair shaft is around 3.5 years, and hair grows at an average rate of 0.05 inches per month. Your hair grows from hair follicles, which depend on certain nutrients in order to stay healthy and nourished. Hair follicle cells are amongst the most rapidly dividing cells in the body and are sensitive to nutrition deficiencies, toxins, and malnutrition, which can lead to poor hair growth and hair loss.

What’s more, certain nutrients are necessary for the regulation of the hair growth cycle and hair health in general. So, following a well-rounded diet high in foods rich in the nutrients required for hair health is crucial to supporting optimal hair growth.

Here are 12 of the best foods that support healthy hair growth.

Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower seeds are rich in plant-based protein and vitamin E, two nutrients necessary for healthy hair growth. Vitamin E has powerful antioxidant activity and may help promote hair health by protecting hair follicle cells against oxidative damage, which is known to disrupt hair growth.

Though it’s unclear how eating vitamin E-rich foods may benefit hair growth, studies show that low blood levels of vitamin E may trigger skin and hair disorders and disrupt healthy hair growth.

One ounce of sunflower seeds covers 49% of the Daily Value (DV) for vitamin E and packs nearly 5 grams (g) of protein, which is required for proper follicle function and hair growth. Sunflower seeds are also high in selenium and zinc, which are minerals that are needed to maintain healthy hair.

Blackberries

Inflammation, caused by factors such as a diet rich in ultra-processed foods, smoking, and other factors, accelerates the transition from the anagen to the telogen phase and is associated with the progression of hair loss. Inflammation is linked with common hair loss conditions such as alopecia areata, stress-induced hair loss, and male- and female-pattern hair loss, also known as androgenetic alopecia.

Blackberries are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phenolic compounds, such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and quercetin.

Consuming foods rich in these compounds may lower oxidative stress, a condition that occurs when harmful compounds such as free radicals overwhelm the body’s antioxidant defenses, and protect hair follicle cells from oxidative damage, thus promoting healthy hair growth.

Blackberries are one of the best sources of antioxidants that you can eat. In fact, a 2020 study that evaluated the total phenolic and anthocyanin contents and the total antioxidant activity of six different berries: blackcurrant, red raspberry, redcurrant, blackberry, gooseberry, and jostaberry, it was found that the blackberries had the highest antioxidant and anthocyanin levels out of all of the included berries.

Pumpkin Seeds

Being stressed can encourage the anagen to telogen transition and cause telogen effluvium, a type of hair loss characterized by a disruption in the normal hair growth cycle, which leads to excessive hair shedding and hair loss.

Elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol have also been observed in people with hair loss disorders, such as androgenetic alopecia.

Magnesium is a mineral that plays an important role in the body’s stress response and protects the body from the adverse effects of stress. Having suboptimal or deficient magnesium levels can increase your susceptibility to stress, which may negatively impact hair growth.

Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of magnesium, providing 156 milligrams (mg) or 37% of the DV. Pumpkin seeds also provide zinc, copper, iron, and protein, all of which are essential for hair health.

Lentils

Protein is essential for the hair growth cycle and low protein intake can negatively impact hair growth, structure, and hair pigmentation. Studies show that reduced protein intake can trigger telogen effluvium and cause poor hair growth.

What’s more, deficiencies in certain amino acids, the building blocks of protein, are more common among people experiencing hair loss. For example, people with androgenetic alopecia are more likely to be deficient in the essential amino acids histidine, leucine, and valine.

Lentils are one of the most protein-rich plant foods you can eat, providing 17.9 g of protein per cooked cup, which is nearly 30% more protein than what's found in two large eggs. Lentils are rich in the amino acids needed to support proper hair growth, including leucine, isoleucine, lysine, and valine.

Salmon

Salmon is high in protein, vitamin D, B12, and omega-3 fats, which are nutrients that can support hair health and growth.

Wild-caught salmon provides 1.24 g of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 0.59 g of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)EPA per 3-ounce serving. These fats have powerful anti-inflammatory properties and may help protect the hair follicle from oxidative damage, support healthy hair growth cycles, and improve hair density.

What’s more, salmon is one of the few foods that’s rich in vitamin D, an essential nutrient for hair health. Research suggests that vitamin D is required for a normal hair cycle and initiating the anagen or growth phase of the hair.  Salmon also provides B12, a vitamin that’s involved in the growth of hair follicles.

Avocados

Avocados are packed with hair health-promoting nutrients, such as niacin, vitamins E and C, folate, and magnesium.

Vitamin C functions as a powerful antioxidant in the body and may help protect the hair follicle against oxidative stress. Vitamin C is also needed for the proper absorption of iron, a mineral that’s essential for hair growth cycle regulation.

Avocados also provide folate, a B vitamin that’s necessary for healthy hair. A folate deficiency can cause hair, skin, and nail changes and is associated with hair loss.

One 7-ounce avocado covers 41%, 28%, and 22%, of your daily needs for folate, vitamin E, and vitamin C, respectively.

Organ Meats

Organ meats, such as beef liver, provide iron, zinc, and selenium, which are minerals that are involved in hair growth cycle regulation.

Iron deficiency, which is the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide, can cause hair loss.  Some studies show that people with chronic telogen effluvium, androgenetic alopecia, and alopecia areata, are more likely to have low levels of ferritin, which is the storage form of iron.

A 3-ounce serving of beef liver covers 31% of your daily iron needs and makes a smart choice for people with low iron levels. Beef liver is also rich in protein, copper, zinc, B12, and selenium, all of which help promote healthy hair growth.

Just keep in mind that organ meats, like beef liver, are very high in vitamin A. Although vitamin A is necessary for overall health, including the health of the skin and hair, taking in excessive amounts of vitamin A, which usually occurs with high-dose supplementation with preformed vitamin A, could result in hair loss.

Oysters

Oysters are a rich source of zinc, which plays an important role in hair cycle regulation. Low and deficient blood levels of zinc have been associated with telogen effluvium and brittle hair.

Studies show that people with conditions that cause hair loss, such as alopecia areata and androgenetic alopecia have lower zinc levels compared to people without hair loss disorders.

Oysters are an excellent source of zinc, with just two oysters covering 100% of your daily needs for this nutrient. Oysters also provide other nutrients important for hair health, including protein, B12, and selenium.

Greek Yogurt

Greek yogurt is much higher in protein than regular yogurt, with a six-ounce container providing 17 grams of protein, while the same serving of regular yogurt contains just six grams. Low protein intake can cause hair loss and thinning of the hair, so it’s important to consume protein-rich foods with every meal and snack.

Greek yogurt is also rich in selenium, a mineral that can protect the hair follicle against oxidative damage, and vitamin B12. B12 deficiency is more common in certain populations, such as people with health conditions that cause malabsorption, like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and those following restrictive diets, such as vegan diets. A B12 deficiency can result in hair loss.

A 7-ounce serving of Greek yogurt covers over 40% of your daily needs for both B12 and selenium.

Ginger

Oxidative stress plays a role in premature hair loss and can negatively impact hair health. When the body’s antioxidant defenses become overwhelmed with high levels of reactive compounds such as free radicals, oxidative stress occurs, which can damage hair follicle cells.

Ginger contains a variety of compounds, including the phenolic compounds gingerols and shogaols, that may help reduce markers of oxidative stress in the body, including the highly reactive compound malondialdehyde.

People with some hair loss disorders, including those with androgenetic alopecia, have been shown to have decreased antioxidant activity and higher levels of malondialdehyde in their blood.

In a 2015 study that included 41 patients with type 2 diabetes, it was found that those who were supplemented with 2 grams of ginger powder per day for 12 weeks experienced significant reductions in blood levels of malondialdehyde compared to a control group.

Collagen Powder

For an easy way to boost your intake of the hair growth-supporting nutrient protein, try incorporating collagen powder into your diet.

Protein is the main component of hair, with the primary component of the hair fiber being keratin, which is made from amino acids. Though research is limited, some studies show that supplements containing collagen could help promote hair growth by increasing the amount of hair in the anagen phase and reducing the amount of hair in the telogen phase, as well as increasing hair density.

If your current diet is low in protein, it could negatively affect your hair growth. Collagen peptides can be added to hot or cold drinks, such as coffee and smoothies, as well as recipes like oatmeal and chia pudding, to boost your protein intake.

Dark Leafy Greens

Dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, and arugula are concentrated in nutrients important for hair health, such as B vitamins and vitamin C. Studies show that following a diet rich in fresh vegetables, like dark leafy greens, may help improve hair growth in people with hair loss.

A 2020 review that included 24 studies found that the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in vegetables like dark leafy greens, may help promote hair health and growth in people with androgenetic alopecia.

Dark leafy greens are rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant plant compounds, such as quercetin and kaempferol, as well as vitamin C, which may help protect the hair follicle from damage that may otherwise lead to unhealthy hair and hair loss.

A Quick Review

Your hair is in a constant state of growth, and hair follicles are highly sensitive to changes in nutrient levels, oxidative stress, and hormonal fluctuations.

Though there are many factors that impact hair growth, following a diet rich in foods that provide nutrients required for hair follicle health is critical for maintaining healthy hair and supporting hair growth. Nutrients such as protein, zinc, selenium, B vitamins, and vitamin E are essential for the regulation of the hair growth cycles and keep hair looking healthy and strong.

Incorporating foods such as sunflower seeds, salmon, Greek yogurt, blackberries, organ meats, collagen peptides, and lentils into your diet is an easy and effective way to support the health of your hair and encourage hair growth.

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