Hair will reflect a boy's overall health. Habits such as eating lots of junk food in lieu of a healthy diet, consuming too much soda or sipping caffeine-laden energy drinks instead of water will make hair dry and brittle. Good nutrition is the key to making your child's hair grow to its maximum potential. There's no miracle supplement, but some vitamins and minerals will enhance his hair health. Boys often have an advantage over girls when it comes to growing hair faster, because they rarely use hair jewelry or heated styling tools, which can damage hair.
Step 1
Choose haircare techniques and products that will not stress the boy's hair. Do not vigorously towel hair dry. Use a wide-tooth comb on his wet hair, and avoid the hair dryer. Wash his hair less frequently and have him condition it more often. Make sure he's using a good, sulphate-free shampoo, not just the bar soap or body wash that's in the shower. If his hair is long enough for a hairband, choose one without metal on it. Use a boar bristle brush to distribute his hair's natural oils. Deep condition his hair at least once a month.
Step 2
Give him eggs and other proteins to avoid throwing your hair growth cycle into a resting phase. Eggs top the list of proteins, because they are rich in L-cysteine, an amino acid that is important for a boy's hair health. Eggs also contain hair-growth-promoting minerals such as manganese and the B vitamin biotin.
Step 3
Make nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables a priority. He needs the vitamin A in orange and yellow vegetables to promote health of his scalp glands. Ensure he eats vitamin C to protect his hair from breaking. Get vitamin C in strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes and dark-green vegetables. Feed him foods with vitamin E, which improves hair quality. Vitamin E is found in green leafy vegetables, as is silica, which improves hair strength. Silica is also in alfalfa and beets. It's easy to sneak vegetables into tacos or sloppy joes by grating them and incorporating them with the meat portion of the dish, where they are "hidden," according to the Meal Makeover Moms (see Resources).
Step 4
Swap white bread and white mac-and-cheese noodles for the whole-wheat varieties. Eating whole grains will give him biotin. Biotin is a B vitamin important for keratin production, a protein found in hair. Whole grains also contain inositol, which will protect his hair follicles, and B vitamins, which aid in regulating hormones that are related to hair growth.
Step 5
Replace the saturated and trans fats in his diet with essential fatty acids. For example, use canola oil when mixing his pancakes or waffles, in lieu of butter or vegetable oil. Feed him fish twice a week. The omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon and mackerel are vital for hair health. Help him get omega-6 fatty acids by feeding him organic beef, and cook with olive oil to give him omega-9 fatty acids.
Step 6
Get his blood tested to make sure he is not deficient in zinc or iron. Zinc or iron deficiency can lead to hair loss. Feed him beef, pork, chicken, oysters, sunflower seeds, clams, herring, liver, blackstrap molasses, bran, wheat germ and whole oatmeal for zinc. Add pumpkin, enriched cereals, meat, leafy greens, eggs, beets, dried beans, kelp or sesame seeds to his diet to boost iron intake.
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