We all want our hair, skin, and nails to give that easy, breezy, beautiful vibe, right? There are so many products out there to try from shampoos and oils to ice rollers and silk pillowcases to get that glowy look.
These tools will make a ton of difference, but if your diet isn’t giving your body the nutrients it needs, you’ll always be facing an uphill battle. We’re talking dry, brittle, and dull hair, skin, and nails even with the most expensive, bougie products available.
Luckily, there are so many delicious foods out there that are AMAZING for your hair, skin, and nails. Adding them into your regular diet can help you get so much from your skincare and beauty efforts.
So, today, we’re sharing the best foods for your hair, skin, and nail.
Here’s what you need to start snacking on:
8 Best Foods for Amazing Hair, Skin, and Nails
♡ Salmon
Fatty fish like salmon is SO good for you. First of all, it’s one of the best sources for omega-3 fatty acids, which can help protect your hair, skin, and nails from sun damage, boost hydration, reduce skin redness, and fight acne.
Salmon is also a biotin (vitamin B7) and protein-rich food, which can help reduce signs of aging and strengthen your hair and nails. You’ll also find plenty of vitamin E in salmon, which is an antioxidant that fights free radicals (AKA environmental toxins).
All this makes salmon the perfect food for getting healthy hair, skin, and nails. Need some salmon recipe inspo? Try our salmon and veggie recipe from our on-the-go meal ideas.
♡ Eggs
Eggs are another food with plenty of protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, and biotin. All the nutrients that give you seriously super silky and shiny hair. They’ll give your skin and nails a boost, too.
There’s also lots of folic acid in eggs, which is the nutrient that’s responsible for healthy cell growth. So, of course, this helps strengthen your skin, nails, and hair and make them look totally radiant.
One of the best things about eggs is how versatile they are. You can make them in SO many ways. Lauryn always makes them in her Caraway pan – 3 poached eggs with some sourdough. Yum. Oh, also, her favorite is Pete and Gerry’s eggs.
♡ Sunflower Seeds
Let’s rewind to those softball days of the past . . . sunflower seeds. They’re fantastic for skincare and beauty with biotin, protein, and antioxidants.
They can help your body absorb UV light (in a healthy way) while also protecting your skin from the damage of ultraviolet waves. This means healthy skin, hair, and nails.
It’s also a good food choice for lymphatic drainage, which is the process of draining toxins and excess fluids. This helps get rid of puffy eyes and dark circles while boosting the skin’s natural collagen production. Oh hey, anti-aging benefits.
Unsalted sunflower seeds are tasty enough, but if you want to dress it up, try this DIY trail mix. It includes other healthy ingredients like pistachios, cashews, almonds, dried banana chips, freeze-dried raspberries, and dark chocolate.
♡ Dark, Leafy Greens
Dark, leafy greens are usually awesome sources of zinc, iron, and vitamins A, B, C and K. (Pretty much the whole alphabet in there.) This would include greens like spinach, kale, swiss chard, bok choy, and collard greens.
The nutrients in dark leafy greens can help support healthy hair follicles, encourage hair growth (bye bye hair loss), repair damaged hair and nails, and hydrate your whole body. It’s also another top choice in our list of foods for lymphatic drainage.
If you’re not a big salad person, don’t worry. There are lots of delicious ways to get your dark, leafy green game on. Try this egg white omelette, these kale chips, or the Yogi green smoothie drink.
♡ Water-Rich Fruits and Vegetables
When it comes to skin, hair, and nails, hydration is EVERYTHING. You can get water through your Stanley or Hydro Flask, of course, but eating water-rich foods is another great way to get extra hydration.
There are lots of fruits and vegetables out there that are good for the health of your hair, skin, and nails like cucumbers, watermelon, celery, apples, peaches, tomatoes, lettuce, cantaloupe, and strawberries.
A lot of these are also on our list of superfoods to make your skin glow, because that’s what hydration does makes you GLOW. Get these water-rich foods by making this quick and easy apple snack, drinking this strawberry milk, or by preparing this peach and tomato caprese salad.
♡ Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes have a lot of the essential beauty ingredients we’ve mentioned earlier like vitamin A, B, C, and E, but they also have beta-carotene, which is so good for you.
Beta-carotene helps protect you from UV rays, smooth your skin, reduce hyperpigmentation, and hydrate your body. It even has a natural bronzing effect. Win win.
♡ Oats
Okay, but have you had dressed up oatmeal? It’s so good, it’s basically like a dessert. We have recipes on the blog for coconut blueberry oatmeal, baked apple oatmeal, and peaches and cream oatmeal, and they’re all incredible and super healthy.
The vitamin B, manganese, iron, zinc, and fiber all have beauty benefits like reducing hyperpigmentation, dryness, acne, and the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Plus, they can aid hair growth, collagen production, and hydration. So, eat your oatmeal, y’all.
♡ Avocados
Finally, avocados. Probably a superfood you all know about. It’s an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins A, B, C, and E. Like many of the other foods on this list, it can help encourage collagen production, reduce the signs of aging, promote lymphatic drainage, increase hydration, and strengthen/repair hair.
To enjoy avocados, you can take your pick: avocado toast with a squeeze of lemon and chili flakes, guac and chips, or chopped in a salad. If you’re opting for guac, try this recipe (it’s the best) with Lauryn’s favorite chips.
What you eat matters when it comes to your beauty and skin so stock your fridge with the healthy foods above and reap all the benefits.
x, The Skinny Confidential team
+ for more on eating well, check out these foods to help balance hormones.
++ if you’re into skin, stalk Lauryn’s updated skincare routine here.
EAT FOR BEAUTY:
