While plenty of foods and dietary supplements can provide benefits for you hair, making it healthy and beautiful, others can can cause trouble. Some foods can negatively impact hair growth, while other mess with your scalp and have a big effect on how your hair looks.
Discover the worst foods for your hair and take the necessary steps to eat them moderately or skip them altogether, not just for the sake of your hair, but for your overall health.
1. Sugary Foods
Candy and other foods with a high sugar content can have a negative impact on your hair. When you overeat sweets, your blood sugar can quickly spike. Your body’s natural response isn’t just producing more insulin, your androgen levels are also raised. This hormone can contribute to shrinking hair follicles, which leads to thinning hair.
2. High-Mercury Fish
High levels of mercury in your body have plenty of dangerous consequences, and they can also contribute to hair loss. Oceanic fish can end up being one of the worst foods for your hair, even if it doesn’t contain mercury levels that cause other health issues. Swordfish, tuna, and king mackerel can be dangerous, and eating it raw, as sushi, is even more dangerous.
3. Salty Foods
Eating too much sodium can lead to many health conditions, including high blood pressure, but it also leads to dehydration. Keeping the levels of sodium you eat daily over 2000mg is risky in many ways, but it also has an impact on your hair. Unless you want dry, lifeless hair, cut back on the sodium, and you’ll also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease.
4. Too Much Protein
You know hair is made of protein, so eating it is very important for gorgeous tresses, but you can definitely overdo it, and turn animal protein into one of the worst foods for your hair. Low-carb diets that consist of too much animal protein can lead to a buildup of uric acid. In high concentrations, that leads to gout, but you might notice hair shedding well before developing other serious health issues.
See also: Why You Should Start Drinking Lemon Water
5. Foods with Too Much Vitamin A
High levels of vitamin A in the body can also cause hair loss. You’re unlikely to get too much of it with a balanced diet, but you should be wary of foods that are packed with it. If you eat a lot of sweet potatoes, or make carrots your go to healthy snack, while also taking a multivitamin supplement, you can easily go over the recommended daily dose and start noticing thinning hair.
6. High-Glycemic Foods
Pasta, breakfast cereal and other foods with a high-glycemic index get quickly broken down into sugar, and have the same unfortunate effect of raising androgen levels. They’re some of the worst foods for your hair, particularly if you eat too much starch and forget about lean protein.
7. Artificial Sweeteners
Don’t make the mistake of thinking you’ll protect your hair by replacing sugar with artificial sweeteners, particularly aspartame. When you’re getting too much of it, aspartame can lead to thinning hair, and also contributes to hair loss, according to the FDA. It’s better for you hair and your health to keep sugar in check and avoid artificial sweeteners altogether.
8. Fatty Meats
Bacon may be delicious, but it’s also one of the worst foods for your hair. Fried fatty meats pick up vegetable oils as well, and the greasy result may be delicious, but it can also contribute to increased oil production on your scalp. If you have problems with oily hair, skip the bacon and stick to lean protein that hasn’t been fried in more fat.
More: 10 Foods That Give You a Natural Tan
9. Sodas
They’re either full of sugar or artificial sweeteners, so one way or another, they will have a negative impact on your hair. You’re also getting empty calories, along with artificial flavors and colors, so try to keep soft drinks to a minimum if you’re dealing with dry hair.
10. French Fries
They’re packed with salt, which already makes them one of the worst foods for your hair, but french fries can also contribute to increased oil production. Fried fatty foods can create problems for your skin, and your scalp isn’t safe. Any irritation cause by your diet can lead to hair follicle damage.
