Hair Growth Smoothie Recipe with Apple, Avocado and Flaxseed Meal
This potent smoothie recipe blends natural foods with specifically important nutritional elements for healthy hair into a great tasting drink.
It’s a simple and delicious way to give your scalp and follicles the valuable fatty acids, protein, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients they need to produce strong and beautiful hair.
Hair Smoothie Ingredients and Their Benefits
Apple
Apples are rich in antioxidant compounds called flavonoids that combat free radical damage and inflammation.
They are the highest natural source of an unusual flavonoid called procyanidin B2 which research studies suggest stimulates hair growth by activating the anagen (growth) cycle of follicles and decreasing the dormant phase.
Most of the flavonoids in apples like procyanidin B2, epicatechin, quercetin and others are found in the skin, particularly of red apples like Fuji, gala and red delicious.
Unfortunately, conventionally grown apples are often sprayed so using organic fruit is highly recommended where possible.
If you can’t find organic apples then get a small scrubbing brush, pour a little apple cider vinegar over it and scrub the fruit’s skin well. This should remove most of the pesticides and waxes and make them a healthier addition to your hair growth smoothie.
Grass Fed Whey
Hair is made of keratin which is a protein. A good daily supply of amino acids from protein rich foods is not only important for maintaining muscles, it can have also have a big effect on the strength and quality of your hair.
Whey is a potentially great source of complete protein, but the quality can vary dramatically depending on how it is sourced and produced.
Cheap whey, made from feedlot cattle milk and heavily heated, is a far inferior product to highly nutritious grass fed whey. Whey protein from grass fed cows is much higher in lactoferrin, immunoglobulins, cysteine for glutathione production and a number of other valuable nutrients for enhancing your wellness and wellbeing.
Parsley
Parsley is full of nutrition for both your hair and skin with high levels of vitamin K, beta-carotene and trace minerals like iron, zinc and copper, associated with preventing gray hairs.
Research has also discovered that the flavonoid apigenin found in parsley stimulates follicle growth. There’s much more on why parsley is so good for your appearance here.
Flaxseed Meal
Flaxseed is the highest natural source of omega-3 alpha linolenic acid and a valuable superfood for improving your appearance.
Flaxseed oil can be used instead if you prefer, but ground flaxseeds add a satisfying nutty flavor to this smoothie recipe and also make a great base for healthy homemade muesli.
When getting flax it’s important to find a fresh and organic source. Always keep it in the fridge and use it regularly as it doesn’t store well.
Avocado
Avocados are particularly high in monounsaturated oleic acid that nourishes your hair follicles and helps to create shiny and resilient strands and prevent split ends.
Using creamy avocado in this smoothie also whips it up into a rich, fluffy and almost dessert mousse like consistency.
Cucumber
Cooling, hydrating and alkalizing, cucumber is great for your skin but also beneficial for hair growth due to its high levels of silica. This mineral is an important nutrient for keratin formation, yet many people eating a processed food diet are deficient in it.
Like apples, cucumbers can have both sprays and waxes on their skin so scrub them well with apple cider vinegar and wash them in hot water if they are not organic.
Coconut oil
Extra-virgin coconut oil is another great source of healthy fats for nourishing your hair and scalp. Many people notice an improvement in the softness and shine of their locks when they start adding coconut oil to their diet regularly.
A high quality organic coconut oil also makes a great topical treatment that not only improves your hair’s texture and appearance, it also combats dandruff, dry hair and itchy scalp.
Coconut Milk
For a smoothie recipe like this, where you are trying to increase healthy fats in your diet for beautiful hair, my preferred ‘milk’ would be a half and half mixture of delicious coconut milk and water. Coconut milk in BPA free cartons like this is safer and easier to use than cans.
Other good options would be organic hemp milk or almond milk, coconut water, fermented kefir or unflavored bio live yogurt. Soy milk and conventionally produced cow’s milk are best avoided.
Optional Extras
This smoothie recipe already has some serious nutrition for healthy hair but the following three ingredients will really enhance its potential as a natural growth treatment.
Black Currant Oil
Black currant seed oil is the highest natural source of gamma linoleic acid which is often recommended for hair growth and preventing strand loss. It is also rich in omega-3 alpha linolenic acid and you can read about how it stimulates follicles and combats androgenic alopecia here.
He Shou Wu
The famous Chinese traditional treatment for preventing gray hairs, powdered organic he shou wu can easily be added to all your smoothie recipes if you are concerned about graying.
Pumpkin Seeds
Raw pumpkin seeds are particularly good for preventing male pattern baldness. Women can also benefit from the high levels of minerals and healthy fatty acids found in pumpkin seeds.
Smoothie Ingredients List
- 1 apple, scrubbed and chopped into a size your blender can handle.
- 30 grams of organic grass fed whey.
- Half an avocado.
- A tablespoon of organic extra-virgin coconut oil.
- Half a medium size cucumber, scrubbed and chopped.
- 2 tablespoons of fresh organic flaxseed meal or 2 teaspoons of organic flaxseed oil.
- 2 branches of parsley, washed and with the stems chopped into half an inch or less.
- Half coconut milk and half water or other healthy milk to two thirds as high as your ingredients in the blender.
- A few drops of concentrated liquid stevia if you prefer a sweeter taste.
Optional
- 1 teaspoon of black currant seed oil or take equivalent capsules at the same time as the smoothie.
- 2 tablespoons of raw pumpkin seeds.
- 1 teaspoon of powdered he shou wu for preventing gray hairs.
- A scoop of antioxidant and mineral rich Organifi Green Juice.
How to Make a Smoothie for Hair Growth
- Start by scrubbing your apple and cucumber with apple cider vinegar. Rinse with hot water and chop up the cucumber and apple and throw them in your blender.
- Wash the parsley and throw in the fronds. Depending on the quality of your blender you might need to chop up the stalks quite thinly.
- Scoop out your avocado and coconut oil and throw them in. Add your whey, flaxseed meal and any optional extras.
- Fill your blender jug up to around half way with your milk of choice. Add a few drops of stevia into the liquid if you like your smoothies a bit sweeter.
- Turn on the blender and blend it until the consistency looks smooth. Drink immediately for the best taste and most benefits.
This hair smoothie can make a healthy breakfast or late afternoon pick me up to ward off hunger if you are having a late dinner. Any time that suits your schedule is fine as long as you’re making it up regularly.
While it does take a long time to grow, using ingredients like these in your smoothie recipes should definitely improve the quality, thickness and appearance of your hair over time.
If you are looking for more immediate results, these avocado oil hair treatments or flaxseed oil hair mask recipe can be made at home and are a natural way to quickly improve your hair’s softness and shine.
Do you have any other healthy ingredients you’d suggest adding to this smoothie recipe for hair growth? I be interested to hear your opinion and suggestions if you make it up for yourself.