Give your relaxed hair a boost with carrot juice!

So I am back to adding carrot juice to my regular routine. A few years ago, I first heard of the healthy hair benefits of carrot juice on hair forums. If I recall correctly, a member of the board detailed her experience of when she was hospitalized and drank carrot juice daily as a source of nutrition. The side effects, she soon discovered, were healthier hair and clearer skin. As soon as I finished the post, I went out immediately and purchased some ready made carrot juice. Over the next several weeks, I made sure to have at least a couple of swigs of carrot juice a day in expectation of fabulous results.

Because carrots are loaded with nutrition, consuming it in liquid form is an extremely effective way realizing the benefits of this wonder-food. Let's take a closer look at the nutritional content of carrots and, more importantly, how it benefits our hair.

Beta Carotene-Carrot juice is, of course, loaded with beta carotene. The bright orange color is a testament of its beta carotene richness. In the body, beta carotene is converted to vitamin A. According to the label on my Bolthouse carrot juice, one 8 oz serving contains 700% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A. One of the healthy hair benefits of vitamin A is that it helps your scalp to produce sebum, which is the natural oil your scalp produces to keep the hair from drying out. Relaxed hair can benefit greatly from the normal production of these natural oils. As sebum production increases, you should massage your scalp to keep the sebum form clogging the pores on your scalp. A little jojoba oil on the scalp also helps to manage overproduction of sebum and the potential for clogged pores.

Vitamin C-This wonderful antioxidant is water-soluble which means that it is not retained (stored) in the body. You should consume vitamin c rich foods on a daily basis in order to consistently realize healthy hair and skin benefits. Without the necessary amounts of vitamin c, you may find that you are experiencing excessive hair loss. Not only that, you may also experience premature grey hair if you aren't getting your C's. Another benefit of vitamin C is improved scalp circulation. Think of healthy scalp circulation like you would a delivery truck that drops off all of the merchandise for a retail store. All of the nutrients in the bloodstream are delivered to the hair follicle efficiently with proper scalp circulation.

Vitamin E-Also helps in scalp circulation because of the increased oxygen to the blood. Because vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, increased levels of this vitamin in your blood can help combat against hair loss and possibly help against premature greying. Not only can this vitamin promote healthy hair, it also has wondrous benefits for the skin. I sometimes apply the contents of a broken capsule to my skin before bed. By morning, I can visibly see a difference in the overall texture and look of my skin.

B Vitamins-According to fitday.com, carrot juice contains both vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. These vitamins are essential components of any healthy hair plan. They prevent hair loss and help maintain the vitality of the hair. B vitamins also help increase our energy levels. Take advantage of the increased energy by adding a workout to your daily activities and benefit from the extra blood flow to the scalp.

These are just some of the reasons why carrot juice should be incorporated into your diet. There's no need to sit and munch on a bag of carrots to reap the benefits, just keep a bottle of the organic stuff in the fridge and take a swig once or twice a day. Enjoy.