Hair loss and thinning can affect both men and women at all ages and it can be down to a number of factors. From hormones and stress to bad diets and over-styling, our hair can be put under serious pressure. 

Thankfully, you can improve your hair health and have longer, glossier locks by simply improving your diet and nutrient intake. It's true what they say, we are what we eat and with a diet filled with our top hair-boosting foods, you'll soon see the improvement to your locks. 

Here are our favourite foods to improve hair growth and health: 

1. Essential Fatty Acids

If you're looking to improve your overall hair health and wellbeing and get your locks growing fast, boosting your essential fatty acid intake is the easiest way to do it. Essential fatty acids can be found in a range of foods - from walnuts and flaxseeds to avocados and oily fish - and are the key building blocks to healthy hair. Our bodies are not able to produce these fatty acids on their own, so it's essential that we take them in from our diet. 

2. Biotin 

Biotin is a water-soluble nutrient that is part of the vitamin B family and it is responsible for encouraging a healthy hair and scalp. Boost your dairy, nut and brown rice intake to improve your biotin levels quickly. 

3. Iron 

Iron is probably one of the most common nutrients that we can be lacking, especially for vegetarians. Anemics - the name given to people who suffer from low iron levels - can suffer from thin hair that breaks or falls out easily as there is not enough iron to maintain hair health. The fastest way to boost your iron levels is to include red meat in your diet, or if you're vegetarian, plenty of green leafy vegetables, cashews and dried fruits all have high iron levels. 

4. Vitamin C 

If you are looking to increase your iron levels, you must increase your vitamin C levels at the same time as iron cannot be processed without it. Luckily, vitamin C also has a plethora of hair-improving benefits including boosting collagen production in the body which will in the long run prevent hair breakage and protect against damage from styling. Citrus fruits, strawberries and red peppers all have high levels of vitamin C. 

5. Vitamin E 

Another essential vitamin when it comes to healthy looking hair, vitamin E works hard to prevent hair breakage and also nourishes any damaged hair and encourages it to grow. Vitamin E also helps the body build keratin, which makes up individual hair strands so you'll soon see an improvement in your hair if you boost your intake. Foods like sunflower seeds, almonds, pine nuts, spinach, olive oil and dried fruits - but especially apricots - have high levels of vitamin E but some people find it easier to take a daily supplement for this nutrient to see faster results.