I think that we all know, in theory, that no matter what we put on our hair, if we want to have a healthy head of it, we’ve got to care about what we put into our bodies as well. That’s because, in order for your strands to be strong and long (if that’s what you’re after), you’ve got to make sure that your hair follicles have the nutrients that they need — and that means making sure that your diet is full of vitamins and minerals that will nurture them.
Since we are knee-deep into fall at this point, let’s get into some foods that are both in season and proven to help your scalp, your follicles, your strands, and your hair goals.
1. Grapes
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Even though grapes are in the produce section year-round, you can definitely tell that they are in season right through here because of how big they are and how sweet they taste. Yeah, this is definitely the best time to put some grapes in the freezer and consume them after they’ve frozen. Anyway, as far as what their overall health benefits are, grapes are good for you because they’re a low-calorie snack that contains protein, fiber, copper (bookmark that), antioxidants, and vitamin K. Not only that, but if you’re looking for a fruit that will help to reduce your cholesterol and blood sugar levels, improve your mood and memory and even help to keep your bones strong, grapes will totally have your back.
And what can grapes do for your hair? Aside from the fact that their high concentration of copper can help to slow down premature graying (check out “This Is How To Naturally Treat Premature Greying”) and certain properties in grapes can also decrease the irritation that is associated with dandruff, the antioxidants in grapes will help to keep free radicals from damaging your hair cells. Not only that, but the vitamin E in grapes will support a healthy scalp and help prevent hair loss, while the melatonin in grapes will help you get a good night’s rest so that your hair cells are able to rejuvenate themselves.
Fall Grape Recipe: The “Autumn Twilight” Grape & Rosemary Cocktail
2. Pumpkin
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Pumpkin is packed with protein, fiber, and a ton of vitamin A. It’s also a good vitamin B-sourced food, and if you need some extra vitamin C or potassium in your system, it can help in those departments as well. Something that I like about this particular fruit (it contains seeds, so…yeah, it’s a fruit) is it’s great for your immunity when it comes to helping to keep colds and the flu at bay. Also, thanks to all of the vitamin A that it has, pumpkins are great at keeping your eyes in a healthy state. Plus, it fights off the kind of bacteria that can ultimately lead to heart disease and certain cancers.
Hair-wise, pumpkin is outstanding because the vitamin C in it will help increase the collagen that will help to prevent hair breakage. Also, some studies reveal that pumpkin (especially pumpkin seeds) helps to block elevated levels of testosterone that can sometimes lead to hair loss. Not to mention the fact that vitamin A also helps strengthen your hair follicles too.
Fall Pumpkin Recipe: Pumpkin Sandwich Rolls
3. Butternut Squash
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It is my personal opinion that if you’ve never had butternut squash soup before, you are truly missing out — well, if your palette likes things that have a bit of a sweet yet nutty taste, that is. Although there are different kinds of winter squash, butternut is certainly one of the most popular. Protein, fiber, an overwhelming amount of vitamin A (a whopping 457 percent of the Reference Daily Intake), various forms of vitamin B, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium — geeze, no wonder butternut squash is considered to be a superfood!
Again, the vitamin A that’s in it is good for your eye and bone health while the vitamin C that it contains helps to reduce bodily inflammation and boost immunity. Something else that’s worth taking note of with this vegetable is, if you happen to be diabetic, it’s actually a sweet treat that has antidiabetic properties in it. How awesome is that?
There is also vitamin E in butternut squash; that’s dope because that helps with scalp health as far as slowing down premature aging and increasing blood circulation. Vitamin E is also super beneficial when it comes to moisturizing your hair shaft, which always reduces breakage. Plus, vitamin B is a nutrient that both strengthens and moisturizes your hair.
Butternut Squash Fall Recipe:Slow-Cooker Vegan Lentil Chili
4. Brussels Sprouts
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I don’t know about y’all, but I somewhat have a fickle relationship with Brussels sprouts. The reason why I say that is I like them (most) based on how they’re prepared (and who prepares them). I do try to get them into my system around this time of year, though, because they do the body good. As another food that is high in protein, fiber, and antioxidants, it’s a great food for vegetarians and vegans who may be looking for a protein source that doesn’t contain meat.
It’s also a good veggie when it comes to getting some vitamin C and K into your body. Aside from that, Brussels sprouts are really healthy because they help to manage blood sugar levels, reduce inflammation, fill you up with anti-cancer compounds, regulate your blood pressure, and they can also help you to maintain a healthy gut as well.
When it comes to hair growth and retention, vitamin K gets slept on far more than it should. For one thing, it helps to prevent scalp calcification (which is basically when too much calcium gets into your hair follicles and slows down blood flow and nutrients to them), so that you have less of a chance of dealing with brittle hair or even hair loss.
Brussels Sprouts Fall Recipe:Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
5. Cranberries
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Want a snack that is low in calories and high in hydration? Look no further than a handful (or two) of cranberries. They’ve got fiber and 87 percent water in them. They’re also a fruit that contains vitamins A, C, E, K, and copper, along with a variety of plant compounds. Although it’s probably best known for being a natural way to treat a UTI (urinary tract infection), cranberries are also good for you when it comes to lowering your cholesterol and blood pressure levels, maintaining digestion, and helping to prevent kidney stones and even cavities.
Thanks to the copper that is in cranberries, they also can help to prevent premature graying, and, as far as hair length goes, their antioxidants can help to strengthen your hair follicles. Another cool thing about cranberries is they’re a rich source of potassium, and since hair loss has been linked to potassium deficiency — well, there ya go.
Cranberries Fall Recipe:Cranberry Apple Crisp
6. Cauliflower
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I’m pretty sure we all can agree that if there’s a food that is a vegan favorite, it would have to be cauliflower. Perhaps not so much because of how it tastes when it’s in its rawest form but because it’s been “upcycled” into so many other things like cauliflower rice and even cauliflower pizza crust. In the health benefits department, you can feel good about consuming this vegetable because it’s a good source of fiber, multiple forms of vitamin B, vitamin C, and antioxidants. It’s also a food that helps to fight heart disease, can be of great support if you’re looking to lose weight and the choline that’s in it is great for your metabolism and your cell membranes.
Cauliflower has also been proven to reduce oxidative stress and free radicals, help your body absorb iron better (being low in iron can lead to hair breakage and hair loss), and contain sulfur (which helps to strengthen hair) as well as silicon (which also reduces hair loss), so yes, it’s a great veggie to consider if gaining inches is a top priority for you right now.
Cauliflower Fall Recipe:Garlic-Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower
7. Pears
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There’s nothing like a juicy pear in the middle of the day. Every time you bite into one, you can feel good about it, too, because pears are high in fiber and a good source of copper and potassium. Pears also contain plant compounds that can protect your heart and reduce your chances of being diagnosed with cancer and diabetes. Plus, pears are able to fill your system up with good bacteria and they are great at relieving constipation, too.
Since pears also have vitamin C in them, it can’t be said enough that your locks will benefit from them because vitamin C maintains scalp health, adds strength and shine, boosts collagen, which increases elasticity and even makes your hair shinier.
Pear Fall Recipe:Caramelized Pear French Toast Bake
8. Pomegranates
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If you’re looking to get an unbelievable amount of fiber and protein from one fruit, pomegranates got you. As a bonus, they’re a good source of potassium, folate, vitamin C, and antioxidants. If you happen to deal with some type of chronic inflammation, pomegranates can help to bring you relief. They also have antimicrobial properties that can help you to maintain your oral health. Some other impressive things to take note of, as far as pomegranates are concerned, are they help to protect your brain cells, they can increase endurance for you (as far as workouts and even sex are concerned) and they can improve the level of prostate health in men.
Your tresses will enjoy this fall fruit because the antioxidants that are in it will strengthen your hair follicles as well as increase blood circulation to your scalp so that those follicles are able to receive the nutrients that they need. They are also able to reduce the oxidative stress in your system that can break down collagen which could make your hair brittle and lack flexibility (which can cause breakage).
Pomegranate Fall Recipe:Pomegranate-Glazed Salmon with Oranges, Olives, and Herbs
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Now that you know some autumn-season foods that are able to help your hair thrive, make sure to get a few of them. They’re delicious, they’re healthy and they’re just what your tresses need — from your scalp to your ends. Enjoy!
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The seeds for these entrepreneurs were planted during their time as students at schools like Spelman, North Carolina A&T, and more, which is why xoNecole caught up with Look Good Live Well’s Ariane Turner, HBCU Buzz’s Luke Lawal and Morehouse Senior Director of Marketing and Comms and Press Secretary Jasmine Gurley to highlight the role their HBCU roots play in their work as entrepreneurs, the legacy they aim to leave behind through the work that they do, and more as a part of Hyundai’s Best In Class initiative.
On Honoring HBCU Roots To Create Something That Is For Us, By Us
Ariane Turner
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When Ariane Turner launched Look Good, Live Well, she created it with Black and brown people in mind, especially those with sensitive skin more prone to dryness and skin conditions like acne and eczema.
The Florida A&M University graduate launched her business to create something that addressed topical skin care needs and was intentional about its approach without negative terminology.
Turner shared that it is important to steer clear of language often adopted by more prominent brands, such as “banishing breakouts” or “correcting the skin,” because, in reality, Turner says there is nothing wrong with the way that our skin and bodies react to various life changes.
“I think what I have taken with me regarding my HBCU experience and translated to my entrepreneurial experience is the importance of not just networking,” Turner, the founder and CEO of Look Good, Live Well, tellls xoNecole.
“We hear that in business all the time, your network is your net worth, but family, there’s a thing at FAMU that we call FAMU-lee instead of family, and it’s very much a thing. What that taught me is the importance of not just making relationships and not just making that connection, but truly working on deepening them, and so being intentional about connecting with people initially, but staying connected and building and deepening those relationships, and that has served me tremendously in business, whether it’s being able to reach back to other classmates who I went to school with, or just networking in general.”
She adds, “I don’t come from a business background. As soon as I finished school, I continued with my entrepreneurial journey, and so there’s a lot of that traditional business act and the networking, those soft skills that I just don’t have, but I will say that just understanding how to leverage and network community and to build intentional relationships is something that has taken me far and I definitely got those roots while attending FAMU.”
On Solving A Very Specific Need For The Community
Luke Lawal Jr.
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When Luke Lawal Jr. launched HBCU Buzz, his main focus was to represent his community, using the platform to lift as they climbed by creating an outlet dedicated to celebrating the achievements and positive news affecting the 107 historically HBCUs nationwide.
By spotlighting the wonderful things that come from the HBCU community and coupling it with what he learned during his time at Bowie State University, Lawal used that knowledge to propel himself as an entrepreneur while also providing his people with accurate representation across the internet.
“The specific problem in 2011 when I started HBCU Buzz was more so around the fact that mainstream media always depict HBCUs as negative,” Lawal says. “You would only see HBCUs in the mainstream media when someone died, or the university president or someone was stepping down. It was always bad news, but they never shed light on all the wonderful things from our community."
So, I started HBCU Buzz to ensure the world saw the good things that come from our space. And they knew that HBCUs grew some of the brightest people in the world, and just trying to figure out ways to make sure our platform was a pedestal for all the students that come through our institutions.”
“The biggest goal is to continue to solve problems, continue to create brands that solve the problems of our communities, and make sure that our products, our brands, our companies, and institutions are of value and they’re helping our community,” he continues. “That they’re solving problems that propel our space forward.”
On How Being An HBCU Alum Impacts The Way One Shows Up In The World
Jasmine Gurley
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Jasmine Gurley is a proud North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alum. She is even more delighted with her current role, which enables her to give back to current HBCU students as the Senior Director of Brand Marketing and Communications and official press secretary at Morehouse College.
“It was a formative experience where I really was able to come into my own and say yes to all the opportunities that were presented to me, and because of that, it’s been able to open the doors later in life too,” says Gurley of her experience at North Carolina A&T. “One thing I love about many HBCUs is that we are required to learn way more about African American history than you do in your typical K through 12 or even at the higher ed level."
She adds, “It allowed us to have a better understanding of where we came from, and so for me, because I’m a storyteller, I’m a history person, I’m very sensitive to life in general, being able to listen to the stories and the trials that our ancestors overcame, put the battery pack in my back to say, ‘Oh nothing can stop me. Absolutely nothing can stop me. I know where I came from, so I can overcome something and try anything. And I have an obligation to be my ancestors’ wildest dreams. Simultaneously, I also have a responsibility to help others realize that greatness.
Gurley does not take her position at an HBCU, now as a leader, lightly.
“People think I’m joking when I say I’m living the dream, but I really am,” she notes. “So I wake up every day and know that the work that I do matters, no matter how hard it might be, how frustrating it may be, and challenging it. I know the ripple effect of my work, my team, and what this institution does also matter. The trajectory of Black male experiences, community, history, and then just American advancement just in general.”
On the other hand, through her business, Sankofa Public Relations, Gurley is also on a mission to uplift brands in their quest to help their respective communities. Since its inception in 2017, Sankofa PR has been on a mission to “reach back and reclaim local, national, and global communities by helping those actively working to move” various areas of the world, focusing on pushing things forward for the better.
“Through Sankofa, we’ve worked with all different types of organizational brands and individuals in several different industries, but I would think of them as mission-based,” says Gurley.
“So with that, it’s an opportunity to help people who are trying to do good in the world, and they are passionate about what they’re doing. They just need help with marketing issues, storytelling, and branding, and that’s when my expertise can come into play. Help them get to that moment where they can tell their story through me or another platform, and that’s been super fulfilling.”
Join us in celebrating HBCU excellence! Check out our Best In Class hub for inspiring stories, empowering resources, and everything you need to embrace the HBCU experience.
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