Beauty is only 100 micrometers deep. That's about the diameter of a hair, a mighty small thing, especially considering we spend about $60 million yearly trying products designed to eliminate bad hair days.
But rather than globbing more expensive stuff on the outside of our hair, we should baby our hair from the inside.
Though it's unspectacular, the magic "pill" for beautiful hair seems to be the right food, including a compound that many people are trying to cut down on.
The idea of people eating certain foods for shiny, thick hair is supported by Oprah Winfrey's doc, Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author with Michael F. Roizen of "You: Being Beautiful: The Owner's Manual to Inner and Outer Beauty."
The straw test
Oz has been making the TV circuit recently, demonstrating the care and feeding of healthy hair. One test he recommends is grasping a lock of hair about the diameter of a drinking straw, then firmly sliding your fingers straight out over those hairs from the roots to the ends. Then count the number of hairs left in your fingers. If there are more than six, your hair may be thinning.
Chemicals beat up our hair as we search for the "right" look. Hair dryers, curling irons and hair straightening devices take their toll. Individual hairs become thinner, frazzled, dull and broken. Genetics also play a role.
Shine on
The recent Oz book says B6, biotin, folate and lysine feed a beautiful head of hair. Light up the shine in your hair by including in your diet such things as fish, distilled fish oils and DHA supplements. Try these foods: walnuts, flaxseed, avocados, eggs and sardines.
The surprise ingredient that actually helps your hair? Caffeine! Don't go crazy with it, for your heart's sake, but it does decrease DHT, a testosterone-related hormone that thins hair.
Oz also suggests trying to wash your hair only when it's dirty rather than daily. He said we should treat our hair like a fine silk blouse.
Questions?
If you have beauty questions, e-mail them to me at scolberg@opub
co.com and write "Beauty questions" in the subject line. We'll get answers from experts to the most-asked questions. To see more of The Oklahoman, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsok.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
Copyright (C) 2008, The Oklahoman, Oklahoma City