The Christmas foods your hair will thank you for
Christmas is not really a time to be thinking about eating well, let’s be honest. From the early advent calendar chocolate-binge, to eating our bodyweights in Christmas dinner, and saying yes to that second helping throughout the whole of the “festive period” (read: from December 1st to late January, when the Christmas chocolates have finally ran out), it would be rude not to indulge, really.
We wouldn’t, of course, encourage you to miss out on what is arguably the best part of Christmas. Instead, we’re here to bring a nice surprise. Because, as it turns out, there are plenty of Christmas foods that are good for our hair- so it’s a win-win all round! Here’s a list of some of our favourite Christmas staples, and their surprising benefits to hair health:
Nuts
Whether you’re roasting chestnuts, salting peanuts, or shamelessly scoffing from the bag of caramelised cashews, you are, believe it or not, doing your hair a favour. Nuts are a great source of biotin, a vitamin known to help promote hair growth. Yes, most “sharer” bags of nuts do admittedly contain sugars, salts, and the occasional artificial sweetener, but it’s Christmas, and you’re trying your best.
Sweet potatoes
We’re glad sweet potatoes are so on-trend lately, because not only do they taste delicious (if you are yet to try them out of general fear of eating something such a vivid orange, we urge you to give them a go), they are also proven to be beneficial to hair. Sweet potatoes contain beta carotene, the precursor of Vitamin A, which helps to keep hair from becoming dry and brittle. So it’s definitely worth piling up those roasties on your Christmas dinner plate...
Christmas pudding
Okay, we had to stretch it with this one. We just want to be clear that there are no proven benefits of custard, or cake, or ice cream, or brandy, or anything remotely Christmas pudding-related… other than raisins. The raisins in your Christmas pudding are full of biotin, a B vitamin that promotes hair growth and overall scalp health. That more than justifies a second helping, right?
Sprouts
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, sprouts are a Christmas staple across many a household. If you’re going to try and force down a couple of sprouts this year in the name of “Christmas spirit” (or because your mum/nan/auntie is insisting you have some), try to find comfort in the knowledge that sprouts are, in fact, very good for your hair. Selenium in sprouts helps ward off dandruff and lets the scalp produce natural oil that promotes healthy hair growth. Okay, I suppose we can take just the one…
Eggnog
Again, work with us on this one. As well as being high in protein, eggs- as in, a key ingredient in your eggnog- contain biotin. Biotin is a B vitamin which is essential for scalp health and hair growth… meaning technically, there are some benefits to your Christmas tipple. Just don’t be downing them like water on a hot day because we’ve said that.
The cheeseboard
Ah, the cheeseboard- because after a day of eating, opening presents, eating, socialising with family members, eating, watching questionable TV, and- you guessed it- eating again, there is no better way to end the day than by settling down in bed with a good old plate of your favourite dairy selection. Luckily, as it turns out, certain cheeses are filled with protein, and a rich source of calcium, which is useful to maintain healthy, shiny hair.