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4 Benefits of Aloe Vera for Hair

Healthy hair shouldn’t just look the part- it should feel great, too. With all the unfortunate damage our hair faces from weather, styling tools and products, it’s hard to find the right solution that can be the hero our locks are looking for. Thankfully, Aloe Vera is a natural ingredient that can help fight countless hair issues without breaking the bank.

Because of its various healing nutrients, Aloe Vera is a plant species often used in various herbal medicines. Aloe Vera is rich in amino acids, vitamin A, folic acid and vitamin C. While it seems like just about everybody knows Aloe-Vera can be used as a go-to solution for sun burn relief, who knew you could use this soothing gel for damage relief for your hair, too? Read on to find out how Aloe Vera can be utilized as much more than a skin treatment, and why we love it for fighting hair damage, too.

Aloe Vera as a Hair Treatment

1. Dandruff

Aloe Vera can be used in dandruff treatment and prevention. Just like Aloe Vera soothes dry skin from a sun burn, it can also moisturize a dry scalp, which helps to alleviate the presence of pesky flakes. Treating a flaky scalp is also a key factor in eliminating dandruff all together.

2. Oily Hair

Treating dry hair can be often be accompanied by undesirable oil build-up. Thankfully, Aloe Vera can be used as a rinse for oily hair without additional, unwanted effects like making hair dry or brittle. The rinse is easy to make and only needs one part aloe vera juice with two parts lemon juice, then apply to the shaft of the hair.

3. Frizzy Hair

Avocado Juice Calories

Avocado is considered a high-calorie food, though the fat contained is heart-friendly monounsaturated fat. Avocados come in several types, and each has different calorie counts. California and Florida avocados are two popular types of avocado.

Calories in Avocado

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Avocado calorie totals range from 277 calories for a whole California avocado to 486 calories for the larger Florida avocado, according to the USDA's MyFood-a-pedia calculator.

Added Ingredients

Avocado juice might not be 100 per cent pure avocado. Added water, lemon juice, orange juice or any other ingredient can change the total calories. Check the label of packaged juices for added ingredients.

Juicing

Fruit juices often contain more calories than whole fruit pieces, according to the Food and Nutrition Education Program from the University of Arkansas. This is particularly true of packaged juices. Fruit juices can have around 25 percent more calories than whole fruit. Therefore, 1 cup of California avocado juice might have around 277 calories compared to 222 calories in an unjuiced fruit.

Watermelon: Health Benefits and Nutritional Information

Despite popular belief that watermelon is made up of only water and sugar, watermelon is actually considered a nutrient dense food, a food that provides a high amount of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for a low amount of calories.

Watermelons have become synonymous with summer and picnics, and for good reason. Their refreshing quality and sweet taste help to combat the heat and also provide a guilt-free, low maintenance dessert for kids and adults alike to enjoy.

Along with cantaloupe and honeydew, watermelons are a member of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae. There are five common types of watermelon: seeded, seedless, mini (also known as personal), yellow and orange.

Possible health benefits of watermelon

Consuming fruits and vegetables of all kinds has long been associated with a reduced risk of many lifestyle-related health conditions. Many studies have suggested that increasing consumption of plant foods like watermelon decreases the risk ofobesity and overall mortality, diabetes, heart disease and promotes a healthy complexion and hair, increased energy, overall lower weight.

Along with cantaloupe and honeydew, watermelons are a member of the botanical family Cucurbitaceae.

The Best Juices to Drink in the Morning

Juicing can be a convenient way to get your daily requirements of fruits and vegetables. Advocates of juicing believe that it can give your immune system a boost and protect you from a variety of diseases and ailments because of the high levels of phytonutrients, including antioxidants in the juice. While medical experts are quick to point out that there is no scientific evidence that juicing is healthier than eating the whole fruit or vegetable, studies on the physiological effects of individual fruits and vegetables can help you make an informed choice about what to add to your morning juice.

Beets

If you have an active schedule to look forward to, try starting out your day with beet juice. Research at the University of Exeter in London published in the November 2010 "Journal of Applied Physiology" showed that beet juice improved stamina by lowering exercise oxygen requirements. Subjects reduced walking effort by as much as 12 percent and increased exercise time by 16 percent. The juice widens blood vessels to allow greater blood flow and reduces blood pressure. While more studies are underway, researchers believe that the high amount of nitrate in the juice is responsible for performance enhancement.

Pineapple

Protecting your skin from the sun’s UV rays is an important part of your wellness routine. You can boost your body’s immunity against skin cancer by starting your day with pineapple juice. Researchers from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia found in a 2005 study that bromelain, an enzyme found in pineapple, offers protection against tumor growth, including melanoma. Two molecules in particular, CCS and CCZ, block a protein that is defective in about one-third of all cancers, and they activate the body’s defense system to zero in on and eradicate cancer cells.

Blueberries, Strawberries and Spinach

Whether in the classroom or during the business day, information recall is in constant demand. Keep your mind sharp with high-oxygen radical absorbance capacity foods, including blueberries, strawberries and spinach. A 2008 animal research study at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, indicated high-ORAC foods can prevent loss of long-term memory and learning ability, and they protect against cell-damaging oxidation. The study suggests that these foods may offer protection against cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Spinach, in particular, appeared to protect nerve cells in the brain against the effects of aging on memory and gross motor skills, such as balance and coordination.

Citrus Fruits and Vitamin C–Rich Produce

Studies have long suggested that vitamin C may improve your immune system by protecting you against colds. A 2008 University of California-Berkeley study found that vitamin C may be effective in reducing concentrations of a central biomarker of inflammation linked to heart disease and diabetes. Inflammation is a serious marker of disease. According to a 2003 Italian study on the effects of inflammation cited in the "Journal of Medical Genetics," chronic inflammation leads to long-term tissue damage and is related to increased risk of mortality. Including vitamin C-rich sweet peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes and cabbage in your juices can protect you against the common cold and reduce your risk of inflammation and its associated link to chronic illness.