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Curly Haircare: These 20 Foods Are Actually Good to Put in Your Natural Hair!

By Jacqueline Samaroo

Eating healthy, nutritious foods is great for your hair! What’s also amazing is that some of these same foods are great to put ON your hair as a part of your curly haircare routine. They help to nourish, condition, strengthen, and protect your hair from the outside.

Ever thought of making an oatmeal hair mask? How about letting your hair soak up some beer? Find out the benefits of doing just that and lots more. This article takes a look at twenty foods your natural hair will think are simply yummy!

For each of these hair foods, you are best advised to start with fully detangled hair. Solid foods should be made into a smooth paste and you should rinse your hair thoroughly even for those foods that dissolve completely, like brown sugar. Nobody wants to be walking around with flecks of oatmeal in their hair and you certainly don’t want ants thinking your hair is a sweet snack!

1. Oatmeal

Oatmeal improves hair elasticity, relieves dryness, and soothes itching. It also moisturizes and softens hair. You can make a hair mask using oatmeal paste and water, adding in oils if you wish.

Related article:

• Get Biotin for Hair Growth with These 8 Yummy Recipes!

2. Carrots

Carrots are loaded with vitamin A, a very important nutrient for a healthy scalp. They are also a good source of vitamin B6 and vitamin K. You can use carrot juice as a leave-in spray. You can also use it to soak your hair before washing it out again. Carrot juice is also one of the ways you can color natural hair.

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• 6 Natural Ways to Color Natural Hair
  

3. Spinach

Spinach is rich in vitamin A, as well as in several B vitamins, especially folate (vitamin B9). It is also a good source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin K – a group of vitamins that stimulate hair growth and contribute to wound healing. You can make a hair mask of puréed spinach with oil of your choice mixed in.

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• Selenium for Hair Growth – 4 Fantastic Benefits
• Top 8 FAQs About the Benefits of Folic Acid for Hair Growth

4. Pumpkin

Your hair can help you make use of seasonal fruits and veggies, like pumpkin. This fall staple contains vitamin A, potassium, and zinc for hair growth. Purée pumpkin to make a hair mask and take advantage of its benefits as an excellent moisturizer for dry hair. It also helps to make hair shinier.

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• Enjoy The Benefits of Vitamin A for Hair with These 8 Easy Recipes
• 5 Amazing Benefits of Zinc for Hair Growth You NEED to Know!

5. Raw eggs

Eggs are a good food to put in your hair because they are so rich in protein – the building blocks of hair. You can whip eggs (with a little water, if you like) and apply to your hair. Let it sit for a few minutes then rinse – but NOT with hot water! It will cook the egg, making it extremely difficult to get out of your hair.

Related article:

• Homemade Conditioner for Frizzy Hair – 3 Super Easy Recipes

6. Yogurt

This yummy and healthy treat is a super way to give your hair and scalp a very effective deep conditioning treatment. Its lactic acid helps to cleanse your scalp of buildup. Plus, yogurt has phosphorus and an appreciable amount of zinc to aid hair growth.

Related articles:

• 8 Delicious Recipes Featuring Foods with Zinc for Hair Growth!
• 7 Best Deep Conditioners for Black Hair

7. Coconut milk

We know – coconut oil gets all the hype. But, did you know coconut milk is also very beneficial as an ingredient in curly haircare? It has protein, fatty acids, manganese, and phosphorus which help to deep condition your strands and scalp. It will leave your strands stronger and minimize the occurrence of split ends. Simply apply coconut milk to your hair, let it soak for a few minutes, then rinse it out.

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• 10 Popular Ingredients for Homemade Conditioner for Frizzy Hair
  

8. Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise comes packed with protein, vitamins, and fatty acids that your hair can take advantage of. Apply it to your freshly-washed hair, let it sit for around 15 minutes, then rinse it out.

Related article:

• 8 Yummy Recipes with Vitamin D Foods for Hair Growth

9. Apple juice

An apple a day keeps the doctor away and using apple juice in your hair will help to keep your locks shiny and healthy. Find out all about the nutrition facts and health benefits of apples, then give your hair a conditioning spritz of beneficial apple juice! It will help to deter dandruff and relieve itchiness, too.

Related article:

• 8 Common Causes of Dry Scalp Plus Easy Ways to Tell It’s Not Dandruff

10. Blackberries

Delicious blackberries are good sources of vitamin C, vitamin K, and manganese for hair growth. They also have several other phytochemicals (plant chemicals) that act as antioxidants, helping to protect and repair cell damage caused by free radicals and other environmental stressors.

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• 4 Amazing Benefits of Vitamin C for Hair Growth
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11. Ripe bananas

Using puréed bananas as a hair mask is an excellent way to nourish and strengthen your hair. They are one of the richest sources of silica, a mineral that helps your body make collagen. Collagen is one of the proteins needed for healthy scalp and hair tissue.  Find out more about foods high in silica, here.

12. Avocado

Avocadoes have gained a much-deserved reputation as a holy grail natural haircare ingredient. Avocado oil is routinely added to many curly haircare products and you can also take advantage of avocado’s benefits by DIYing your very own avocado hair mask!

Related article:

• Oil Blends for Hair Growth – 12 Wonderful and Beneficial Carrier Oils You Can Use

13. Green Tea

Wonderfully theraputic green tea is great for your hair whether you drink it or use it as a hair rinse, like we describe here:

• Green Tea Hair Rinse: What is it, 5 Terrific Benefits, and How to DIY Your Own

You can also use black tea as a rinse for your natural hair. Read about it, here:

• Black Tea Rinse for Natural Hair – How To and Top 4 Benefits

14. Beer

No, your strands won’t get tipsy from a beer hair rinse! What they will get is a boost in thickness, thanks to the protein in beer, as well as how good it is at conditioning your strands. Say “Bye” to frizziness and split ends as the beer helps to seal your ends and smooth your cuticles.

The yeast in beer also makes it a good source of several vitamins and minerals, including biotin, selenium, and a few of the B vitamins.

Related article:

• 9 Wonderful Vitamin B Complex Benefits

15. Champagne

Turns out beer isn’t the only kind of alcohol that can work wonders for natural hair. Read all about a champagne hair rinse in our popular article: 3 Really Awesome Hair Rinse DIY Ideas You Should Try!

Looking for more ways to give your hair the luxury treatment? Check this out!

• 5 Amazing Caviar Benefits for Skin and Hair Care

16. Brown sugar

Nothin’ as sweet as brown sugar! This sweet treat makes an excellent exfoliant for your scalp, helping to remove dead cells and product build-up. So, while you will definitely want to watch your sugar intake, feel free to massage your way to a healthier scalp with a brown sugar scalp rub!

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• 7 Foods to Avoid If You’re Trying to Grow Longer Natural Hair

17. Maple syrup

Here’s another sweet treat for your hair. Maple syrup has amazing humectant properties, helping to draw moisture into your strands. Dry, brittle hair will simply love being treated to a good dose of maple syrup – just be sure to rinse your hair thoroughly afterward!

Related article:

• Best Treatment for Dry Scalp – 5 DIY Remedies

18. Raw honey

When it comes to humectants and drawing moisture into your strands, honey is one of the top contenders. It’s also rich in vitamins and antioxidants to help nourish and protect your hair and scalp. Honey can be added to many-a hair mask to boost their effectiveness.

Related article:

• Amazing Beeswax Benefits + 3 Beeswax Hairstyling Products for Natural Hair

19. Corn starch

Hmm… bet you’re wondering how in the heck cornstarch could be good for your hair! Well, it made our list because it is actually a very good, natural dry shampoo you can use if your hair and scalp are overly greasy. Just be careful how you use it. Be sure to read this article first! Dry Shampoo for Curly Hair? Here Are 6 Amazing Must-Read Points

Also check out:

• Curly Hair Care Routine: 1 Simple DIY Dry Shampoo Recipe for Dark Hair
• The Best Dry Shampoo for Curly Hair – 10 Awesome Choices!
  

20. Apple cider vinegar and baking soda

If you just starting out on your natural haircare journey and still new to the world of natural haircare, then these two ingredients may seem like very unlikely candidates to add to your curly haircare routine. Read all about why apple cider vinegar and baking soda make excellent additions to your routine if you are looking to maintain a healthy scalp environment and boost hair growth.

• Baking Soda and ACV – Are They Really Good for Natural Hair?

Do you have suggestions for food you can put in your hair to promote healthy, strong hair growth? Share!