Hair loss affects millions of people around the world. The condition, also known as alopecia, has a variety of causes, ranging from overly tight pony tails to poor nutrition. Male pattern baldness has a genetic component, and a similar condition also occurs in females. These and many other hair loss conditions are caused in 
part by a hormone called “dihydrotestosterone,”more affectionately known as DHT. DHT shrinks hair follicles, reducing their lifespan and thus causing hair loss. It is implicated in many hair loss processes.
Hair loss occurs for a variety of reasons. However, whether the proximate cause of hair loss is genetic or not, the quality and thickness of hair is strongly affected by diet. What follows is a list of the five most important hair food groups.
Nasty Fats
Nasty fats are widely reputed to be hair destroyers. These fats either contain or produce our friend DHT. Nasty fats come in baked goods, fast food, pastries and beef. Generally, they are “holdable” fats – that is, fats that are solid at room temperature, like shortening, that a person can hold in their hand. Note that these fats can be and regularly are heated and liquefied in deep fat fryers, from whence they imbue anything that swims in them with their ineradicable nastiness.
Happy Fats
Happy fats are also called “essential fatty acids.” Essential fatty acids are beneficial because they contain protein. They are specifically beneficial to hair because hair is almost entirely protein. Moreover, despite its need, the body does not produce these fats, so all of its intake of essential fatty acids must come from external sources. Important sources of essential fatty acids are fish, nuts, olive oil and peanut butter. It may be no coincidence that several of the foods that contain essential fatty acids, such as nuts and olive oil, also contain vitamin E in abundance.
Coffee
Yes, amazingly, coffee is good for something besides the morning buzz. Caffeine apparently blocks the production of DHT, thus contributing to hair growth. One study concluded that caffeine increased hair growth in study subjects by over 30 percent. Other studies have shown that those of us who occasionally wear our coffee can benefit as well. Caffeine is effective both when consumed as coffee and when applied as a topical in, for example, shampoo or on, for example, shirts.
Meat
If you love meat, you’ll have more and nicer hair. Hair needs protein and meat provides protein in abundance, so get out your steak knife and chow down on that New York strip or filet mignon. Just make sure to avoid the fat.
Oranges
Yes, oranges. Oranges have many vitamins but, most importantly, they have vitamin C. Vitamin C is critical to building many proteins and hair is made of protein. Other vitamins, such as vitamin A and vitamin E, are also essential for protein building.
While hair loss can have a variety of causes, diet plays a critical role in both promoting hair growth and contributing to its loss. A proper diet containing appropriate hair foods will ensure that every individual has the best hair their genes will allow.
Photo credits: Almonds by HealthAliciousNess/flickr; oranges 2 by Liz West/flickr
Finding the best hair loss treatment is what Noah Mann knows best. He has been experiencing issues with hair growth since his early teens. Nothing is more embarrassing to an image conscious teenager.