Spirulina Benefits for Hair and Skin

Spirulina is a cyanobacterium a naturally occurring algae it can be consumed by humans and other animals. Spirulina seaweed has been is one of the world’s greatest super-foods, with an impressive array of potential health benefits and some amazing beauty benefits. It grows in freshwater environments like lakes, rivers, and ponds. It’s a green-blue colour algae and it provides an incredibly high source of nutrients and protein. Commercial spirulina is most often sold as a deep green-colored powder, flakes or a tablet as a dietary supplement. But it’s also used as an ingredient in packaged health food snacks and drinks.

Spirulina has been known to help the body in a wide variety of ways, including providing the body with energy, warding off free radicals and eliminating toxins from the skin, increasing skin metabolism to enable faster skin cell turnover and skin healing, and helping prevent Candida bacteria overgrowth that can cause acne breakouts.

Spirulina Benefits For Skin :

There are many health benefits of spirulina for skin which include better and a brighter skin. Some other benefits for skin are listed below:

  • Tones your skin: Taking Spirulina supplements on a regular basis can work wonders for your skin. Spirulina contains high levels of compounds that are essential for clear, glowing skin, including vitamins A, C, E, K and vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, phosphorous, iron, potassium, zinc, copper, manganese, selenium and calcium. It can also help to fight free radicals, which are the cause of tired and dull looking skin.
  • Purifies the blood: Another one of the important health benefits of spirulina is that it can purify the blood. Spirulina contains chlorophyll and phycocyanin, which promote new cell production and rejuvenate the blood supply. Chlorophyll is almost identical, in its makeup, to haemoglobin which is what is responsible for transporting oxygen around the body and for cleansing the blood.

spirulina-in-tablet-and-powder-form

  • Fights Skin infection: Consuming Spirulina will provide you with a good source of the proteins that boost the body’s production of substances called macrophages, which are a particular type of white blood cell that prevents and fights skin infections.
  • It has anti-ageing properties: Spirulina can now be purchased in a cream for use as an anti-aging treatment. The creams contain vitamin E, which helps the skin repair itself and tyrosine, which can suppress the onset of the signs of aging. Spirulina helps beautify the skin by reducing fine lines and wrinkles, improving elasticity, and giving a rosy glow to the skin when taken internally and also used in facial masks.
  • Treating Warts: Spirulina is also used in the treatment of skin warts due to its immunity boosting properties.
  • Heals Wounds: Spirulina has anti-biotic and anti-inflammatory properties which make it a perfect natural remedy to accelerate the healing of wounds by inhibiting the growth of bacteria, yeast and fungus.
  • Reduces Dark Circles: Detoxifying nature of spirulina helps reduce dark circles by removing darkness around the eyes. Being an iron-dense food, it brightens your eyes and gives them energetic look. It can also improve general dryness and irritation in the eyes and the skin around the eyes.
  • Cleanses Skin: As spirulina improve the process of metabolism, it eradicates heavy elements and toxins from the body. High concentration of chlorophyll in it eliminates the free radicals and makes your skin smoother and softer.
  • Anti-Acne: The anti-bacterial nature of spirulina quickly eliminates the dead cells, and enhanced metabolism encourages the production of new cells. It protects your skin from acne breakouts by preventing the overgrowth of Candida bacteria.

spirulina

Benefits of Spirulina For Hair

It is particularly rich in nutrients that are thought to help prevent hair loss, which is also why spirulina is often used as a key ingredient in natural hair loss prevention products. Spirulina is a concentrated source of both iron and copper- two important minerals one need to prevent hair loss. But this remarkable algae also contains numerous other hair health promoting nutrients, including beta-carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Spirulina powder can be added to juices, soups, sauces, and salads to enhance these dishes’ nutritional value.

It is good for hair health and few benefits are listed below:

  • Promotes Hair Growth: Fatty acids and beta-carotene in spirulina encourages hair growth. These nutrients can be supplied to hair either by consuming spirulina or by applying it externally as a mask.
  • Prevents Hair Loss: Hair loss is one of the most common problems people suffer with these days. Spirulina is rich in iron and copper, spirulina prevents excessive loss of your precious locks. Taking spirulina as powder, tablet or juice increases your nutrition intake deterring the further loss of hair.
  • Anti-Dandruff Properties: Consumption of spirulina leads to an enhanced metabolism which, in turn, removes flaky skin. Besides, the richness of antioxidants in spirulina effectively treats dandruff. Taking spirulina for 4 weeks helps you get rid of dandruff.
  • Beautifies the Hair:It is a source of complete protein containing all the essential amino acids, it is also a good source of bio available iron, that can help prevent hair loss due to iron deficiency. As an excellent source of the essential fatty acid GLA, Spirulina improves the hair texture and helps prevent dry, brittle hair.

How to Eat Spirulina:

A standard dose is 500 mg ingested 4 to 6 times a day. Powdered spirulina can be added directly to juice, smoothies, shakes , milk or water. If you do not enjoy the taste of the blue-green algae, the taste can be camouflaged by combining it with fruits – such as pineapple, berries, apples, peaches or banana – and vegetable juice in a blender and blending until smooth. Alternatively, powdered spirulina can be sprinkled onto or mixed into foods like breakfast cereals, dough for making chapatis, adding it to the vegetable soups or mixing it in the food curries. Spirulina is also available as tablets and can be consumed as per the doses mentioned on the bottle.

Precautions during Spirulina Intake:

Always consult your doctor or nutritionist before taking spirulina. As Spirulina has the potential to stimulate the immune system of our body for most of the people, Spirulina is an excellent supplement which is loaded with benefits, but individuals who have particular autoimmune conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis, generally should not take Spirulina for weight loss, because it can aggravate these conditions. It also can interact with a number of medications prescribed for immune system suppression, such as mycophenolate, mexotrexate and cyclosporine. People with phenylketonuria, a condition that makes it hard for someone to handle phenylalanine, an amino acid the algae and other foods contain, also should avoid this product. The supplement contains high levels of Vitamin K, so it isn’t good for people who are on anticoagulant medication. Although there is no such study found but it should also be avoided by pregnant and lactating women.