The Best Fruits & Oils for Healthy Shiny Hair

Healthy, shiny hair is an attainable goal for many people. Some go the route of purchasing cosmetics to try to brighten dull locks, this isn't necessary. What you eat can bring luster and strength back to your tresses. A balanced diet filled with so-called superfoods like certain fruits and oils treat your hair from the inside out.

1. Oils

   • The omega-3 fatty acids in eggs, walnuts, and fatty fish like salmon help make hair shiny. These oils can also be obtained through some vegetable oils or flaxseed -- or flaxseed oil, but are found in higher amounts in oily fish and eggs. The protein in these foods also helps hair grow strong and healthy. Also found in eggs are B12 and biotin, both of which are essential for healthy skin, nails, and hair.
     

   Avocado

   • Avocados contain high amounts of vitamin E. Only 2 oz. of a medium-size avocado contains 8 percent of your daily recommended intake of vitamin E. If you don’t like to actually eat avocado, you can make an avocado mask to put on your hair. Mash one ripe avocado with 2 tbsp. yogurt, one raw egg, half tsp. of rosemary oil and 1 tsp.jojoba oil. Work it into your scalp and hair and leave on for 20 minutes before washing it out with shampoo. Vitamin E helps to keep your hair color vibrant and prevents split ends.
     

   Coconut Oil

   • The medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are used differently by your body than other saturated fats. An added benefit of coconut oil is its ability to make your hair shiny and healthy. Use coconut oil to cook your chicken or seafood, add it to your smoothies, or put it directly on your hair as a mask. Rub it into your scalp and let it sit for up to 30 minutes before you wash it out. Coconut oil’s anti-fungal agents also help protect against and treat dandruff and other scalp problems.
     

   Vitamin C Fruits

   • Fruits high in vitamin C, such as oranges, peaches, pineapples, strawberries, and kiwi – help maintain healthy hair. Diets deficient in vitamin C can lead to dry or brittle hair. The antioxidants in these fruits also fight against free-radical damage from the environment to protect your hair against pollutants. Make sure to eat lots of fruits high in vitamin C. You can also apply the juices of these fruits directly to your hair by mixing it into your shampoo. Use the juice peaches, strawberries, or kiwis – or a mix of all three – and add it to your shampoo and use as normal. Only do this in small amounts to make sure the contents are fresh at all times.
     

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Tips to Deal With Bad Reoccuring Dreams

People have always been fascinated with dreams. The first chapter of Freud's "Interpretation of Dreams" is devoted to a historical survey about how different cultures and civilizations have dealt with dreams. Freud was interested in developing a scientific theory of dream interpretation. While Freud's theory never gained universal acceptance, it did help to point out how psychological and physiological factors play a role in dreams. One of the points in Freud's theory is that dreams have causes and understanding the cause helps to resolves the issues involved with the dream.

1. Write the Dream Down

   • One of the characteristics of dreams is their elusive character. The specific details of the dream easily slip away after people awaken. Understanding the particular details helps to make sense of a dream which is one of the first steps in understanding the reasons or causes of the dream. A recurring nightmare or bad dream may leave a person with a sense of fear and anxiety but with an inability to pinpoint the exact nature of the fear. Keep a pen and a pad of paper on a bedside table. Jot down the general impression of the nightmare, the context and persons involved in as much specific detail as you can.
     

   Analyze the Content

   • Interpreting and analyzing the contents of a dream helps to identify the issues that may be responsible for the dream. The content of a dream may be inspired by a contemporary event, occurrence or concern or it may be related to a childhood event or memory. Read over the description of dream that you wrote on the pad of paper and try to pinpoint topics and issues related to the dream. Freud's theory on dream interpretation suggests that the technique of free association is the best way to get at the dream. According to Freud, there are two levels of dream content, the manifest content and the latent content. Freud thought that the unconscious is expressing desires and wishes during the dream but consciousness works as a censoring mechanism that seeks to divert the true content of the dream. Free associating simply involves allowing your mind to make connections that come to your mind about the dream without prejudging if they are pertinent or not. Discovering the meanings at work in a dream is a way to stop the dream from recurring.
     

   Relaxtion Techniques

   • Although Freud thought that dreams have a specific meaning or content that is embedded in the unconscious, other dream researchers think that dreams and nightmares are simply related to brain activity and the actual dream itself doesn't have any significant psychological relevance. In other words, a recurring bad dream or nightmare may have a physiological rather than a psychological cause or determinant. Changing your eating habits, winding down and relaxing before you go to sleep, and thinking about pleasant things that you would like to dream about, may help prevent a recurring bad dream or nightmare. Make an appointment for a physical checkup with your family doctor. Tell the doctor about the recurring nightmares.
     

   Share the Dream

   • Sharing a dream with a family member or friend allows you to articulate the dream and express your fears and concerns. A friend or a family member that knows you well can serve as a good sounding board. Their external vantage point and critical ear may help them to pinpoint the connections between specific details of the dream and your personal life. Talking through the dream with another person can help you deal with the content of the dream and resolve the issues that may be causing it.
     

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How to Restore Your Sleep Cycle

Sleep is important, as it actually helps the body to cope with stress. The body prepares for sleep at night by secreting the hormone melatonin into the bloodstream, which causes the body to experience a decrease in temperature and alertness, according to Relaxation-at-Home.com. Meanwhile, during the day, light from the sun actually prevents the production of melatonin. Traveling to another time zone or even working at night versus during the day can cause a disruption of your body's natural sleep cycle. However, just a few steps can help you to restore your sleep cycle effectively.

Instructions

1. • 1
     Eat whole foods such as fruits and vegetables and take a multivitamin. Stay away from highly refined foods and heavily processed foods, according to Neurogistics.com. This is critical for helping you to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, which will help to prevent sleep cycle issues.
     In addition, avoid eating at least 12 hours before you plan to wake up. Otherwise, if you eat right before bedtime, your body's internal clock will assume that the time you broke your fast--which is where the term "breakfast" comes from--is a new "morning" even though you are really planning to hit the sack, according to ParentingSquad.com. However, if you want to drink something before bedtime, try calming herbal teas such as chamomile or passion fruit, according to WomenToWomen.com.
     
     
   • 2
     Practice yoga, belly breathing or prayer and meditation. Yoga actually incorporates breathing exercises and meditation. These activities can help reduce stress and result in more restful sleep, in addition to helping you to fall asleep more quickly and sleep longer, according to EverydayHealth.com.
     
     
   • 3
     Get about seven or eight hours of sleep each day. This means you should avoid sleeping in for an extra one or two hours on the weekends or on your days off. Sleeping in makes transitioning to your regular wake-up time on your next workday more difficult for your body, according to Relaxation-at-Home.com.
     
   • 4
     Sleep in a dark room, or use curtains, blinds or shades to block out light if your work schedule forces you to sleep during the day. In addition, open your curtains when you wake up to let sunshine in, or turn on the lights in your room. This triggers your body to adjust its biological clock for a new day.
     
   • 5
     Purchase and use natural supplements such as phosphatidyl serine, which helps to restore your biological clock by reducing stress, according to HolisticOnline.com. In addition, talk to your doctor about other options such as acupuncture--an alternative medicine option that involves using needles to stimulate various pressure points on the body. Acupuncture actually could help to spike the level of nighttime melatonin and help reduce anxiety to improve the quality of your sleep, according to EverydayHealth.com.
     

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