Transform Your Hair by Transforming Your Gut Health

Overview

Strange as it may sound, our gut health has a massive impact on our hair health. We all love a healthy head of hair and would do anything and everything to maintain it that way. Managing our gut health is the easiest way to have healthy hair. Experts cite that our gut microbiome is essential for a healthy body, skin, and hair. The microbiome is the ecosystem that makes up our gut. Just imagine numerous microscopic bacteria work tirelessly to maintain our mood, skin, digestion, metabolism, and hair in tip-top condition.
Maintaining a healthy gut microbiome prevents hair health issues including
Hair thinning
Irritated scalp
Dandruff
Hair loss

It has been observed that hair health often reflects our overall health. Feeling healthy on the inside tends to show on the outside – with good skin, healthy hair, and strong nails. An imbalance in the gut microbiome can increase the growth of harmful bacteria, impacting our overall health. A poor digestive system can lead to scalp and hair problems since the gut plays a key role in processing the nutrients necessary for growing healthy hair

All the vital nutrients our body needs are present in the food we eat. Once the food reaches our digestive tract, enzymes and gut bacteria break it down into simpler forms, such as amino acids, sugars, and fatty acids, which are then absorbed and transported to different parts of the body for use or further processing. Digestive problems can lead to nutrient deficiencies that may contribute to hair loss. Therefore, maintaining a healthy gut is essential for overall well-being, including hair health

Impact of healthy gut microbiome

A healthy gut microbiome has a great impact on our body. Let us see how.

Absorbs nutrients: The micro-organisms present in our gut are essential for the absorption and utilization of the essential nutrients required by our body. A healthy gut microbiome effectively absorbs vitamins A, C, E, and zinc, essential for our skin and hair health.
Collagen: The above nutrients aid in collagen production, thereby maintaining hair growth.
Oxidative stress: The above nutrients protect us against oxidative stress in additions to protecting the barrier function of our skin.
Hair growth: Certain bacteria, like Lactobacillus reuteri, in the gut stimulate the production of a hormone named insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) thereby increasing hair growth.
Reduces inflammation: A healthy gut aid in reducing inflammation and promotes overall hair health.
Hair strength: A healthy gut microbiome helps in producing healthy skin cells and retaining strong hair structure and strength.

Effects of an imbalanced gut health

An imbalanced gut can have several negative effects on the body. Let’s examine some of these effects:

Permeability of the Gut: Excessive growth of harmful bacteria can damage the intestinal lining, making it “leaky.” This condition, known as “leaky gut,” affects immunity and can have a detrimental impact on hair follicles.
Inflammation of the Gut: Gut inflammation can disrupt the natural cycle of hair growth, potentially leading to hair loss or thinning.
Malabsorption: An imbalanced gut can lead to improper absorption of vital nutrients, depriving the body of essential vitamins like Biotin, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B6, Iron, and Folic Acid that are crucial for healthy hair growth.
Stress: Prolonged stress negatively impacts gut health, which, in turn, affects hair growth. Imbalance in the gut microbiome can lead to thinning hair, hair loss, weight gain, depression, and food cravings.
Medication: Long-term use of antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome by damaging beneficial bacteria. This disruption can lead to issues like allergies and infections, indirectly affecting hair health.
Eating Habits: Unhealthy eating habits, such as consuming spicy, oily, sugary, and fast foods, can harm gut health, affecting hair growth and sheen.
Hair Loss: Poor absorption of key nutrients due to gut issues can cause hair loss and thinning, as the body lacks essential nutrients for hair growth.
Dysbiosis of the Gut: A diet high in sweets or artificial sweeteners promotes the growth of harmful gut bacteria, leading to dysbiosis—an imbalance that can cause indigestion, diabetes, and obesity. This unhealthy gut environment is detrimental to hair growth, quality, and strength.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

How to improve gut health

Stress management: Stress management is imperative as stress is known to disbalance our gut microbiome, which leads to hair loss, hair thinning, weight gain, depression, and food cravings.
Practicing meditation and deep breathing techniques, sound sleep, and exercise aid in alleviating stress.
Managing stress does away with greying of hair and hair fall to a great extent.
De-stress is the mantra to a good hair system.
Say no to antibiotics: While antibiotics are often used to treat infections, they can negatively impact the beneficial bacteria in our gut microbiome.
To counteract this effect, consider taking probiotic supplements after completing an antibiotic course to help restore good bacteria in the gut.
It’s best to avoid antibiotics unless absolutely necessary.
Balanced diet: Incorporate a variety of nutritious vegetables into your meals to support gut health. Prebiotic fiber found in these vegetables helps nourish the digestive system and maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Examples of prebiotic foods include onions, garlic, leeks, bananas, apples, legumes (such as chickpeas, black beans, and lentils), whole grains (like barley and oats), and vegetables like asparagus, dandelion greens, and chicory. These foods support the growth of beneficial gut bacteria.

Fermented food: Intake of fermented food increases the good bacteria that is essential for a healthy gut.
Fermented foods like sugar-free yogurt, Kefir; apple cider vinegar; sauerkraut and other ferments vegetables, miso, kimchi, kombucha, and tempeh should be consumed.
They aid in the production of good bacteria.
No sweets: Avoid sweets and artificial sweeteners, as much as possible, because they increase the bad bacteria in our gut.
Snack on healthy fruits like apples, bananas, and berries instead.
This maintains the blood sugar levels and keeps our gut microbiome healthy. This impacts our hair health, in turn.
Scalp protection: Our scalp has its own microbiome that plays a crucial role in protecting the skin and hair from damage and infections.
An imbalance in this microflora can lead to irritation, dryness, itchiness, and dandruff.
To maintain a healthy scalp, it’s important to clean it regularly, exfoliate to remove dead skin cells, and use hair care products that are free from harmful chemicals such as parabens, phthalates, formaldehyde, and artificial fragrances. These ingredients can negatively impact scalp health and hair growth.
Lifestyle: A healthy lifestyle includes a balanced diet, adequate hydration, exercise, sound sleep, meditation, or Yoga, practicing mindfulness, and managing stress, all lead to a healthy gut, which, in turn, keeps us healthy, inside, and out.

Conclusion

The moral of the story is that our lifestyle greatly affects the functioning of our gut, body, and mind. Let us embark on this journey of self-care to be happy and healthy. Let us maintain a healthy gut, which will make us happier. Being happy will make us radiant and induce positivity in us. Our positivity will increase our self-confidence. Looking good and feeling good is a part of our self-confidence. Since our hair defines us, we must work towards a good and healthy head of hair on our shoulders.

Promise yourself that you will invest time in your appearance, mind, and body. Prioritize yourself. Just this once, put yourself before others. Learn to care for yourself and love yourself.