Left: a natural suntan, Middle: natural pale color, Right: carotenoid tan color

I thought I would share this fun tidbit with you guys, which is the result of new research by Dr. Ian Stephen and his team at the University of Nottingham.

Get this…

The study found that people who ate a lot of fruit and vegetables per day have a more golden skin tone, due to the carotenoids in the food. Carotenoids are antioxidants that are responsible for the red, orange, green, and yellow coloring in fruit and vegetables. “We found that, given the choice between skin colour caused by suntan and skin colour caused by carotenoids, people preferred the carotenoid skin colour, so if you want a healthier and more attractive skin colour, you are better off eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables than lying in the sun.” said Dr. Stephen. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Dr. Stephen also said that the findings are important because evolution would favor individuals who mate with healthier individuals. This is especially good news if you want a little color and do not want to tan – especially since tanning leads to premature aging (leathery texture, dark spots, wrinkles, etc.).

{HOW MUCH & HOW LONG}

Dr. Stephen had participants consume five extra portions of fruit and vegetables every day for two months. The result was a more red and yellow pigmentation in the skin, which lends the tan glow that generally make us healthy-looking (and therefore “more attractive”) to other humans.

{SOURCES OF CAROTENOIDS}

I have listed some excellent, acne-safe sources of carotenoids below. There are more choices, but some are not friendly to acne-prone skin (such as shrimp and grapefruit), so I have not listed them.

Animal Sources:

• Beef liver
• Cod liver oil
• Salmon
• Egg yolk

Vegetarian Sources:

• Carrots
• Tomatoes
• Bell peppers (go for red, yellow, or orange – not green, since they’re unripe)
• Spinach
• Collard greens
• Kale
• Butternut squash
• Apricot
• Cantaloupe
• Mango
• Pumpkin
• Sweet potato

Supplements (Pill Form):

• Beta-carotene
• Lutein
• Astaxanthin

{CAUTION}

To “get the glow” but prevent vitamin A toxicity, avoid taking vitamin A supplements in the form of retinol or retinoic acid. Instead, use a vitamin or supplement that is food-derived and whole-foods-based that uses beta-carotene or “mixed carotenoids.” Some good choices include:

• Country Life Carotenoid Complex
• Solaray Food Carotene All Natural 10,000 IU
• Source Naturals – Beta Carotene 25000 IU
• Jarrow Formulas – Carotenall

Overdose symptoms include hair loss and confusion. Severe overdoses can lead to liver damage and bone loss.

For more information, see the original research paper here.

This is a favorite topic of mine because I have fine hair that is naturally curly, and I’ve always been interested in making my hair longer and thicker. This is all the information I have gathered for the last several years. I also just discovered an awesome YouTube channel yesterday called YouTips4U, with some great information on growing and caring for long hair, so definitely check her out when you get a chance.

Here’s the YouTube video if you want to watch:

{A LITTLE FACT}

Everyone’s hair is different, and the following tips will simply help you to maximize your hair growth potential. The average hair growth per month is 1/2″ though some people may grow 3/4″ or 1″ per month. Don’t stress if your hair grows the average of 1/2″ — this is genetically predetermined, but you can do a lot to prevent breakage and stimulate healthy, thicker hair growth.

{TIP #1}

Get your protein. Your hair keratin grows from the inside out, so your protein and overall nutrition intake is of utmost importance. After much trial and error with my diet, I discovered that without a doubt, including some grass-fed animal products gives me thicker, healthier, shinier hair. On the other hand, I have one friend in particular that was completely vegan for several years and still grew a thick mop of hair. Pay attention to your individual needs — one size does not fit all!

I compiled the following list of protein-rich foods for you (I purposely excluded protein-rich foods that are unfriendly to our hormones, weight, and skin), which you should feel free to edit depending on your personal preferences. Remember, always go organic, grass-fed, wild-caught, etc. as much as possible.

• Grass-fed, truly free-range turkey, beef, buffalo, lamb
• Wild-caught fish
• Scallops
• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Leafy greens
• Almonds
• Tempeh, miso, natto
• Vegan protein powders like rice and pea protein (not soy or flax)

{TIP #2}

Avoid stress, as it will cause hair to thin, fall out, and break easily. There’s no need to stress about that either. Just give yourself some much-deserved “me time” where you can rest and relax. Listen to some calming music, definitely try yoga, watch a comedy (laugh!), take a B complex vitamin supplement (stress depletes our B vitamins, the one I take is from Garden of Life). For more tips, you can read my article from December, which has some great anti-stress ideas.

{TIP #3}

No smoking and no caffeine. Both of these substances are drying and aging for your skin and hair. If you want to look good, be healthy, and have healthy long hair, quit these two habits right now.

{TIP #4}

No refined sugar or excess sodium. Use raw honey, stevia, xylitol, or even unsulphured blackstrap molasses (very nutritious, a by-product of the sugar manufacturing process) instead of white sugar, cane sugar, or brown sugar. Refined sugar is very harmful to your health, so it’s best to eat it only on very rare occasions. Instead of table salt, iodized salt, or Kosher salt, use unbleached sea salt (I like Celtic sea salt). Use it sparingly and replace salt in recipes with salt-free spice blends.

{TIP #5}

Don’t overwash your hair, which will make it dry, stripped, and more prone to breakage. If you have a very oily scalp, wash you hair every other day. If you keep washing it daily, your scalp will only get oilier. For normal and dry scalps, shampoo every 2–4 days. Remember to massage your scalp gently every time you shampoo! This will boost circulation and help the shampoo remove all blockages from your scalp (healthier, clean scalp = healthier, longer hair).

{TIP #6}

Be careful when you brush your hair. A standard rule to live by is never to brush or comb wet hair. This leaves the hair more susceptible to breakage, so even if your conditioner bottle says to comb the conditioner through the hair in the shower, don’t do it! If you have straight hair of medium or thick density, use a natural boar bristle brush. For curly, wavy, and/or fine hair, use a wide tooth comb with no seams (little plastic seams along the comb’s teeth could snag your hair and break it).

{TIP #7}

Exercise daily to stimulate circulation, which brings more nutrition to the scalp and stimulates hair growth. Try yoga, running, spinning (bicyling), and circuit training. My favorite workouts to do daily are the 14–30 minute circuit training routines from BodyRock.tv.

{TIP #8}

Stay hydrated. I mention this all the time because it’s vital for healthy skin and healthy hair. Drink 1/2 to 1 gallon (2–4 liters) of filtered water per day. My favorite water filter is Environmental Water Systems.

{TIP #9}

Feed your hair with essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. You can do this by eating wild-caught fish, a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, leafy greens like spinach and swiss chard, brown rice, cucumbers, almonds, and goat milk yogurt. Those foods will provide you with hair-growing nutrients like biotin, vitamin E, vitamin C, and silica (plus they all contain varying amounts of protein). You can also take an omega 3 fish oil supplement (I take Carlson Labs liquid cod liver oil in lemon), Biosil liquid silica, and whole food supplements like Garden of Life Vitamin Code B Complex to ensure your hair is getting enough nutritition. Remember that your hair and nails are the last thing your body nourishes — so if you’re not getting enough nutrients, there may not be enough left for your hair.

{TIP #10}

It’s called beauty sleep for a reason. Get at least 7–8 hours of sleep every night, and try to go to bed by 10 pm. It has been suggested that 11 pm to 1 am is a critical repair time for your adrenal glands, gallbladder, and liver, so it is important to be asleep during this time so your body can do its repairs. Interrupting this process by staying awake can disrupt the health and beauty of your skin and hair. For a better-looking morning, try sleeping on silk pillowcases (mine are from Dreamsacks, I’ve been using them for years). I always recommend this because silk is extremely gentle on your skin and hair, and you won’t wake up with tangled bed head and dry cheeks. For additional hair protection, you can use soft, fabric hair scrunchies to secure your hair into a ponytail or loose braid at night.

{TIP #11}

You won’t need to trim your hair if you’re not getting split ends, so minimize the breakage by conditioning regularly. Condition your hair every time you shampoo it, and use a deep conditioning treatment every 7–10 days.

{TIP #12}

Don’t pick your split ends. It’s natural to have a few of them, so just snip them off with a little pair of sharp scissors or cuticle cutter.

{TIP #13}

Buy 2–3 different shampoos and conditioners, and use a different one every time you shampoo, or rotate them once per week. This keeps your hair from becoming “immune” to the product and you’ll be far less likely to have a bad hair day.

{TIP #14}

Wash your hair gently, and never pile it on top of your head. This will keep your hair from breaking and ensure it gets cleansed and conditioned properly. Here is a great video on washing long hair without causing breakage and dryness.

{TIP #15}

If you follow tip 11–14 on avoiding breakage/split ends, then you can get away with having a trim every 3–4 months (or longer). Only trim 1/2″. If you want to trim your hair yourself, here is a great instructional video.

{BONUS TIP}

Don’t use a blowdryer, flat iron, curling iron, or other heated styling tools every day. Instead, air dry and use non-heat styling methods. YouTube has a ton of videos for styling your hair without heat.