A Naturopathic Doctor's Top 4 Tips for Healthy Bridal Hair

Most brides want options for their wedding day hair, and the easiest way to give them that is to help them get their hair in tip-top shape. Dr. Melissa Anzelone, director of clinical education and naturopathic doctor at Nutrafol, has a few tips to share with your bride-to-be clients.

How can stylists give their clients well-rounded advice and tips to prepare their hair for their wedding day?

I know it can be challenging with the never-ending to do lists that often come with wedding planning, but remind brides that finding ways to manage stress and making it a priority to eat a healthy, whole foods diet are the best lifestyle hacks for healthy hair.

What simple steps can brides take to optimize hair health?
Protein! So many people are routinely eating high-carb diets or nowhere near the amount of protein needed for healthy hair. You’ll want to aim for at least half your body weight in ounces of protein per day. Some quick protein sources include protein shakes or bone broth. Avoid styling your hair in styles that are painful or tight on the scalp as this can pull on the hair and cause thinning. 

How far in advance of their wedding day should stylists recommend that brides start to think about the health of their hair?

I recommend beginning to think about your hair when you book your wedding venue. Each individual hair can grow for two to seven years, meaning the hair growth cycle is very long! With Nutrafol you can expect to see longer healthier hair in about six months. Before you see those amazing hair results, Nutrafol ingredients have also been clinically shown to support side benefits such as reducing stress, promoting better sleep, and providing better skin and nail health -- all great benefits for brides-to-be.

What are some key vitamins that help contribute to healthy hair?
Often we think that poor hair health is due to one factor. For example, I’ve often heard people say, my hair is unhealthy because of my hormones. At Nutrafol, we understand that there are multiple root causes that drive hair health including hormones, stress, metabolism, nutrition and the environment. When we target all of these factors, hair health is optimized.

Nutrafol contains ingredients that target each of these root causes using a proprietary patented blend of botanicals called Synergen Complex, so you can obtain all of these nutrients by taking one daily supplement. 

Sensoril Ashwagandha is the ingredient that helps build resistance to stress by balancing stress hormones to support the hair growth cycle. While Saw Palmetto is a botanical that helps to reduce DHT, a hormone that shrinks hair follicles and leads to progressive hair thinning. Curcumin, found in Nutrafol,  is a potent antioxidant that counters the inflammatory response triggered by aging, stress, hormones and the environment. This response can damage the hair follicle and slow metabolism, an essential part of growing hair. 

Tocotrienols are a concentrated form of vitamin E that improves hair growth and density and provides follicles from oxidative damage reducing stress from the environment.  Lastly, our marine collagen is an essential building block of strong hair. It provides protein and amino acids to make keratin, which is the protein your hair is constructed of.