by Marie N. Riddle

Created on: February 06, 2009   Last Updated: July 04, 2009

First and foremost, the best way to grow long, healthy hair is to simply be healthy. If your body is not healthy, your hair will suffer. Smoking, excessive caffeine, dehydration, poor diet, and lack of exercise can all slow hair growth and leave it brittle, frizzy, and dull.

Diet:

Your hair is essentially dead protein, so a diet that includes enough protein is essential. Try to get most of your recommended amount from tree nuts, soy and fish; these are all particularly good because they contain healthy fats like omega 3's, which have been shown to help keep your hair healthy and shiny. Vitamins and minerals are also important to keep your hair at its best; deficiencies in many of these can cause hair loss, slow growth and poor hair condition, so a daily multi is important. You also should try to include five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, with at least one in each color group (red, green, white, blue or purple, and orange or yellow) to ensure you get a variety of vitamins and minerals. Make sure you get six to ten glasses of water a day as dehydration can dry out your hair and leave it prone to breakage. And try to cut down on caffeine, alcohol, and junk foods as much as possible.

Exercise and Other Habits:

Sleeping at least six hours a night can also be important for healthy hair because lack of sleep can cause thyroid problems and extreme stress, and both of these can cause problems with the health of your hair. You should also try to exercise regularly, and as far as improving sleep quality and reducing stress, there is nothing better than a moderate exercise routine. Shoot for around thirty minutes a day, three times a week. And conversely, a lack of exercise can cause your metabolism to slow, which in turn can slow hair growth. One of the most important things to avoid is cigarette smoke. Not only is smoking yourself bad for your hair, just being around cigarette smoke can leave a residue on your hair, which can leave your locks dry and dull.

The next thing to remember if you really want to grow long, healthy, hair is to take good care of it. Hair cannot restore itself because it is dead, so if you want to keep it looking great you have to avoid damaging it in the first place. There are a lot of habits that must be broken before your hair will look its best.

Be Careful:

Never use any hair ties with metal parts or rubber; use 'ouchless' accessories. Don't wear your hair the same way every day, first of all you will stress the

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