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Feed your Hair | Eat this for strong healthy hair

Hair is the fastest growing tissue the body produces so it deserves all your best efforts to encourage strong regeneration. Many people focus on what they put on their hair to solve challenges. They miss the most important step and that is to start from the beginning. For healthy hair, you start with the root, deep in the dermis of the scalp. The only way, or I should say, the best way to get to the root is to be intentional with the food you eat.

The best way to support strong healthy vibrant hair is with what you nourish your body with. These whole foods are packed with nutrients that have been known to be particularly beneficial for vibrant strong hair. Your body will extract the nutrients it desperately needs as long as you are supplying the raw material in whole plant foods.

Iron – If you really want to get to the root, you can’t beet getting to the very blood that supplies oxygen to the root of the hair follicle. Iron improves circulation thereby improving oxygen delivery to encourage hair growth.

  • Spinach
  • Legumes – beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, and soybeans
  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Quinoa
  • Broccoli
  • Dark Chocolate
  • Apricot
  • White Mushroom
  • Leeks
  • Acorn Squash
  • Cashew

Omega 3 – An anti-inflammatory that promotes healthy shine and opens hair follicles to encourages hair growth.

  • Flax seed
  • Chia Seeds
  • Hemp Seeds
  • Walnuts
  • Soybeans
  • Seaweed, nori, spirulina, chlorella, and other algae
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Kale
  • Purslane

Vitamin A – Vitamin A is the growth vitamin. It also helps the sebaceous glands create sebum to moisturizer the scalp and the hair follicle.

  • Orange and yellow vegetables and fruits
  • Sweet Potato
  • Carrots
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Mango
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Cantaloupe
  • Apricots
  • Pumpkin
  • Butternut Squash
  • Pink Grapefruit

Vitamin B – For B-12, you need to take a supplement pill. Also known as biotin, vitamin B is best known for hair growth.

  • Leafy greens like Spinach, Collard greens, Turnip greens, Romaine lettuce
  • Legumes like Black beans, Chickpeas, Green Peas, Kidney beans, Lentils, Pinto beans
  • Sunflower seeds
  • Oranges
  • Whole Grains
  • Sweet Potato
  • Banana
  • Lentils
  • Carrot
  • Almond
  • Avocado

Vitamin C – The powerhouse antioxidant that is crucial for regeneration and to protect against free radicals. It is a keystone in your body’s ability to create collagen. It also helps the body to absorb Iron, a necessary mineral for hair growth.

  • Spinach, Kale, Mustard Greens,
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Pumpkin
  • Guava
  • Citrus fruits
  • Strawberry
  • Guava
  • Sweet and White Potatoes
  • Tomatoes
  • Bell Peppers
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Rose hips
  • Kiwis

Vitamin E – Repair and restore scalp as well as strong antioxidant that helps you maintain sturdy hair growth.

  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Almonds
  • Avocados
  • Spinach
  • Butternut Squash
  • Kiwifruit
  • Broccoli
  • Swiss Chard
  • Beet Greens
  • Olive
  • Wheat germ
  • Pine nuts
  • Mango
  • Turnip greens

Zinc – Supports hair growth and repair. It also helps keep the sebaceous glands functioning at peak performance.

  • Pumpkin Seeds
  • Legumes – beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, and soybeans
  • Hemp Seeds
  • Squash
  • Sesame seeds
  • Pine nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Cashews
  • Almonds
  • Whole grains – wheat, quinoa, rice, and oats
  • Dark Chocolate
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Plant Based Planet Friendly Hair Care

Hair Care for the Green Warrior

Who doesn’t want to look good and feel good? I think we all do. Inside that collective ‘We’ there is a subset of people who want the same as everyone else, but they have a deeper desire. One to make a difference for themselves, but more importantly, for the planet. They are what I affectionately call Green Warriors. A Green Warrior is someone who is interested in making personal choices that help make a positive impact on the planet in real ways. It doesn’t mean they are perfect, but they try to make a difference where they can.

They are the ones who are willing to break the cycle of short single use and long disposal impact for long and multi use with minimal to zero disposal impact. Even with the smallest choice, we can make a profound difference to reduce global devastation and improve natural habitats. Our Green Warriors inform our approach to Hair Care at Très Spa. This is who we created our unique,a s close to nature as possible, hair care line for. We can all be Green Warriors.

Packaging is only part of the story

The simple choice of using our solid shampoo that is organic and 100% pure plant powered makes a difference. The first obvious difference is the fact it’s not in a bottle so there is less plastic waste and less pollution in creating plastic bottles that could end up in waste heaps.* But to be truly planet friendly, we believe you have to dig deeper and consider the ingredients that go into the finished products. Ingredients that are synthesized in a lab could have upstream and downstream adverse impact. What happens to an ecosystem when the plastic and other pollutants in that hair gel leaches into the water system? What kind of chemicals had to go into creating the super synthesized hair product and what was the refuse from their manufacturing? Don’t even get me started on the problems with fragrances!

Plants have power

We rely on plants in all of our hair care products. With the exception of the 1% preservative in our amazing hair gel, the only ingredients you will find are plants. Plants have amazing power and are perfectly balanced in their natural state. They have a bounty of nutrients that are extremely beneficial in supporting our health. The materials are easily harvested and can effortlessly be assimilated by humans. Perhaps this is why, for many centuries, plants were our only medicine. For the hair care, we carefully select the plants to work in harmony with each other to provide the maximum nutritional benefit that hair needs. Plants are either cold pressed, steamed, or minimally processed in order to extract the botanical matter. We harness all that natural power to formulate our full line of hair care: Organic Shampoo, Hair Hydro, Organic Hair Oil, and our natural Hair Gel.

Our goal was to create products that are very effective yet so gentle on the environment that there would be no downstream adverse impact. Since Très Spa hair care products are formulated from nature they are safe to go back to nature. You could be in the middle of the most delicate of eco-systems on the planet and trust that you can use our products freely without causing any harm.

*Please note, all of our packaging is curbside recyclable or threw our hosted recycle program.

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No Poo Hair Care

First a little history

The birth of commercial liquid shampoo, the way many of us have been raised with and taught, is fairly new. The first commercial bottled liquid shampoo, similar to what we know today, was introduced around 1927 in Europe and was developed by a German Chemist. It really took off in the 30’s when Procter & Gamble brought us Drene with the first synthetic surfactants (yes it’s detergent), removing any trace of the natural soap from shampoo.

Enter the post World War II era and the age of super convenient products and bottled shampoo was off to the races. Cheap to manufacture and easy to shelve, shampoo became a very lucrative business. Especially when super models started to convince us we needed to shampoo several times a week.

What the heck is No Poo?

It is a method of cleansing the scalp and hair without using bottled shampoo. No Poo is not really new, but it it started to experience a resurgence of interest for the community concerned about the global impact of the waist from plastic detergent bottles. The battle cry to “Ditch the Bottle” is a valiant attempt to turn the tide on global warming and environmental destruction by creating less waist.

The other benefit is the huge cost savings since the ingredients are fairly inexpensive and many of us can find them in our kitchen cupboards. No Poo just means no shampoo so even just washing with plain water is considered No Poo. You cannot get easier than that. I’ve never tried it and I don’t know anyone who cleans their hair with only water. The closest I got was when I developed the Hair Hydro’s and those worked fine for a time and I still use them on a regular basis as a natural detangler to moisten my hair before brushing or styling.

The most common No Poo treatment is to use a combination of baking soda followed by an apple cider vinegar (ACV) rinse. The baking soda is the chemical used to break up oil and debris that may be close to the scalp and tangled in your hair follicles. The ACV rinse is there to neutralize the soda and soften the hair.

Before you get started, this is what you will need on hand:

  • Plenty of fresh flowing water to rinse with. You’ll be rinsing more than once.
  • Towel to pat dry your hair after
  • Baking soda
  • ACV (Apple Cider Vinegar) Personally I only use Bragg’s ACV it has a solid reputation you can trust
  • If you plan on washing in the shower: Plastic spray bottles or plastic tall cups to pour from. If you are basin washing, then glass jars work just fine. I will never recommend glass in the bathroom and never in the shower.

The Baking Soda & ACV No Poo Method. Use it only 1 time a week. Why? Because that is all you really need but also because it can be a bit harsh if used to often. Use the water only or our Hair Hydro’s in between to help keep a fresh clean feeling through the week. You could also try a dry shampoo.

  1. Dilute the Baking soda in water

    Mix this in the spray bottle, pouring cup, or glass jar you will be using
    Start with a 1 Tablespoon baking soda to 1 cup water ratio. If you have super oily hair, you may increase the amount of baking soda.
    The purpose of the baking soda is to break up the oil close to the scalp. That is what alkali’s do, break up acids.

  2. Dilute the ACV in water

    Mix this in the spray bottle, pouring cup, or glass jar you will be using
    I have found a 1 part ACV to 4 part water ratio works best for me. You could experiment with this if you feel you want more kick then try 1 to 3 part ratio.
    The purpose of this step is to neutralize any residual baking soda, balance your PH level, and to soften the hair.

  3. Step in the shower or wrap a towel on your shoulder

    Personally I prefer to just step into the shower but maybe you don’t want to or you can’t for some reason, you can wrap a towel on your shoulder to catch and drizzle.

  4. Apply the baking soda and water to your scalp

    Either pour or spritz the Baking soda dilution to your scalp and massage it a bit. You want to work it over your entire scalp to get the oils loosened up. You do not need to cover your hair shaft, in fact avoid covering the hair shaft.

  5. Rinse generously

    You want to remove any remnants of of the baking soda

  6. Spritz or pour on the ACV

    Now this one you want to get to your scalp and all the way out to the tips of your hair. A good drenching is in order. Don’t panic about the smell, it really will fade. Massage it in and give it a few moments before rinsing it out.
    If you are basin washing your hair, apply the ACV and wrap the hair up for a steam treatment before removing. I would shorten the steam time to 10 minutes. You could experiment with going longer if you want.

  7. Rinse generously

    Rinse out the ACV dilution. This will help remove some of the scent but as your hair drys, more of the scent will fade.

  8. Style and go!

    If you are really worried about the scent, you could use our Hair Hydro or one of our Aromatic Mists to add a natural scent.

We are not your Doctor

The Très Spa website may contain articles on science, or medical topics; however, no warranty is made that any of the articles are accurate.There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained or cited in an article touching on science or medical matters is true, correct, precise, or up-to-date. The overwhelming majority of such articles are written, in part or in whole, by nonprofessionals. Even if a statement made about science or medicine is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms.

The information provided at Très Spa is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional (for instance, a qualified doctor/physician, nurse, pharmacist/chemist, and so on). None of the individual contributors, nor anyone else connected to Très Spa can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information presented on this web site.

Nothing on Très Spa’s site or included as part of any project or product of Très Spa, should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine.

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What is a Hair Hydro?

The Très Spa Hair Hydro‘s is one of our most versatile creations. Hair Hydro’s are a light water based hair finishing rinse that can serve more than one purpose. Since they are water based, they will not build up on the hair or scalp so you can leave them in or rinse them out.

She stopped by to pick up her years supply of the Lavender Chamomile Hair Hydro. Her favorite hair de-tangler that she has been using since she was a toddler. She wanted to let me know it was the only one she trusts.
  • As a Cleanser – Some botanical have astringent properties, making them beneficial in cleansing. They don’t have the same oil busting capability of a true soap however. So as a regular cleanser, you would need to fortify your hair care with our organic shampoo or a No Poo treatment. If you feel like you just have to clean your hair everyday (like after a run or workout) then this would be the perfect option. It offers enough to help keep your hair and scalp feeling fresh
  • As a Conditioner – The botanical do offer nourishment specifically beneficial for hair care. But this is a water based product so the coverage is thin. If you are in need of deeper repair or a way to prevent frizz, then you may want to advance to another option.
  • As a De-tangler – The hydro is great for using to moisten the hair prior to combing out. You never want to brush or comb dry hair or hair that is overly wet as it could contribute to serious hair breakage. Not to mention the fact that it’s just downright painful. Spritzing a Hair Hydro can help give you just enough moisture to help you glide a comb or brush through. I use this just about every day for my difficult overly cowlick hair. Works great for children’s hair as well.
  • As a Finishing Rinse – If you are looking to add a bit of freshness to your hair and scalp or to lightly nourish your hair after a cleansing routine, then the Hair Hydro is the perfect solution.
  • As a Styling Aid – Our Hair Hydro’s can also be used prior to styling your hair to give your hair and scalp a little extra support. Styling can cause damage to your hair and scalp so you will want to offer as much restorative support you can.

Très Spa Hair Hydro’s a pure plant power so they are the perfect eco- friendly travel companion. The bottles can be easily recycled at your curbside or you can choose to participate in our Recycle Program.

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Why do we have hair?

About 5 million hair follicles cover the average human body from the time of birth. In fact, there is little surface area that doesn’t have hair of some kind. The souls of our feet, the palms of our hands, lips, belly buttons, scar tissue are all void of hair. Considering how much of it we have, it must serve some kind of purpose right?!

Type & Location Determine Function

There are two types of hair, just two. They may seem varied and different based on the location but there really is on two types. The first is the one that covers our entire body head to toe and that is Vellus hair. It is distinguished by it’s appearance (or lack of). The hair is often barely noticeable since it is short, super thin and so slight in color.

The other type of hair is Terminal hair. This is the hair we see, it’s quite visible. It’s the type of hair on our head, over our eyes as our eye brows, eye lashes, nose hairs, etc. You get the idea. Terminal hair is very visible. Vellus hair may be replaced with Terminal hair as we mature. For example; leg hair, chest hair, face hair all start to change as we reach puberty. Some may be coarse or even curly while other terminals may be straight.

So what is all that hair for?

Turns out hair is more than just a pretty accent for your charming good looks. Those locks, and the rest of your hair, serves a purpose. Some of the functions our hair has are;

  • Thermal protection – In the cold, our hair on our head helps hold the heat in. On the body, when a cold breeze brushes the skin, the hair follicles retract and tense as a way to conserve heat and protect the skin.
  • Natural air-conditioner – When we sweat the hair traps the water and the breeze catches and it cools the water, thereby cooling the skin.
  • Traps dust and particles – Nose hair, eye lashes and eye brows help trap dust and fine particles.
  • Prevents friction – Hair can stop the friction caused by skin to skin action like running or walking.

We are not your Doctor

The Très Spa website may contain articles on science, or medical topics; however, no warranty is made that any of the articles are accurate.There is absolutely no assurance that any statement contained or cited in an article touching on science or medical matters is true, correct, precise, or up-to-date. The overwhelming majority of such articles are written, in part or in whole, by nonprofessionals. Even if a statement made about science or medicine is accurate, it may not apply to you or your symptoms.

The information provided at Très Spa is, at best, of a general nature and cannot substitute for the advice of a medical professional (for instance, a qualified doctor/physician, nurse, pharmacist/chemist, and so on). None of the individual contributors, nor anyone else connected to Très Spa can take any responsibility for the results or consequences of any attempt to use or adopt any of the information presented on this web site.

Nothing on Très Spa’s site or included as part of any project or product of Très Spa, should be construed as an attempt to offer or render a medical opinion or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine.