Did you know certain foods are capable of helping you grow a strong, healthy, and thick beard? Hair is continuously growing and being replaced, and the follicles are constantly creating new hairs from nutrients in the body. The foods we eat affect how our hair grows and the quality. Certain proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals are especially important in this hair growth process. Just remember, hair growth depends on a variety of elements, such as, a regular diet and nutrients, genetics, environment and the products we use. But for now, lets explore how foods can help improve your beard and hair!
PROTEIN
Protein is one of those vital nutrients that should form a large portion of your daily diet to help facilitate the growth of strong and healthy facial hair. This is because all types of hair consist of keratin, which is categorised as a fibrous structural protein.
Note: regardless of where the hair is located on your body, head, back, arm, face, the structural composition is the exact same.
Upping your consumption of protein-rich foods helps increase testosterone production in your body. Higher testosterone in your body helps improve muscle strength and gain, as well as contributing to hair growth. If you aren’t consuming enough protein, there’s a chance your facial hair will become more brittle and dry, making it more prone to breakage.
Protein-rich Foods: eggs, almonds, cottage cheese, Greek yoghurt, fish, quinoa, shellfish
FATS
Fats are crucial for testosterone synthesis, but you need to be consuming the right sort of fats. Lets break it down:
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are found in most vegetable oils, margarine, and fast foods. They can significantly lower testosterone, which is counterproductive if you want to grow a beard. High PUFA consumption can lead to drier skin and beard dandruff due to the the inflammatory effects of PUFA. It is good to avoid beard oils rich in polyunsaturated oils.
Monounsaturated and Saturated fatty acids are commonly found in meats, botanical/plant oils, and butter. They all have a positive effect on testosterone which increases your chances of stimulating hair and beard growth.
VITAMINS + MINERALS
Zinc
Zinc is one of the most important trace elements in the body and is an essential nutrient in facial hair growth. It is involved in homeostasis, in immune responses, in oxidative stress, in apoptosis and in ageing. Zinc has the ability to maintain a high level of testosterone in our body and reverse premature gray hair.
Zinc-rich foods: pumpkin seeds, lentils, oysters, seeds, spinach, beef.
Iron
Iron is an important mineral for our bodies that helps produce hemoglobin, a red protein that functions by transporting oxygen all throughout our body. Some studies have shown that individuals with hair loss have also been deficient in iron. Choosing foods high in Vitamin C enhancing your bodies iron absorption.
Iron-rich foods: clams, beans, prune juice, firm tofu, beef, peas, dark leafy vegetables
Boron
Boron is another trace element that can help improve facial hair growth. Boron increases testosterone levels and boosts DHT. A 2015 literature review of boron showed there was an increase in the metabolism of total testosterone in the body, as well as an increase in free testosterone.
Boron-rich foods: raisins, avocado, grape juice, peaches, apples, peanut butter, beans, pears.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a group of compounds including retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, and provitamin A carotenoids. Known as a powerful antioxidant, Vitamin A helps support sebum (skins own oil) production, by ensuring that the body’s epithelial cells (found in the skin) are functioning properly and are healthy. With that in mind, Vitamin A can help boost facial hair growth.
Vitamin A-rich foods: tomatoes, red bell pepper/capsicum, fish oils, fortified foods, mango, leafy green vegetables, beef liver.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
Naturally found in foods and is used to make coenzyme A (CoA), that helps enzymes build and breakdown fatty acids. What does this mean? It basically means that it helps breakdown all the food we eat and converts this food into useful energy to nourish all the cells in our body. This process helps support hair pigmentation and supply the hair follicles with essential nutrients.
Vitamin B5-rich foods: chicken, fortified cereals, seeds, mushrooms, brown rice, oats, broccoli, potatoes, yoghurt.
Biotin (Vitamin B7 or Vitamin H)
If you are growing facial hair and want a fuller, thicker and healthy beard, you definitely need to be consuming biotin rich foods. This is because it encourages the production of keratin, a hair protein. Research still is not conclusive on why Biotin is vital for keratin levels but according to a 2015 study, biotin can help hair regrow and prevent hair loss.
Biotin-rich foods: bananas, cauliflower, nut butters, egg yolk, nuts, raspberries, whole meal bread, salmon, pork, sardines.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that protects your hair from free radical damage. It also play’s an essential role in improving iron absorption, another important mineral for hair growth.
Vitamin-C rich foods: green bell peppers/capsicum, tomatoes, cabbages, citrus fruits, potatoes, strawberries, papayas, guava, amla.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is another potent antioxidant that protects your cells and destroys harmful free radicals. It increases blood circulation, which ensures hair follicles are receiving all the nutrients and oxygen they need for healthy growth. Consuming foods high in vitamin E also increases testosterone levels, which in turn promotes more facial hair growth.
Vitamin E-rich foods: soybeans, wheat germ oil, leafy green vegetables, dried beans, raw nuts, seeds, Swiss chard, butternut squash.
Calcium
Calcium aids in the secretion of androgen hormones (i.e., testosterone) and biotin, both involved in healthy hair growth. According to studies, 1% of calcium resides in blood and muscles. When we consume more calcium than our body needs, we can start to get calcification in our tissues. Whilst calcification is normal and necessary for bone formation, it is not normal in the rest of the body. When calcification occurs in our blood vessels, it builds up and blocks blood flow. This can happen on the scalp which thickens and hardens the tissues. This hardening of tissues obstructs hair follicles from producing hair, and also effects the quality and strength.
Calcium-rich foods: seeds, cheese, yoghurt, lentils, beans, whey protein, leafy greens, rhubarb, amaranth, edamame, tofu, figs.
Iodine
Iodine is a mineral essential for thyroid health. It stimulates your thyroid gland to produce more DHT or testosterone, which is important if you are growing a beard. Contains antibacterial and antiviral properties which help maintain skin and scalp health.
Iodine-rich foods: Cod fish, prawns, table salt (iodised), seaweed, halibut, pollock, crab, milk, eggs.
Potassium
Low potassium consumption can cause your hair to thin and potential fallout. Just be mindful that a high consumption of potassium (salt) can cause excess salt accumulation around the hair follicles, preventing the absorption of vital nutrients required for healthy hair growth. It also helps in stimulating dormant hair follicles by improving the cell renewal process, promoting a healthier and fuller beard.
Potassium-rich foods: bananas, watermelon, white beans, sweet potatoes, green leafy vegetables, avocados, mushrooms.
Magnesium
Magnesium is a very common mineral on Earth and in our bodies! It helps regulate hundreds of enzymatic reactions and biochemical activities. Magnesium helps regulate calcium imbalance by stimulating a hormone called calcitonin (helps regulate the levels of calcium) and as well as converting vitamin D into an active form that helps absorb calcium.
Magnesium-rich foods: dark chocolate, avocados, nuts, legumes, Tofu, leafy green vegetables, bananas.
Niacin (Vitamin B3)
Promotes the circulation of blood to the hair follicles and enhances beard growth. Foods that contain niacin include oily fish, pork, chicken, liver. Peanuts and strawberry.
Niacin/Vitamin B3-rich foods: seeds, legumes, whole grain, eggs, fortified cereal, poultry, beef, avocado.
Summary
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Vitamin D |
In 2007, a study looked into the role of vitamin D in hair follicle biology. This study isn’t specifically to do with the beard, but it may indicate how to create healthy hair regardless of where it is on the body – and that can include your beard. So that makes it important to understand. |
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Calcium |
A research study found that calcium supplementation can help boost testosterone in combination with resistance training. |
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Iron |
Iron is an important micronutrient and is one of the most vital for supporting biological activities. There is a hormone called Hepcidin which decreases in response to low body stores of our own. This hormone helps increase iron absorption from food. Testosterone reduces Hepcidin which means that more iron is absorbed. |
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Selenium |
Selenium helps in many functions within the body, including the creation of enzymes that testosterone production. Selenium has a positive impact on testosterone production. It has been shown to increase the testosterone levels of men aged 30 and over. |
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Vitamin E |
Vitamin E plays an important role in the production of testosterone, and it has powerful antioxidant properties. The more vitamin E we consume, the higher our testosterone levels. |
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Niacin (Vitamin B3) |
There is no clinical evidence to suggest that niacin may affect testosterone levels. There has been only one study that reported high doses of niacin could improve testicular function in rats. |
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Vitamin K |
Science has shown that testosterone levels are significantly reduced in a vitamin K restricted diet experiment. Consuming a sufficient amount of vitamin K helps your body produce testosterone, an important hormone for stimulating hair growth. |
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VITAMIN B5 (Pantothenic Acid) |
One study found that the application of compound contains panthenol, a form of Vitamin B5, can help mitigate the effects of thinning hair, but cannot make your hair grow back. |
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Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) |
In 1990, a study showed that riboflavin was an inhibitor of testosterone five alpha-reductase. Vitamin B2 turns tryptophan into niacin, which in turn, activates vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 is used by the hair follicles to optimise their usage of cystine as a building material used to construct hair strands. |
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Biotin (Vitamin B7 or Vitamin H) |
Encourages the production of keratin, a hair, nail, and skin protein. There is limited research on the effects of biotin and beard/hair growth, but one study found it did improve hair growth or quality when taken as a supplement (in combination with other hair growth stimulating minerals/vitamins). |
Even though most of the vitamins listed here are essential nutrients that would likely be found in a healthy diet, taking any kind of supplements can involve some degree of risk. There are a variety of underlying medical conditions that can influence your beard and hair growth. For instance, low levels of thyroid hormone, iron deficiency, low testosterone levels, and alopecia can decrease hair production and hair thinning.
Always speak to your health professional for further examinations and blood tests to figure out the cause(s) of your hair thinning and/or loss, as well as you mineral and vitamin levels.
Disclaimer: This blog is solely intended for the educational/informational/awareness purposes and is not a substitute for any medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult your doctor/healthcare professional before acting on the information provided on this blog. Reliance on any or all the information provided in the blog, is solely at your own risk and responsibility. Levee + Lowe™ shall not be held liable, in any circumstances.
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