Looking for ways on how to keep hair healthy? Here are some tips on boosting hair strength!

Keeping hair healthy

Many of us worry about hair loss, unhealthy scalps, split ends, and frizzy hair. Whilst there are numerous hair care products and treatments available in stores and salons, we tend to get overwhelmed with which solution works best.

Some practical ways on how to keep hair healthy include:

• Applying shampoo to the scalp rather than your actual hair
• Using conditioner after shampooing
• Concentrating conditioner to the tips of your hair
• Using hair care products suited for your hair type
• Protecting your hair when swimming (1).

But apart from these practical tips, did you know that one of the tips on how to keep hair healthy is to consume cranberries? Here are some reasons why incorporating cranberry products, be it in fruit or supplement form, into your diet can boost hair health.

Cranberries are rich in vitamin C

Cranberries have many benefits for our general health since they contain fibre, vitamin E, antioxidants, and just like many other fruits, vitamin C (2, 3).

Vitamin C not only acts as an antioxidant, but it is also essential in collagen formation. Collagen contains some amino acids that the body needs to create keratin, an important protein that keeps the hair healthy (2, 3).

Cranberries help maintain hydrogen bonds in hair

As mentioned earlier, one way on how to get healthy hair is to protect the strands when swimming or spending time in the sun.

The blistering summer heat can be a bother for many of us, and we may find ourselves trying to cool off by taking a dip in the beach or a swimming pool. This often helps us beat the heat, but it can be damaging to our hair health.

Swimming in chlorinated or salted water can damage our hair as the hydrogen bonds in our hair are easily broken by water. The humidity during summer can also damage our hydrogen bonds leading to hair fall, and overexposure to UV rays during summer can cause hair to become more dry and brittle (2).

Hydrogen bonds are temporary bonds that change the style of our hair when heat is applied. When we lose hydrogen bonds, our hair may get frizzy or even get damaged and fall off - this is why it’s important that we take care of it.

The good news is, keratin can help maintain the hydrogen bonds in hair. Keratin, a strong fibrous protein, helps keep your hair’s elasticity by retaining hydrogen bonds (4).

Consuming cranberries help boost collagen production, which then helps in keratin formation.

How to keep hair healthy: Consider supplementation

If you want to add more cranberries to your diet, but want to purchase and consume the whole fruit, remember that there are available cranberry juice brands on the market. You can also consider taking cranberry supplements.

Achieving healthy hair and keeping it that way can be tricky, but with the right practices and supplementation - you can keep it strong and lustrous all-year-round!

If you’re looking to supplement your diet with cranberry in order to keep your hair healthy, Vitable Australia’s daily vitamin subscription is a great way to do just that. We provide personalised vitamins for all of your health goals. Our vitamin delivery service in Australia also ensures you receive your daily vitamin packs on time!

Find out more about other supplements that can support hair health:

Zinc | Cranberry | Collagen | Biotin

*Always read the label. Follow the directions for use. If symptoms persist, talk to your health professional. Vitamin and/or mineral supplements should not replace a balanced diet.

References:

1. American Academy of Dermatology Association. “Tips for Healthy Hair”.American Academy of Dermatology Association. Published (n.d.) on https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/hair-scalp-care/hair/healthy-hair-tips. Accessed December 1, 2021
2. Wisconsin Cranberries. “What’s in a cranberry?”. Wisconsin Cranberries. Published (n.d.) on http://www.wiscran.org/health/whats-in-a-cranberry/. Accessed December 1, 2021.
3. Vitable. “Cranberry”. Vitable. Published (n.d.) on https://research.vitable.com.au/cranberry. Accessed December 1, 2021.
4. Fei-Chi Yang, Yuchen Zhang, and Maikel C. Rheinstädter. “The structure of people’s hair”. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Published October 14, 2014 on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4201279/. Accessed December 1, 2021.