Broccoli, that cute little tree that most of us turned our noses up at when we were little and our parents tried to coerce us into eating it. Maybe you grew into tolerating it, and maybe as you became an adult you grew to actually LOVE it!
That would be me. While you won’t catch me eating it raw dipped in hummus, I can eat an entire bunch in one sitting, but it has to be cooked just right.
We all know that this cruciferous veggie is good for our bodies in so many ways, but did you know that broccoli for hair growth support is a thing?
Let’s break down the 4 ways how to use broccoli for hair.
Eating broccoli for hair growth support:
This powerful cruciferous bunch is loaded with nutrients that do a body good. Eat away every chance you get.
Here is a small breakdown of what broccoli has to offer for our hair:
Vitamins and Minerals contained in Broccoli:
Vitamins:
Vitamin K- this nutrient tells dietary calcium where to go in the body. It is important for calcium to go into your bones, not into other areas of the body. Indirectly, this vitamin helps to prevent scalp calcification, we want healthy blood flow, not build-up
Vitamin C- a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant which can help against oxidative stress and early graying
Vitamin A- supports hair in the growth phase
Folate – helps support the prevention of graying hair, enhances hair growth, helps protect from hair thinning, Vitamin B6 – helps reduce hair loss
Minerals:
Manganese, Potassium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Calcium
(Our bodies need optimal levels of certain minerals. These are always best to get directly from food because the body knows what to do with them. If you are suspicious that you might have a mineral imbalance, I highly recommend getting a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis done with a follow up from a Functional Practitioner to start working on your optimal levels.)
Tryptophan – an amino acid that is found in the hair protein structure, Threonine, Isoleucine, Leucine
Lysine – Shows promising results in supporting hair growth, Methionine, Cystine – Has been shown to help in hair growth, Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, Valine, Histidine
This study showed that people with certain amino acid deficiencies are more prone to hair loss. Amino Acids are the building blocks of all protein in our bodies. We want to make sure to get what we need to thrive.
Carotenoids – Beta Carotene – (this nutrient turns into vitamin A in the body and supports the hair follicle stem cells to induce the growth phase)
Lutein, Zeaxanthin. Quercetin – Due to its anti-inflammatory properties it has been shown to encourage hair growth
Indole-3-carbinol – the natural precursor to DIM is helpful in people who need support with estrogen dominance which has been shown to inhibit hair growth, Kaempferol a polyphenol antioxidant has been shown to increase hair cell replication
Consuming an extract from broccoli for hair:
There is yet another plant compound in broccoli that is a superhero.
It is called Sulforaphane – a sulfur compound shown to help with hair loss (even more abundant in broccoli sprouts). Sulfur is a powerful mineral that is abundant in the body. Sulforaphane is showing promising results for anxiety and autism spectrum disorder as well.
While when eating broccoli or broccoli sprouts will give you a hit of this magical nutrient, many people are turning to a supplement form to get it abundant medicinal amounts.
You can get the sulforaphane supplement we like here – (Hair Training Lab referral link)
Use broccoli on your ends:
Now that we talked about eating broccoli and the sulforaphane extract, now we are moving on to the seeds.
Broccoli Seed extract.
This neat little plant oil can be a great replacement for products that you use which contain silicones. While silicones have their place in the hair world, some people prefer not to use them and opt for a more natural option.
Whenever using natural plant oils, know that many of them are sensitive to heat and light and may not have a high heat point. If an oil that does not have a high heat point is heated, it will not give your hair the heat protection that it needs, but may even accelerate the heat damage.
This is no good.
Do NOT heat this oil: Broccoli seed oil should not be heated, this little treasure can be used on your ends or mixed with some of your other styling products and used on a day that you are air-drying your hair and not touching the heat tools. Keep in mind whether or not you might use heat tools in the coming days if you do not plan on washing your hair and using proper heat protection.
One of the other great ways to use this oil is on your scalp.
Broccoli for hair as a scalp treatment:
One of the best self-care rituals you can do is to give yourself scalp massages. Not only does it promote hair growth by stimulating the blood flow to your follicles, but it feels amazing and relaxes you within seconds.
Using different oils, essential oils, and carrier oils on your scalp can bring vital nutrients to your follicles. The essential fats and antioxidants in broccoli seed oil can provide healthy moisture to your scalp. This is our favorite organic broccoli seed oil. (Hair Training Lab referral link)
Divide your hair into 4 sections. Add a few drops of broccoli seed oil to the scalp in each section, and then take your scalp brush and use it to massage the oil into your scalp. Let it sit for 10-20 minutes before washing your hair. This is our favorite scalp brush for this treatment. Our readers can save 20% off their first order using our referral link, you will see the code HAIRTRAINING20 at checkout.
A healthy scalp = healthier hair! All great hair growth starts from within, then at the root, and then in the care that you take of your tresses along the way.
Now that you know 4 ways you can use broccoli for hair growth support, which one will you try first?
-Clean Hair Guru
P.S. If you want to read more about the 5 things you’ve got to stop doing right away if you want your hair to grow long and stay long you can read about them here.
