By Angela Vertucci

If you’re looking for a solution to dry, damaged, or thinning hair, look no further than your fridge. Like a healthy body and vibrant skin, beautiful hair starts with what you eat. Dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner reported to WebMD that “Your hair grows about 1/4 to 1/2 inch every month, and the foundation of all of our new hair, skin, and nail growth is the nutrients we eat. If you eat a healthy diet, you will grow stronger and healthier cells throughout your entire body — inside and out.”

Hair is made from three layers of dead skin cells called keratin, the same hard protein that forms nails. Foods rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, biotin and vitamins B-12, A and C are key to supercharging your hair health! According to dieticians, the top ten foods for promoting a healthy scalp and gorgeous hair are salmon, dark green vegetables, beans, nuts, poultry, eggs, whole grains, oysters, low-fat dairy products, and carrots.

Not only can the food you eat help you to get vibrant, beautiful hair, but certain foods can also boost hair health when applied topically to your scalp. So how far are you willing to go for luscious locks? Would you crack an egg on your head or coat your hair in mayonnaise? Livestrong.com has provided these messy but effective home remedies for healthy hair.

1) Olive Oil Deep Treatment
Apply 4 tbsp. of olive oil to hair. Massage the oil into scalp and hair. Distribute oil evenly throughout hair using comb. Wrap head in towel and leave on for 30 minutes. Shampoo hair twice after treatment. Leave olive oil in hair overnight for additional conditioning. Olive oil will strengthen hair and prevent breakage.

2) Egg Yolk Treatment
Mix three egg yolks, 1 tbsp. olive oil, and three drops of vitamin E. Mix well. Apply to damp hair. Leave treatment on hair for 10 minutes. Rinse and shampoo hair as normal. The egg yolk will soften and condition hair.

3) Banana Avocado Treatment for Dry Hair
Squash a ripened banana and avocado into a puree. Apply the mixture to hair and leave on for 15 minutes. The treatment will cure dry, damaged hair. Wash out hair in the kitchen sink with a garbage disposal to avoid clogging drain pipes.

4) Mayonnaise Treatment
Apply mayonnaise thickly to damp hair. Apply plastic wrap to head and leave treatment on hair from 15 minutes to 1 hour. Rinse well and shampoo. Mayonnaise is an excellent deep conditioner.

5) Beer Shine Treatment
Place beer into a pump spray bottle. Shampoo and lightly towel dry hair. Lightly spray beer into hair. Blow dry and style hair as usual. The beer odor will disappear once hair is dry. The beer will add additional shine to hair.

For an additional hair health boost consider taking a vitamin supplement. While most daily multi-vitamins provide several of the nutrients that improve hair quality, you can also purchase supplements specifically designed to support hair health. The price range for hair vitamins is expansive. For example, a one month supply of Hair, Skin & Nails by Nature’s Bounty can be purchased in most drug stores for about $10, while vitamins like the celebrity acclaimed Viviscal costs about $30 a month. The highly rated Hair Essentials for Hair Growth by Natural Wellbeing, costs about $40 a month. I personally have tried both the Nature’s Bounty and Natural Wellbeing vitamins and have had very pleasing results after several months of using Natural Wellbeing’s product. It is important to note, however, that dieticians warn against excessive intake of certain vitamins including vitamin A and zinc, which, if ingested in extremely high quantities, can actually cause hair loss.

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