The Single Most Important Step – NUTRITION
The food you eat and what goes in your body is simply the most important factor in changing the health and thickness of your hair. It is important to understand 10,000 HEADS works its wonders synergistically, practicing all the steps in unison, will give you optimum results, I have had some absolutely amazing stories come back to me. I am finding that people in other areas than LA, don’t think the importance of Nutrition is high enough. I cannot stress it enough; Nutrition; step1 will always be the most important step and is the backbone of the program.
This is also the single most difficult step to get women to follow through on. When changing food intake, it can take weeks or months for results to be apparent, many give up too early, feeling as though the change didn’t help. Hang in there, the change will come I have seen it over and over. As a scientist, as a Cosmetologist and as a Cosmetic Chemist, I survey thousands of heads of hair, paying attention to patterns and forming hypothesis on ‘why’ a particular person has a good head of hair and how it got to be that way, I came up with 3 common denominators of every person with enviable hair:
- excellent nutrition/eating habits
- no smoking, no drinking/drugs
- no weight issues - fairly stress-free
- no overuse or improper use of hair coloring technique
The misconception of the NUTRITION step is that you must be on a very specific ‘diet’ of certain items. Nothing could be further from the truth. This step does not restrict you from any foods; on the contrary, I ask that you follow a well balanced sensible diet that will contribute to the growth and health of your hair. 
So I encourage you to add foods that most likely you are not eating…Lots of Protein, Lots of Vegetables - -Lots of Water. Of course I do not encourage eating a lot of sugary, gooey, junk either. Be sensible. Try remembering this, “what goes in your mouth, shows up on your head” a terrific rule of thumb.
Forensics can use a one strand hair analysis to disclose just about everything on a person and it is extremely accurate - your hair is a reflection of your health – period. Don’t you think if 1 hair strand can tell you that much about a persons health, that it packs a punch much bigger than “looking pretty’??!
All foods you eat are eventually converted to simple compounds the body is able to utilize, glucose being the one that supplies the energy for all cellular reproduction – including the cells in the hair follicles (remember, follicle cell reproduction is one of the quickest in the body). So keeping the body nourished is imperative for healthy hair and for hair regrowth, starving yourself will shut down cell reproduction which in turn shuts down hair RE-GROWING.
The number 1 mistake that just about every person with hair problems makes is . . .lack of protein. Hair is made up protein and thrives on protein, listening to women over the years recite their diet choices, leaves me stunned with the same conclusion, their diets are what started their problems. Vegetarians have a very hard time having luxurious hair, they must put protein back in their daily diet, making sure to have it at breakfast, which is the most important meal of the day for your hair; do not skip it. Lunch is next in importance, again making sure that you include as much protein as you possibly can, strive for 50 grams of protein a day minimum. 
I have found a terrific protein supplement online, it is the Lindora Clinic’s Protein bar, the taste earns the “delicious’ award, if you can believe that – and you can get a whopping 15 grams of protein out of some of the flavors http://shop.lindora.com/Protein-Bars-and-Snacks_stcVVcatId476054VVviewcat.htm from Lindora medical clinic . 
The energy to your hair follicles gets depleted when you have gone for more than 4 hours without eating or snacking. Why would that matter? its difficult to explain without an entire encyclopedia of information behind it..but basically it boils down to……..the cells that reproduce in order to form a new hair strand occurs over and over all day long. If that energy is “broken” and not kept up????? Is what will cause hair thinning and hair loss. Remember the hair strand is terminal, it has an approx. 5 year life cycle on your head. When it finally does die off, you want that continuous Cycle to keep going without ANY INTERRUPTION. Eating small protein packed snacks will help there to be No interruption.
Other ideal snacks for your hair health are fresh fruit, raw vegetables, nuts, there is nothing better (or more convenient) than a handful of almonds or a protein bar for the shine in your hair.
Colourful fruits and vegetables added to the daily diet are a necessity as well. The best way to summarize it is to say; reach for the most colourful vege’s, picking some in each color category. No one eats sufficiently in this category and the only reason I can pinpoint is; they take too long to prepare. Which is a weak answer, in my book. But, it is what it is. The solution? Hit the Farmers market every week, it takes an hour-go immediately home: wash and prepare all the veges for the week. Carrot sticks, Celery & p-nut butter, sliced cucumbers, lettuce for salads. Most everyone now-a-days is in a rush...this facilitates grabbing something good for your hair when there is no time.
If you smoke - QUIT- if for no other reason than you are killing your hair. . . that sounds harsh, but in essence – you are. Smoking robs your body of oxygen which in turn robs your hair of oxygen filled blood. . .whose job it is to nourish the hair follicle.
See the blood vessels and how they go to the base of the one hair follicle, that is the bulb inside, where the cell regeneration happens and the new hair grows. You don’t need to be a chemist to see that blood feeds the follicle; therefore what is IN the blood effects the hair. Likewise, for alcohol and drugs, if you drink too much – cut back or quit if it is a problem in your life – social drinking is fine. If you smoke too much dope, just remember why they call it dope, Pot is bad for hair, skin and nails, the sooner you quit the higher the likelihood you will have of its good qualities returning. When you get older ( 50’s-60’s) you start to notice the people that did not do any of these things when they were younger, the difference in their hair, skin and nails is nothing short of amazing. Be smart, quit now, while you’re ahead!
If you crash diet or have any of the disruptive habits of an eating disorder, your hair unfortunately, will be the first casualty. I spent 4 years volunteering at an Anorexia/ Bulimia live-in center, when the girls had a good week, they were allowed to get their hair coloured. The hair on some of those girls was irreparable; they had robbed their bodies of nutrients for so long that many of them could not recover the health of their hair, once cured . . .it was terribly sad to watch as many were very young. The cure came too late and no one had told them anorexia/bulimia was hell on hair. I feel that one fact alone would help prevent some of this disease, girls love their hair and hate to lose it.
Starving yourself, eliminating protein and neglecting certain food groups is not the way to a healthy head of hair. . . Plug protein into your diet, starting immediately if your hair is thinning or alopecia is your diagnosis. The change will not be apparent for a while but I assure you… it will come.
Food and a balanced diet is imperative for your hair to grow and re-grow, you must understand fully how the cycles work in order for you to see how absolutely necessary it is to eat correctly.
I believe NUTRITION is the Number 1 Step, and while no one wants to work on their nutrition, it is the most important of the 14 steps in gaining that strong – shiny – lustrous hair. Start with Baby Steps. . . just begin with carrots and protein bars……become accustomed to those. Begin with 2 glasses of water per day . . . working your way up as YOU and YOUR BODY can take it.
Happy Birthday America
Happy Birthday to US . . . be sure to HUG AN AMERICAN
Killer Chemist
