If you're trying to grow your hair - and let's face it, who isn't - here are 7 foods that you do not want to be putting in your mouth.

Our genetics and our diets are the two most important factors when it comes to the condition of our hair.

The genetics we cannot control (thanks for the terrible eyesight and total lack of coordination MUM).

But our diets are another story entirely.

Just as there are good foods to eat when growing your hair, there are also foods that will kill your hair growth.

If you're trying to grow your hair - and let's face it, who isn't - here are seven foods that you do not want to be putting in your mouth.

Read Food For Thought: Is Your Diet Good For Your Hair?

Free yourself from gluten

@sshelbs wears the THICK Halo in col. Dark Blonde + Light Brown #10/6

Or at least free yourself from non-organic gluten.

The fact is there's nothing wrong with gluten. It's actually incredibly healthy for you.

The problem is the intense chemical processing of gluten. And when eaten, it loads your body up with nasty toxins that cumulate over time.

Gluten has been said to cause digestion issues, but it's also known in eastern medicine to cause scalp inflammation. Not good.

So do yourself a favour, give gluten the boot. Or if you're pasta-fiend like me; go organic.

Read Hair Extensions And Why The Halo Is Best For Your Hair

Give up the sweet tooth.

That's right; I'm talking about processed sugar.

No more lunchtime Kit Kats...

Those pesky sweets are causing your blood sugar to spike, which raises your androgen levels (a male hormone) and causes your hair follicles to shrink.

Dumping your sweets can have skin and nail benefits too.

And while you're at it, give up all the other good things too.

High-glycemic foods like pasta, white bread, pastries, cakes, and pretty much anything else that tastes good, break down into sugar in your stomach.

So pretty much refer to point #2

Read The Ultimate Morning Routine For Growing Your Hair

It rhymes with "dish."

That's right, fish.

Thanks to 300 tonnes of radioactive waste leaking into the ocean every day from Fukushima, any fish you eat from the Pacific Ocean will be radiated.

And as we know, radiation tends to kill your insides.

This is not good for hair growth.

In addition to that, big fish like Tuna, King Mackeral, Marlin, Shark, Orange Roughy (pretty much all the fish that we eat) contain high doses of Mercury.

Mercury is an unwanted heavy metal and is known to cause hair loss. So it should be avoided.

A couple of ideas to help you out:

• Try faux fish. Then let me know if it's edible...
• Eat smaller fish, like light tuna.

5. Don't OD on Vitamin A

Although it would be pretty hard to overdose on Vitamin A, you should avoid taking too much of it because it's been shown to cause hair loss.

Keep in mind you have to take stupid amounts of Vitamin A to experience adverse effects, so if you're taking a multivitamin which contains the A Vitamin...I'm sure you'll be just fine.

6. Slow down on the spritzers

@moetchandon

To all my party-gals, if you want long, luscious hair, you have to slow down on the drinking.

This is a big ask, I know. But alcohol is a big hair-growth killer.

Here are a couple of ideas to get you through the next 50 odd years of social-life:

• Be a hermit. Instead of going out 2-3 nights a week, try going out only once a week.
• When you do go out, try having fewer drinks. (Hint: Soda and lime looks a lot like gin and tonic).
• Have a drink of water between every alcoholic beverage to flush the alcohol through your system.

Read 10 Hot Tips For Growing Your Hair

7. Pepper and...

You guessed it; salt.

High salt intake has been shown to cause excessive hair-shedding.

A couple of ideas to get you through:

• If you're a salt addict (like yours truly) then try curbing your salt intake slightly - every bit makes a difference.
• Use Himalayan sea salt.

I'll finish by saying; for some girls, hair growth comes easy. For others, it's like squeezing blood out of a rock.

Everyone's genetically different. So what works for me won't necessarily work for you.

The best thing you can do (from my experience) is to try some of the ideas I'm throwing your way, see if they work for you. And if they don't, then try something different.

If you've got some other hair-growth tricks to share, please add your 10c below.

Read These 10 Hair Products Seriously Won't Damage Your Hair.

Ditch the diet soda

I hate to burst your bubbly bev bubble, but while diet soda might seem like the healthier alternative, it is actually terrible for you.

Especially for your hair.

This is because diet soda substitutes real sugar for artificial sweeteners, specifically Aspartame.

This causes hair loss and thinning if consumed in excessive quantities.

To avoid Aspartame look for drinks that have been sweetened with organic options such as honey, or that only use small quantities of the chemical.