Want to support hair growth while eating yummy seasonal meals? These autumn foods could be your key to hair growth!
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Dealing with excessive hair shedding, split ends, or just longing for longer, healthier hair?
I’ve got a super fun secret to share with you!
Believe it or not, some of the tastiest fall fruits and veggies can actually work like magic to make your hair grow longer, thicker, and shinier than ever before.
Hair care products are important to prevent all of the above, but what’s even more important IMO, is what you feed your hair from the inside.
From making your hair shiny and smooth, to preventing shedding, to boosting scalp circulation – these incredible autumn foods are overflowing with hair-loving nutrients.
Plus, they’re amazing for healthy skin and strong nails!
Some of these foods are autumn staples that I’m sure you already include in your fall meals, but I bet there are a few you’ve never heard before.
If you’ve been wondering what to eat for hair to grow faster, check out these 15 amazing fall seasonal foods for stronger, longer hair.
Autumn Foods for Hair Growth & Strength
A mega bonus is that these foods will not only support hair growth, but also healthy skin and nail growth!
These are nature’s ultimate hair skin and nails supplements.
Some of these are fall staple foods that you’ll find at your local grocery store, and some of them are lesser known.
The more rare items could be found at a farmers market or international food store.
These foods are all amazing to include in seasonal healthy recipes, so add as many as you can to your thanksgiving food list!
1. Pumpkin Seeds
These unassuming seeds are one of the best foods for healthy hair!
They are an excellent source of protein, which is key for hair growth, as hair is primarily made of a protein called keratin.
Pumpkin seeds also provide zinc, which is essential for hair follicle health and preventing hair shedding.
They also contain plant compounds that may prevent testosterone from being converted to DHT, a hormone linked to hair loss.
The healthy fats in pumpkin seeds also help keep your hair and scalp moisturized from the inside out.
Pumpkin seeds are a daily staple for me, no matter the season!
2. Quinces
These ancient fruits are super high in vitamin C, with just one providing over half the daily requirement.
Vitamin C is not just an immune booster, but also critical for preventing hair from becoming dry, dull, and brittle.
It fuels collagen production while protecting hair follicles from oxidative stress.
Quinces also contain copper which promotes natural pigmentation. Their anti-inflammatory properties relieve scalp conditions that hinder hair growth.
3. Persimmons
Sweet and vitamin C-rich, they have anti-inflammatory properties that may also calm scalp issues that stop new growth.
Persimmons also contain vitamin A, which encourages sebum production.
This supports moisturized hair, and that helps protects against brittleness and breakage (and keeps your hair looking shiny!).
They also provide antioxidants that fight free radical damage to hair follicles and help extend the hair’s growth phase.
4. Sweet Potatoes
A classic fall food! Known for their vibrant orange color, sweet potatoes offer a ton of hair benefits thanks to their rich stores of vitamin A, just like the persimmons.
Vitamin A is required for sebum production, which is the natural oil secreted by hair follicles that keeps hair and scalp properly conditioned.
Without enough vitamin A, sebum production decreases, leading to dry, brittle hair prone to breakage.
Sweet potatoes also provide antioxidants like vitamin C that protect hair follicles from free radical damage that can impair growth.
Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamin A – the key to keeping your hair conditioned and glossy!
Vitamin A ensures your hair makes enough natural oils to stay moisturized from root to tip.
5. Chayote Squash
You might think they look kind of weird, all green and wrinkly – but they’re really nutritious!
Chayote is bursting with vitamin C to nourish hair follicles and support collagen production in the scalp.
It also has tons of zinc, which helps follicles stay nice and strong as strands grow longer.
Plus, its antioxidants create a shield around follicles so free radicals can’t break them down and cause shedding.
6. Pomegranates
I love the color of pomegranates! These gorgeous fruits are full of potent antioxidants that make them an excellent food for hair health.
They’re rich in vitamin C, and antioxidants that prevent hair shedding and loss.
Pomegranates also contain vitamin K, which improves blood clotting and circulation to deliver key nutrients to scalp and hair follicles.
Their punicalagin compound can help promote hair growth by prolonging the anagen (growth) phase of the hair cycle.
7. Figs
Figs are an excellent source of vitamin C, which plays a vital role in collagen production.
Getting enough vitamin C ensures enough collagen production for strong, flexible hair strands less susceptible to breakage.
Figs also contain iron, zinc, and other minerals that support strong hair growth.
8. Cherimoya
This soft, sweet fruit may sound like a made-up name, but it’s 100% real – and 100% amazing for your hair!
Cherimoya is loaded with vitamin C, and it has anti-inflammatory properties.
It also provides B vitamins to make red blood cells that deliver oxygen and nutrients to little hair follicles.
The copper in cherimoya prevents hair from turning gray too soon.
9. Brussels Sprouts
These mini cabbage look-alikes are a surprising source of silicon, a mineral that strengthens hair and prevents excessive shedding.
Silicon helps improve hair shaft density, thickness, and elasticity while also creating a protective barrier to reduce brittleness and breakage.
They also contain antioxidants that can prevent oxidative stress that damages hair follicles and inhibits growth.
Their vitamin C also optimizes collagen production essential for healthy hair structure.
10. Purslane
Have you heard of purslane? This leafy green may look like a weed, but it’s nutrient-packed!
Purslane is one of the best plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids – it contains 5 times higher omega-3 fatty acids than spinach!
These healthy fats deeply nourish hair follicles and seal in moisture, preventing dryness that leads to breakage.
Purslane also gives you a mega dose of vitamin C to guard follicles against free radical damage.
Its iron content helps red blood cells deliver oxygen and nutrients to fuel hair growth.
And the vitamin A in purslane keeps scalp sebum flowing so strands stay silky smooth, and your scalp stays flake-free.
11. Chestnuts
Does anyone else immediately think of that one Christmas song (I think it’s actually called The Christmas Song) when they hear the word chestnuts?
While often overlooked, chestnuts are nutritional gems. They are one of the best plant-based sources of copper, an awesome mineral for hair health.
Copper enables proper hair pigment production, helping prevent premature graying.
It also helps provide structural strength and shape to hair strands.
Chestnuts also contain vitamin C which helps the body absorb copper, and encourages collagen production for strong hair.
12. Crosnes
Um…a what? They’re kind of rare, and I personally haven’t tried them yet!
They’re a crunchy root vegetable that are full of the mineral silicon, which makes hair strands flexible and hard to break.
The silicon helps create a protective barrier around the hair cuticle, reducing brittleness, breakage and split ends.
Crosnes also contain anti-inflammatory compounds that can help soothe scalp conditions like dryness, itchiness, and dandruff.
A couple of the minerals they contain include potassium and magnesium, which support scalp circulation for delivery of nutrients to hair roots.
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13. Prickly Pear
This spiky looking cactus fruit is a moisture bomb for thirsty hair and scalp!
It floods hair with hydrating vitamin C, vitamin E, and healthy fats so strands feel soft and supple instead of dry and brittle.
And since prickly pear is loaded with antioxidants, it protects delicate follicles from free radicals that cause shedding and thinning.
It contains zinc which regulates oil/sebum production to prevent scalp from becoming too oily or dry.
It’s also rich in amino acids that are the building blocks for keratin, the protein that makes up hair (and nails!).
14. Cranberries
Don’t just reserve these tart berries for Thanksgiving – eat them year-round to get major hair benefits.
Cranberries are packed with antioxidants, including vitamin C.
The componds in cranberries also improve blood circulation to the scalp, ensuring hair follicles receive lots of nutrients to boost hair growth.
Plus, the anti-inflammatory properties of cranberries help soothe scalp conditions like dandruff, dryness, or irritation that get in the way of hair growth.
An inflamed, unhealthy scalp creates a poor environment for hair growth!
15. Beets
Beets are a great source of folate, which is an extremely important vitamin for making enough red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body – including to your hair follicles on the scalp.
With enough oxygenation, your follicles get all the nutrients and circulation they need to grow new hair strands quickly.
They’re also full of antioxidants that protect delicate hair follicle cells from being damaged by free radicals and oxidative stress.
Beets also contain nitrates which help dilate blood vessels and turbocharge blood flow to the scalp area.
This increased circulation makes sure that hair follicles receive maximum delivery of growth-promoting nutrients.
From preventing split ends to increasing scalp circulation, these delicious, in season fall foods are amazing for strong hair growth from the inside out!
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