Beauty routines can get expensive, with creams and potions, polishes and treatments of all kinds. But what if you could get the benefits of high-dollar beauty treatments by eating a snack? Choose that snack carefully, and you can. Here’s what almonds have to offer when it comes to hair, skin, and nails.
Promoting Hair and Nail Growth
The magnesium in almonds is a vital part of keeping your body running, and lots of Americans don’t get enough of this crucial mineral. Magnesium is essential to healthy nail and hair growth. An ounce of dry-roasted almonds has 20 percent of the magnesium you need for the day. A tablespoon of almond butter has 10 percent.
Fighting Free Radicals
Free radicals are all around us. You can see their effects over time when a bright, fresh coat of paint fades and becomes duller. In the same way, they’re responsible for visible aging of your skin. Including almonds in your diet helps keep free radicals at bay to prevent the signs of aging. The vitamin E and flavonoids in almonds can even prevent skin damage due to smoking.
Turning Up the Shine
The manganese and selenium in almonds are responsible for adding some serious shine to hair. They also promote strong bone growth and have plenty of other health benefits.
Strengthening Nails
Almonds come packed with biotin, the B vitamin and coenzyme sometimes called vitamin H. Some people take biotin supplements to counteract nail brittleness and help prevent annoying broken nails. This useful vitamin also helps encourage skin health.
Protecting Against UV Rays
Almonds are an excellent source of vitamin E. You may already know this vitamin is a powerhouse when it comes to keeping skin healthy. What you may not know is that vitamin E also absorbs the energy of ultraviolet rays, which can do real damage to your skin.
Nourishing Hair Treatment
Use almond oil to add extra moisture to your hair and calm the frizzies, repair split ends, and add sheen and strength. Massage a few drops into your scalp after washing your hair. Apply the almond oil treatment once a week for healthy, lustrous locks.
Replacing Less Nutritious Snacks
We’ve talked plenty about ways that almonds actively kick in to boost the health of your hair, skin, and nails. But when you choose almonds over a less healthy snack, you’re improving your overall nutrition. As Krista Sheehan explains in an article for Livestrong, “Since a proper diet and healthy body are essential for proper hair growth and almonds indirectly improve your diet, it can be said that almonds indirectly improve your hair’s growth.”
As you can see, there’s no reason to shell out big bucks to keep your hair, skin, and nails looking their best. Keep in mind that almond milk doesn’t contain the high levels of nutrients you’ll find in almonds or almond butter. So add a healthy helping of almonds to your diet, whether you mix them into a yogurt and granola parfait for breakfast, sprinkle sliced almonds into a salad, or bring an almond butter and jelly sandwich to work.
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