Juicing Recipes for Healthy Hair and a Healthy Scalp
*This post may contain affiliate links
Juicing for hair health could help improve hair strength, quality and luster.
If you are looking for thick, shiny, vibrant, healthy hair and a healthy scalp, then making sure you get the nutrients you need every day is going to provide the foundation and maintenance for this.
Hair and the scalp need vitamins, minerals, fats and antioxidants working together in synergy for optimum health. Juicing for hair health and juicing for scalp health can help provide this nutritional foundation.
Here we will look at some important nutrients and their food sources so that we can make sure that our hair and scalp health become a part of our juicing routine.
It's also important to note that most of the nutrition required for healthy, shiny hair and a well-lubricated scalp overlap strongly with the nutrition required for healthy skin and nails too. So drinking juice for healthy hair and scalp will be of benefit to the skin and nails and a lot more. Enjoy!
This vitamin is super important to overall hair health. All cells in the body need vitamin A for growth, whether it be skin, nails or hair. Since hair is the tissue in the human body that grows the fastest, it's vital that we meet (at minimum) the daily recommended allowance of vitamin A to keep our hair growing.
Equally as important, vitamin A is essential for skin glands to create sebum, the oily substance that moisturizes the scalp and maintains healthy hair.
Foods to juice for Vitamin A. Generally all orange-colored fruits and vegetables are a great source of vitamin A. Well technically they are a source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that provides the orange hue and is converted in the body to vitamin A.
Sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, cantaloupe melon, red or orange bell peppers, watermelon and apricots are excellent choices for your juices for hair health.
Note that dark leafy greens such as kale, spinach, bok choy and Swiss chard are great sources of beta-carotene also.
So how come these leafy greens are not orange-hued if they are high in beta-carotene? A good question. It's simply because the extremely high chlorophyll content in these leafy greens outweighs the amount of beta-carotene. Chlorophyll provides the green hue in plants.
This is also the reason that tree leaves in autumn start turning an orange color. Once the leaves begin to die, they no longer make chlorophyll via photosynthesis and the beta-carotene orange hues start to come through instead. Interesting stuff.
Vitamin C
Famous for boosting the immune system and helping protect us from colds, vitamin C is also crucial for the health of skin, nails and hair.
First and foremost, this vitamin is an essential component of collagen, the structural glue that holds skin, nails and hair cells together.
Vitamin C deficiency is not common these days, but it does lead to scurvy, a disease in which the skin starts to break down and basically fall apart. The same applies to hair and nails. Dry and splitting hair is a symptom of vitamin C deficiency.
Hair follicles, just like the skin, are subject to aging. Premature hair loss, premature loss of thickness and premature graying are shown to be caused by oxidative stress. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that combats oxidative stress and can therefore be an integral part of keeping our hair younger for longer.
Another important role of Vitamin C in hair health is iron absorption. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron, a nutrient essential for hair growth.
Foods to Juice for Vitamin C. All fruits and vegetables contain vitamin C to varying degrees. However, those highest in this nutrient are citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, cantaloupe melon, mango, pineapple, berries, watermelon, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, bok choy, turnip greens), sweet potatoes, tomatoes and winter squash.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E has long been known for its powerful antioxidant properties that protect cells from free radical damage. This has made vitamin E a staple ingredient in many skin creams and dermatological topical treatments since the 1950s.
However, it has become popular more recently as a treatment for damaged, frizzy and unmanageable hair. Let's look more closely into vitamin E's hair and scalp health benefits.
There is some evidence that vitamin E may help with scalp health through its ability to improve blood flow throughout the body. A study in 1999 found that high doses of vitamin E improved blood flow into the eyes of participants with type 1 diabetes.
Another study discovered that improved blood supply increased hair follicle quality and size and promoted hair growth in mice. There are no direct studies on human subjects at this point.
Evidence does point however to improved blood circulation helping deliver more nutrients to cells around the body, including the scalp and hair. It makes sense.
Vitamin E may also help prevent hair loss. A small-scale study in 2010 discovered that vitamin E supplementation improves hair growth in those with hair loss. It is believed that the antioxidant qualities of this vitamin reduce oxidative damage to the cells of the scalp and oxidative stress is linked to hair loss.
Foods to Juice for Vitamin E.Red bell pepper, mango, turnip greens, spinach, Swiss chard, butternut squash, beet greens and kiwifruit.
Additional Vitamins for Hair and Scalp Health
Sweet potatoes contain many of the nutrients required for healthy hair and scalp.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid)
This B vitamin contributes to hair flexibility, hair strength and luster. B5 also helps prevent hair loss and retains melanin which helps prevent hair from turning grey.
Foods to juice for Vitamin B5.Sweet potatoes and cauliflower. 1 cup of cauliflower provides 0.7 mg of vitamin B5 (7% of the recommended daily allowance) and 1 cup of sweet potato cubes provides 1.1 mg (11% of the recommended daily allowance).
Note that while cauliflower and sweet potatoes are good sources of vitamin B5, sunflower seeds are an excellent source. 3 oz of sunflower seeds provide 6 mg of vitamin B5 - 60% of the recommended daily allowance. Throw them in a smoothie or add them to salads to get a high dose of this vitamin.
Biotin (Vitamin H)
Biotin is a nutrient that belongs to the B-vitamin complex family and is sometimes referred to as vitamin H. There have been several studies that have linked biotin supplementation helps improve hair growth in women with thinning hair.
A study in 2012 and a study in 2015 gave women MPS (oral marine protein supplement) that contained biotin or a placebo. In both studies, a noticeable increase in hair growth was perceived.
Researchers are not completely sure why biotin shows improvement in hair growth other than it improves the keratin structure in the body. Keratin is a simple protein that composes nails, hair and skin.
Foods to Juice for Biotin.Cauliflower, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, strawberries and spinach.
Minerals for Hair and Scalp Health
Selenium
Above we talked about the importance of vitamin E as an antioxidant and protecting scalp cells. As with most things in nutrition within the body, synergy is more important than any singular nutrient. They work together.
This is the case for selenium, when combined with Vitamin E the antioxidant effects are greatly increased, especially in the case of reducing peroxide concentration within cells.
In addition to its antioxidant abilities, selenium is essential to iodine metabolism and iodine is essential to the proper function of the thyroid gland.
Selenium deficiency leads to poor hair growth and more concerning is a risk factor for heart disease and cancer.
Foods to Juice for Selenium. Juicing is not actually the best way to get enough selenium into our diets. Leafy greens will provide a little selenium and dark leafy greens should be the foundation of a juicing program, but adding just a few brazil nuts a day is the way to go. Just a handful of these nuts provide almost 10,000% of the recommended daily dose of selenium. Enjoy!
Calcium
Calcium has many essential roles in the body (including bone health and proper muscle function) and that includes stimulating cell mediators that act upon cell-membrane phospholipids within hair-follicle cells.
Since this important mineral is one that many Americans fail to get enough of each day, we should make sure we are at least meeting the daily recommended allowance of 100-200 mg.
Foods to Juice for Calcium. Some dark leafy greens are a good source of calcium: spinach, kale and collard greens. Note though that spinach is also high in oxalates, a compound that inhibits calcium absorption into the body.
Collard greens on the other hand a very low in oxalates and are therefore a much better choice. Still, one cup of collard greens only gets you about 5% of the RDI.
To really increase your intake of calcium, add yogurt and poppy seeds to your diet, both are great sources of calcium
Juice Recipes for Hair Health
If you look through the recommended food sources for each of the nutrients above, you will find some foods that show up often: sweet potatoes, butternut squash and red bell pepper. While these are not the most commonly juiced vegetables, they are excellent options for hair and scalp health and thus will be the foundation of many of the juice recipes here.
Recipe #1 - Sweet Butternut Carotene Booster
This juice is going to provide a mega-dose of carotenoid antioxidants, including the hair healthy beta-carotene.
The "Sweet Butternut Carotene Booster" juice recipe is an antioxidant-rich drink that contributes to hair health.
Carotenoids are a family of antioxidants of which beta-carotene is just one and they provide a plethora of health benefits. You can learn more about these amazing antioxidants at LiveScience, but just now that you are get a wide variety of them and a large quantity of them with a mix of sweet potatoes, butternut squash and carrots.
1 medium to large sweet potato
2 cups of butternut squash
2 large carrots
Recipe #2 - The Healthy Hair and Scalp Juice
This hair healthy juice recipe brings together one of each of the best food sources for each of the nutrients listed above. Sweet potato for Vitamin A (beta-carotene), vitamin B5, biotin and vitamin C; Swiss chard for more Vitamin A and Vitamin C and also vitamin E, a little selenium & calcium; red bell pepper for vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E.
1 medium sweet potato
1 handful of Swiss chard
1/2 a red bell pepper
1 or more carrots to taste (to add sweetness and more palatability)
Recipe #3 - Healthy Hair Cruciferous Detox Juice
Removing unwanted toxic material from our cells is equally as important to providing the nutrition we need for overall health and wellness. This applies to healthy hair and scalp too.
This recipe provides nutrition for healthy hair, scalp, skin and nails while also providing the powerful detoxification abilities of cruciferous vegetables - in this case, cauliflower and broccoli.
1 cup of broccoli heads
1 cup of cauliflower (the head)
1/2 red bell pepper
2 red apples
Recipe #4 - The V8 Hair Juice
Here we are taking the classic V8 juice and adjusting it a little for greater hair and scalp support. Although it must be noted that the original ingredients of the V8 are no slouch either!
1 vine-ripened tomato
2 carrots
1 stalk of celery
1/2 a beet
Handful of parsley
1/4 sweet potato
Handful of watercress
Handful of Swiss chard
Recipe #5 - Berry Nice Hair Juice
Here we enjoy the hair and scalp health benefits solely from the berry kingdom. Blueberries provide us with both hair-healthy vitamins A and E. Blackberries provide some selenium, calcium, plus vitamins A, C & E. Strawberries provide biotin. Raspberries are a decent source of pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).
There are so many health benefits to juicing fresh fruits, vegetables, grasses & herbs regularly. They provide us a mega-dose of phytochemicals, antioxidants, living enzymes, vitamins and minerals in every glass; helping protect us from a myriad of diseases, reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system and much much more. A daily glass of juice goes […]
The Convenience Of A Blender and Juicer In One Now that the power of fresh juice, whether blended or juiced, is becoming ever more clear with the advent of great documentaries like "Fat Sick and Nearly Dead", and even infomercials such as the Jack LaLanne Juicer machine, more of us are inspired to add fresh […]
The Breville juice fountain elite juicer machine, also known as the 'Breville die-cast juice fountain elite' and the 'breville juice fountain elite 800jexl' is one of the most popular and well reviewed of juicers. It is next to impossible to find a bad review about this machine, and I can attest to this first hand. […]
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.