Unless you wake up in the morning with flawless bouncy Cindy Crawford commercial looking hair, you might want to take notes on the below. What does our hair want? What are the top nutrients for ultimate shine? Come on make it bounce baby!

You won’t catch me writing about the best organic mascara or natural lip shade, cause I’m simply not a make-up girl, but my locks… oh you beat I nurture every strand. So here is what it needs…

Protein. More than 90 percent of your hair is made up of protein, so you need to have enough protein in your diet to support hair growth.

Beta-carotene. This antioxidant can help your body synthesize protein, may encourage hair growth, and may help prevent hair loss. Look for it in lots of fruits and vegetables, especially orange ones.

Vitamin A. Vitamin A fosters scalp health. Many orange fruits and vegetables — cantaloupe, apricots, squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots — are good sources of vitamin A, as is broccoli.

The B vitamins. The nutrients in this family of vitamins, often called B-complex vitamins, may help promote hair growth and prevent hair loss and breakage. Vitamin B3 (niacin) may nourish hair follicles, while vitamins B5, B6, and B12 may prevent both hair loss and premature graying. B vitamins can be found in poultry, beef, fish, eggs, whole grains, beans, sunflower seeds, peas, nuts, leafy green vegetables, and fortified breads and cereals.

Biotin. A biotin deficiency can leave your scalp itchy and scaly. To help keep your scalp healthy, choose biotin-rich nuts, whole grains, and molasses.

Vitamin C. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron. It also helps keep your blood vessels healthy, helps prevent hair breakage, and promotes hair growth. All the citrus fruits — grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, and so on — are high in vitamin C, as are berries and melons.

Vitamin E. This antioxidant vitamin helps your cells repair themselves and facilitates your body’s synthesis of protein; it also encourages hair growth and aids in circulation. It is plentiful in green vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, beans, nuts, and avocados.

Para-aminobenzoic acid. This nutrient might help stave off gray hair. Look for it in whole grains.

Minerals. A range of minerals, including trace minerals, can help promote hair growth and protect against hair breakage. Key among them are silica, calcium, iron, copper, and zinc. These minerals are found in a broad range of unprocessed foods, including nuts, seeds, rice, oats, whole-grain cereals, sunflower seeds, lettuce, onion, cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, bean sprouts, leafy green vegetables, strawberries, dates, and raisins. Organic foods frequently have higher concentrations of trace minerals than conventionally grown foods.

(Source: http://www.dailyglow.com/hair-care-products/hair-vitamins.html)