5 FOODS THAT NOURISH YOUR SKIN AND HAIR

You have a nice dewy sheen and luscious flowing locks totally naturally, right? No? If you're anything like us (read: not a magical mermaid), you might experience hyperpigmentation, oiliness, redness, and acne from time to time. As for your hair, you might have some dullness, split ends, slow growth, or even hair loss.

One way to keep things in check and make sure you’re feeling and looking your best is to eat beauty foods. Yes, there are foods specifically for hair and skin. We’re going to focus on which nutrients and ingredients best serve you during this time, particularly when you’re trying to get your complexion and your mane in top form.

Water. OK, not a food, but it’s so important! When it comes to water-dense foods, you can eat your H2O with hydrating foods like watermelon and cucumber. Staying hydrated is absolutely essential to optimal hair, skin, and nails, so on top of chugging water, you’ll want to “eat your water” as well.

Healthy Fats. Think: salmon and fatty fish, avocados, walnuts, chia seeds, coconut, grass-fed dairy, and pasture-raised eggs. This kind of fat is actually good for you, and an essential macronutrient. Plus, it helps nourish your skin and hair, and thanks to those omega-3 fatty acids, it can give you a serious mood boost too to help mitigate any hormonal crankiness. “Fat will help give you a really dewy, glowy skin tone,” said Bumpin Blends founder Lisa Mastela, MPH, RD. “Fat also makes your hair just so shiny and gorgeous!”

Biotin (aka B7). Alright so fat was a little easier to identify and get your head around, but biotin?? Where the heck do you get that?! It’s easier than you’d think — it’s in a lot of fish, as well as nuts and seeds. And since those foods have healthy fats as well, it’s “a double whammy for hair beautification,” said Lisa. You’ll also find biotin in eggs, cauliflower, almonds, and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin B6. Grab a banana or eat a spinach salad to get a healthy dose of B6. This is the vitamin you want to emphasize for hair health as well. Fun fact: even though B6 helps with the creation of red blood cells and neurotransmitters, your body doesn’t make it on its own, so you have to eat it! It’s most commonly found in animal proteins like pork, chicken, turkey, fish, and eggs — but you can also find it in the aforementioned plants like bananas and spinach.

Vitamin C. Citrus; berries; tropical fruits like pineapple, guava, papaya, mangoes and bananas (again with banana!); cantaloupe and watermelon; acerola cherries; kale, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. Vitamin C is pretty much everywhere you turn — if you’re in the produce section. Alongside vitamin A, this versatile water-soluble micronutrient will help emphasize that “mermaid glow.”

Here’s a hot tip: we’ve got something for you that blends up all the following (as you probably guessed) — a little water, some healthy fats and omega-3s, B6 and B7, and vitamins C and A. For that glow-up that’ll leave you lookin’ like a damn Pantene commercial, grab our Açaí Banana blend. It’s packed with all the ingredients you need like chia, spinach, and banana (remember how banana is like that beauty superfood?). Blend it with some coconut water to make it extra hydrating.