Many people are unaware that beautiful hair is due largely to their intake of silica. Silica is a form of silicon, one of the most common elements in the earth, and that is literally where it is most found: in the earth. Most forms of stones and rock contain silicon in one form or another.

Silica is silicon in the form of Silicon dioxide, or SiO2. Appearing naturally as quartz, it is also the principal component of glass and sand. Silica is also a very common component of your body, and is contains in all of your connective tissues such as cartilage and tendons, nails, hair, muscle tissue and bone. Your complexion and shiny hair all depend upon silica, which apart from its other properties help your skin and hair to retain moisture and keep looking young.

Not only that, however, but it also strengthens your hair, and renders it less likely to become brittle and suffer from split ends and that dull look that so many women spend a fortune on trying to overcome with various types of hair conditioner. Conditioners are designed to keep the moisture in your hair; that is also one of the main properties of the form of silicon that we call silica. The term is often wrongly used for other forms of silicon such as silicates and silicones, although these do not take part in human biochemistry in the same way as silica does.

If your intake of silica is at its optimum, your skin and hair will be well hydrated, and maintain a luster that makes it attractive and young looking, rather than lank of frizzy. It is not an overnight effect, however, and you may have to take silica supplements for two or three months until you see visible effects. You should then be able to maintain the effects through diet, although silica supplements can be used if preferred. It is not only your hair that will benefit, but also your skin, as already suggested, will maintain a youthful hydrated look and the wrinkles will take longer to appear.

You will therefore tend to look younger for longer, especially if you also have a good intake of antioxidants to prevent free radical damage to your skin cells. Silica can help to prevent baldness, but it is stressed that it cannot be taken to cure it. It stimulates the growth of your hair and keeps it healthy and strong in addition to looking more beautiful and attractive.

Silica in all its forms is a trace mineral in our diets, and is a relatively rare component. It is also a very important mineral because human life depends upon it. There are certain food sources of silica that you can use to ensure that you get the maximum amount naturally that you can. The foods that contain most silica include cereals, especially oats and rice, which is why Asians tend to have the healthiest and strongest hair. Others are cucumbers, asparagus, lettuce cabbage, onions, potatoes and sunflower seeds. Fruits include strawberries, and if you eat a diet rich in these various foods, then you should have a good natural intake.