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How to keep hair healthy with cranberry

How to keep hair healthy with cranberry

by Jacinta Horan in Wellness Blog

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.get.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.
Tags: Cranberry Hair
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Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/nutrient-reference-values/nutrients/biotin Office of Dietary Supplements. (2017, December 8). Biotin - Health Professional Fact Sheet. National Institutes of Health. Retrieved December 6, 2024, from https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Biotin-HealthProfessional/ Guo, Emily L, and Rajani Katta. “Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use.” Dermatology practical & conceptual vol. 7,1 1-10. 31 Jan. 2017, doi:10.5826/dpc.0701a01 Yelich A, Jenkins H, Holt S, Miller R. Biotin for Hair Loss: Teasing Out the Evidence. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2024 Aug;17(8):56-61. PMID: 39148962; PMCID: PMC11324195. Patel DP, Swink SM, Castelo-Soccio L. A Review of the Use of Biotin for Hair Loss. Skin Appendage Disord. 2017;3(3):166-169. doi:10.1159/000462981  Yang JC, Jacobs JP, Hwang M, Sabui S, Liang F, Said HM, Skupsky J. Biotin Deficiency Induces Intestinal Dysbiosis Associated with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease-like Phenotype. Nutrients. 2023 Jan 4;15(2):264. doi: 10.3390/nu15020264

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Vitamin and/or mineral supplements should not replace a balanced diet.References:1. MedlinePlus. Stress and your Health. MedlinePlus. Published on 2021 September 1 on https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003211.htm. Accessed 2021 September 3.2. Cleveland Clinic. What is Ashwagandha? Cleveland Clinic. Published on 2021 May 5 on https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-is-ashwagandha/. Accessed 2021 September 3.3. Lopresti, Smith, Malvi, & Kodgule. An investigation into the stress-relieving and pharmacological actions of an ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Published 2019 September on https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/fulltext/2019/09130/an_investigation_into_the_stress_relieving_and.67.aspx. Accessed 2021 September 3. 4. Galland L. Magnesium, stress and neuropsychiatric disorders. Magnes Trace Elem. Published 1991-1992 on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1844561/ . Accessed 2021 September 3.5. Seelig, M. S. Consequences of magnesium deficiency on the enhancement of stress reactions; preventive and therapeutic implications (a review). J Am Coll Nutr. Published 1994 Oct on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7836621/ . Accessed 2021 September 3.6. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products Nutrition and Allergies (NDA). Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for magnesium. EFSA J. Published 2015 on https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2903/j.efsa.2015.4186. Accessed 2021 September 3.7. Pickering, Mazur, Trousselard, Bienkowski, Yaltsewa, Amessou, Noah & Pouteau. Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited. Nutrients. Published 2020 November 8 on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7761127/. Accessed 2021 September 3.8. Benton, D. To establish the parameters of optimal nutrition do we need to consider psychological in addition to physiological parameters? Mol Nutr Food Res. Published 2012 October 5 on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23038656/. Accessed 2021 September 3.9. Stough, Simpson, Lomas, McPhee, Billings, Myers, Oliver, & Downey. Reducing occupational stress with a B-vitamin focussed intervention: a randomized clinical trial: study protocol. Nutr J. Published 2014 December 22 on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4290459/ .10. Fazelian, et al. Effect of Vitamin D Supplement on Mood Status and Inflammation in Vitamin D Deficient Type 2 Diabetic Women with Anxiety: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Int J Prev Med. Published 2019 February 12 on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6390422/. Accessed 2021 September 3.11. Hall-Flavin. Vitamin B-12 and depression: are they related? Mayo Clinic. Published 2018 June 1 on https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/expert-answers/vitamin-b12-and-depression/faq-20058077 . Accessed 2021 September 3.12. Alsmadi, et al. The effect of Ginkgo biloba and psycho-education on stress, anxiety and fatigue among refugees. Singapore Healthcare. Published 2017 June 27 on https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2010105817716184. Accessed 2021 September 3.13. Iacopo Chiodini, Alfredo Scillitani. Role of cortisol hypersecretion in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. NCBI. Published on 2008 June on https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18710063/. Accessed 2021 September 19.14. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037. July 2021.15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557845/. Mar 2021.

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