Spring Beauty Essentials: Hair Care

Happy Spring Beauty Lovers….as we dance into this new season, joyously taking off the layers let’s talk hair. Lately I’ve been asked a lot about what I use on my hair so this is part one of a two part series dedicated to our hair. Whatever length, texture or color we spend a lot of time (and money) on it. As my regular beauty lovers know my work as a model and actress demands healthy hair and skin. If you are new to my beauty blog welcome, let me share the backstory. I unknowingly discovered that becoming a vegan also meant seriously glowing skin and more lustrous hair so after being interviewed by the fabulous Carleen Pruess for Beautyandfashiontech.com on my favorite products as a model, I created Beauty Essentials. The premise is beauty from the inside out and my approach to beauty is holistic so I invite you along to enjoy this beautifying journey.

My focus is nourishing the hair from the inside out because all these products we put on our hair don’t mean a thing if we’re not supporting our hair on the inside. Yes, it’s an inside job baby. Let’s start with protein. Our hair is made up of protein. It is approximately 91% protein and is made up of long chains of amino acids. These chains are found within the fibers of the cortex of the hair. The amino acids of these chains are made up of the elements carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur. Now that we know protein is the building block of hair, let’s get some protein! Since incorporating protein smoothies into my diet I’ve seen a massive difference in my hairs thickness, how quickly it grows and how it shines. I use Amazing Grass protein superfood in peanut butter and add the superpowers of anti inflammatory turmeric (inflammation is our worst enemy and can be the cause of breakage and lack of hair growth), chia seeds (packed with fiber and protein, again boosting the thickness of your hair)) and cacao which helps increase the blood circulation in your scalp, increasing the growth of healthy and lustrous hair and it acts as a circulation booster helping to reduce hair loss. There are many more benefits to these superfoods and they all cross over supporting your organs and the largest organ of them all is our skin. The outside of our body is simply a reflection of how healthy we are on the inside.

Let’s expand on chia seeds and those good fats for a moment…this is how you moisturize from the inside out. I add chia seeds to my filtered water and let them sit until plump and drink. Not only do they fill you up but they beautify you as they contain more omega-3 fatty acids then salmon (gram for gram) and flax. Omega-3s support scalp health. A deficiency can lead to a dry scalp and dull hair.

MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) is an organic sulphur and plays a vital role in a large number of bodily functions from connective tissue repair to immune system support. A lack of sulphur could well be damaging your hair. MSM boosts the production of collagen throughout your body. Collagen is one of the most plentiful proteins in our bodies and helps us repair and maintain strong bones and connective tissue. And yes hair, by aiding in the maintenance of strong, thick and supple hair. More importantly though for our hair, MSM supplementation helps our body produce more keratin. Keratin, is a type of protein that provides the building blocks for the structure of our hair (and nails). Without sufficient amounts of organic sulphur our bodies struggle to synthesis enough keratin. Working together as the dynamic duo, collagen and keratin are vital to keeping our hair in top condition. I take BlueBonnet MSM.

I limit products to the basics. I use Aveda thickening tonic and apply it to damp hair before I blow dry it and when my hair needs extra help due to dryness or excessive styling I use Phyto Keratine Extreme creme before blow drying. I also rock a top knot when I’m not working to give my hair a rest. These are just a few of my go to hair saviors. I will expand on this in part 2…. (Read part two here)

For now enjoy spring and have fun with your hair, whatever style you rock…be you and remember healthy hair is sexy hair….

All products are available at your local Wholefoods.

Phyto Paris is available at Sephora

Www.aveda.com

You can follow Emma’s work on Instagram and get more beauty gems from behind the scenes….@emmaukny