People love to change their hair color. And why not? There’s not much more fun than switching up your look. One of the easiest ways to start that new look is by highlighting your hair. Millions upon million of people use highlights, but most use them wrong.
Use highlights wrong, you ask? You’re probably imagining how easy it is to highlight your hair, and you wouldn’t be wrong.
However, chemical highlights actually damage otherwise gorgeous hair. Getting those light tones will dry out your hair and cost you your radiant glow.
Though this doesn’t mean highlights are always bad. Natural highlights provide a way to dye your hair without risking damage.
With a little out of the box thinking, you can have your hair looking fantastic and healthy in no time.
Natural Highlights Tip #1: Lemon Juice
You might have heard of this one, and for good reason. Using lemon juice to highlight your hair is a safe, effective way to lighten up your look.
The lightning works by opening your hair cuticles and lifting out your natural pigment. It won’t take you from brunette to blonde, but it will make your hair several shades lighter.
Start by juicing fresh lemons into a bowl. Remember to remove the seeds! Next, dilute the juice with an equal part water.
Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake well to make sure the juice and water blend.
Finally, spray the parts of your hair that you want to highlight and get ready to sit outside in the sun.
Let the mixture dry in the sun for 30 minutes, and as the mixture dries your hair will lighten.
The more lemon juice you add, the lighter your hair will get. Likewise, the stronger the original mixture the lighter your hair.
#2: Chamomile
Chamomile tea is more than just a tasty drink. Boil up some tea leaves and after a little while you’ll be ready to highlight.
Sounds weird? Well, it only is if you focus on running tea through your hair. Think of it as “normal” highlights and you won’t think twice about it.
Start your chamomile highlights by boiling several leaves or tea bags. You’ll want the tea extremely strong; so shoot for much stronger than you’d drink.
Next, wash your hair. The chamomile penetrates your hair much better without contending with your natural body oils.
Now you need to apply the tea to the specific hair you want highlighted. You can use it liberally and highlight your whole style, or apply in a pattern.
Either way, you’ll need to sit in the sun (yes, again) to achieve the full highlighting effect.
#3: Henna
Yes, the same henna that people use to give themselves temporary tattoos can also highlight your hair.
Henna leaves your hair a different shade of red, depending on your starting color. Blondes should expect brighter highlights, while those with darker hair will see muted reds.
The reason this works is the lawsone in henna leaves. Lawsone binds to the protein in your hair shaft and imparts its natural red color.
Start by adding 3 tablespoons of henna powder to a 1/2 cup of boiling water. Mix the henna through until the mixture is free from lumps.
Let this mixture stand for 12 hours. After resting, apply the mixture to your hair as needed. Let stand again, this time for 2-3 hours.
Finally, wash the mixture out and style your hair like normal. You should see red highlights wherever you applied the henna.
#4: Cinnamon
Highlighting your hair with cinnamon results in a similar color as henna. You’ll end up with highlights that are colored, well, like cinnamon.
Again, depending on your hair color the results will vary. Blondes will see a more striking amber, golden color, while darker hair highlights to an auburn, rust color.
Prepare your mixture by combining enough cinnamon to make half a cup of conditioner into a thick paste.
Apply the paste into your hair however you want your highlights arraigned. Aluminum strips work well to keep highlights straight and orderly.
Let the conditioner and cinnamon mixture rest in your hair at minimum 3 hours, or for best results overnight.
Wash out the mixture when you’re ready and style your hair like normal. As a bonus, the antioxidants in cinnamon will leave your hair silky smooth.
#5: Honey & Olive Oil
Our last recommendation for natural highlights is utilizing honey and olive oil. The mixture will produce lighter highlights across all hair colors.
This works because of the enzyme glucose oxidase that produces hydrogen peroxide. Anyone familiar with hydrogen peroxide knows it bleaches everything.
Start the process by mixing 1/4 cup warm honey and 1/4 cup olive oil. The oil will help the honey spread easily through your hair.
Stir the mixture until it’s smooth and apply it to the hair you’d like highlighted.
Let your hair stand for 30-60 minutes, and then work the honey into your hair vigorously for the last five minutes.
Wash the mix out taking care to ensure you get all of the oil out of your hair. And voila! Another case of easy natural highlights.
To Conclude
Choosing natural highlights over chemical based lightening products will not only save your hair from harsh chemicals, but also change your look for the better. Any of the materials on our list are easily and cheaply available. In fact, you’ll probably save money using our natural highlights alternatives.
It’s always important to ensure your hair stays as healthy as possible. After all, you only get one chance at beautiful hair. If you’re trying to style your hair without causing it damage, check out our reviews of vitamins essential for hair growth.
Our website is dedicated to making sure you’re choosing from only the very best in hair care products. Choose the wrong product, and you could end up inadvertently damaging your hair. That’s why we make it our goal to inform everyone about not only what’s good for your hair, but also what’s safe for your hair. We have the tips and tricks the salon won’t tell you!
All shampoo is not created equal. You need one that does it all — promotes a healthy scalp, keeps your scalp moisturized and conditioned, and makes sure all your hair follicles and hair strands are clean and ready to grow. Your shampoo should be helping your natural hair growth cycle work at full power.
Of course, there are tons of shampoos to choose from. Go to any grocery or pharmacy and you’ll see entire walls dedicated to shampoos. They all claim that they’re “#1 doctor recommended” and “best formula for hair growth,” but don’t be fooled.
If you want a shampoo that will help your hair grow to its full potential, you need to look at the label and make sure it includes two things: biotin and hydrolyzed keratin.
Let’s talk about why these two ingredients are so important for a quality shampoo.
The Benefits of Biotin
Biotin is the most important (and most well-known) of the vitamin B complexes. There’s a reason why so many research articles and lists have it so high on their list of nutrients for hair growth. It really is one of the most important parts of a hair growth diet.
In fact, biotin is so important that if your body is at severe biotin deficiency, you can start experiencing hair loss, just like that!
Biotin is water-soluble, meaning that the body doesn’t naturally produce it. Most people get enough from their diets — foods like eggs, nuts, grains, and milk are great sources of biotin. But assuming that you’re getting enough is not enough. it’s importance is why so many experts recommend it as a main ingredient in your shampoo.
Biotin is crucial not only because it encourages hair growth, but because it also helps make sure that your hair cells are working properly. When your hair cells aren’t working as they should, your hair can become brittle and dry.
Brittle and dry hair leads to hair that falls out…something absolutely nobody wants.
Biotin is one of the best nutrients to prevent hair breakage. It’ll give you strong hair that you can pull on without worrying about strands coming out. And stronger hair means longer hair.
Hydrolyzed Keratin
You know how important protein is in your diet, but did you ever think why that is?
Well, protein, keratin protein in particular, makes up 90% of your hair. Keratin is a special structural protein that protects and strengthens. When you get protein treatments, that is replenishing your strands with proteins that will give you volume and make your hair more resilient to the elements.
Hydrolyzed keratin in particular is what you want to look for in your shampoo. When we say it’s hydrolyzed, we just mean that it’s broken up into smaller pieces. The protein is smaller, and so it can more easily penetrate hair strands…better than regular keratin protein.
Keratin has a unique strength and protective quality. Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein particles are known to fill in the cracks along damaged areas in the hair shaft subsequently strengthening the hair, increasing elasticity and volume.
Due to its moisture binding capabilities, Hydrolyzed Keratin Protein increases the moisture content in the hair, restoring luster, body, and increasing manageability. Keratin has always been a staple nutrient in hair care, but adding this special form will definitely give your results a boost.
How to get the best results from your shampoo
Ok, so you know the two most ingredients to include in your shampoo. Now how do you make sure that they’re working at full potential?
Even though we’ve been shampooing our hair forever, many people still get it wrong. And when you’re not washing correctly, the nutrients and vitamins in your product will not work as they should.
Here are 3 simple tips to get the best results from your biotin and keratin-infused shampoo:
1- Start with a Hot Rinse: Get your hair completely wet (with hot water) before washing. This will open up your cuticle and help remove any dirt or product that may be trapped. Your hair will be much better at absorbing the nutrients in your shampoo.
2- Wash less often: You’d be surprised at how many people still wash their hair everyday. Unless you have extremely oily hair, you should only wash 2-3 times per week. Over-washing will strip your hair of the biotin and keratin that you just worked in!
3- Finish with a Cold Rinse: Cold water will close up the cuticle, keeping all those vitamins and nutrients locked into your hair strands. Plus it will help make your hair shinier since it will better reflect light.
Conclusion
There are lots of vitamins and nutrients that are great for hair growth, but biotin and hydrolyzed keratin stand out. The next time you’re buying shampoo, look for an all-natural formula that includes these two ingredients. With consistent use, you’ll notice a boost in hair growth.
It’s also important to remember that shampoo is just one piece of the puzzle. If you want to see real results, you need a proper diet, and a proper routine overall to make sure your body is able to do what it’s supposed to.
Don’t get too caught up in the marketing. Just read the label and look for these key ingredients. Good luck!
Many people suffer from hair loss each year. They need hair growth to regain their sense of social confidence. Since many cases of hair loss are not considered that important by medical doctors, you may have to resort to natural remedies for the problem.
Home remedies for hair growth have been around for years. Some work while others don’t. The primary thing to remember about them is that if the remedy provides the missing link to why you have hair loss, it will work. If not, it won’t and you’ll have to try again.
Here are 10 home remedies for hair growth that you can start testing out yourself:
1. Rosemary oil
For this home remedy, you’ll need about 12 drops rosemary oil and 12 drops jojoba oil. Mix together in small bowl and apply with fingertips to scalp. Then cover your hair with a cap and leave it on for a few hours. Then shampoo it out.
2. Nettles
Nettles is one of the herbs that is high in silica. Although silica isn’t recognized as a nutrient essential for humans or animals, it really is. We suffer from all sorts of connective tissue diseases when we don’t have enough silica in our body. Nettles are anti-inflammatory which can interfere with inflammatory compounds causing a hair loss problem. Take the capsules daily – two capsules twice daily or make a tea with one teaspoon dried nettles and then apply onto scalp after shampooing.
3. Silica
By feeding the connective tissue, this one of the home remedies for hair growth works for about 90% of those with hair loss; that’s what I’ve found. It encourages growth of the hair. You’ll be able to see much faster growth in about 2-4 weeks, as you notice your haircut is long overdue. If you purchase silica capsules at a health food store, take 6-10 capsules daily. If you take diatomaceous earth powder, get the loose powder from feed stores marked USDA Food Grade and take one heaping tablespoon twice daily.
4. The herb ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo sends blood circulation to the head and scalp while making you feel much more intellectually alive. One to two cups of tea daily is all you need; drink it.
5. The herb saw palmetto
Interestingly, this herb works by decreasing the amount of testosterone in the scalp, which has been linked to hair loss. Some health experts report it’s better than Rogaine. Take two capsules twice daily.
6. The herb Pygeum
This herb is similar in its action to that of saw palmetto. Take the same dose as in saw palmetto.
7. Biotin and folic acid
Taking 3-5 mg of each of these may stop hair loss if your hair loss is due to a biotin or folic acid deficiency. But don’t forget to add a regular B complex to your dietary supplements so you don’t create any imbalances in nutrients.
8. Tea tree oil
It’s possible you may have picked up a mite or parasite or fungus which is causing your hair loss. Stop it with a tea tree oil scalp massage applied once daily for three or more days. Shampoo after letting it soak into the scalp for a few hours.
9. Fo-Ti herb
This herb has been known to turn back gray hair coloring while it stops high levels of testosterone from damaging your crop of head hair. Amazing herb! Take two capsules twice daily.
10. Diatomaceous Earth
This one is my favorite. Diatomaceous earth is the tiny bodies of diatoms from sea creatures that are high in the element silica. What’s really important about this is that silica is one of the most essential elements yet it’s rarely included in multivitamins and minerals. Smart hair, skin and nails supplement companies have included small amounts in their supplements for years and have created silica supplements for hair in capsule form that is outrageously expensive and meant to gouge the pockets of those who want to look beautiful.
But now you can be smarter than these supplement companies by going right to the source and getting diatomaceous earth from the feed stores. This is fed to animals, used on the garden and in the pool and will truly make your hair grow wild. I’ve seen this one work wonders for hair growth – it even helps increase the numbers of hairs on the head and the length will grow exceptionally long for you despite your genetics. Here’s why: everyone is deficient in this element as its levels in the soil have dwindled drastically. Deficiencies affect all the connective tissues in the body: the hair, skin, nails, lungs, colon, muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments. Not only will your hair grow with this one but your nails will, too.
The recommended amount per day is two heaping tablespoons daily. Simply mix it into juice, milk, protein shake or yogurt. The flavor isn’t bad at all.
Discover which of these home remedies for hair growth works best for you! Then let me know!
In all the research I’ve done on various ways to stimulate hair growth and keep hair healthy, perhaps the single most interesting and unexpected finding I’ve come across is using castor oil for hair growth. This is without doubt one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to having a full head of gorgeous hair. Castor oil is considered a vegetable oil, and it’s obtained by pressing the seeds (called castor beans, even though they aren’t true beans) of the castor oil plant (Ricinus communis).
The plant originates in the southeastern Mediterranean Basin, eastern Africa and India, but it is commonly grown as an ornamental plant throughout many tropical regions, especially variations with reddish leaves and flowers. It’s important to be aware that the plant and its beans constitute one of the most poisonous plants in the world. If you ate a handful of the seeds and didn’t get immediate medical attention, it could very well be fatal. The toxin it contains is called ricin, which is obviously removed from castor oil products. I only mention all of this in case you get the idea to grow your own plants and try to make your own castor oil. Don’t do it!
With that quick disclaimer, let’s get into the huge benefits you can reap by using castor oil for hair growth and health. If you’re like me, you’ll wonder how you haven’t heard of this wonder hair treatment before! Here are seven major benefits of using castor oil on your hair:
Castor Oil Hair Care
Reduces Hair Loss. With all the styling, drying, coloring and other things we do to our hair, not to mention the genetics we inherit, hair loss is an all too common and psychologically depressing occurrence for many people. Using castor oil on your scalp and hair helps protect it because of the ricinoleic acid it contains, which both protects your hair and stimulates nutrient-rich bloodflow to your scalp that keeps hair strong, healthy and intact. Ricinoleic acid makes up about 90% of castor oil, so it’s definitely one of the richest sources of this hair tonic you’ll find anywhere.
Stimulates Hair Growth. The act of applying castor oil by gently massaging it into your scalp and hair boosts circulation of blood to the scalp and hair follicles, which is essential to stimulating hair growth. But the oil itself also helps because of its high omega-6 fatty acid content, which is another important component in growing healthy hair. Well-nourished hair will be stronger, more resilient, and less prone to falling out prematurely.
Fights Scalp Infections. Various pathogenic microbes can take root in the scalp and cause all kinds of trouble, from bald patches to itchiness, all of which can stall out hair growth. Castor oil has natural anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and even anti-viral properties that will help wipe out any pathogenic organisms that can cause a variety of scalp and hair issues, including follliculitus, ringworm and peidra.
Controls Split Ends and Hair Breakage. Castor oils rich levels of vitamin E, amino acids, and omega-6 fatty acids help put a stop to both split ends and breakage by penetrating deep into your scalp and smoothening out rough hair cuticles (the hard, outermost part of the hair shaft).
Moisturizes and Conditions. There are omega-9 acids in castor oil that help lock moisture into both your hair and scalp, making it a surprisingly effective conditioner. Because dry scalp can lead to dandruff, making regular use of castor oil can help keep that problem under control as it moisturizes your scalp. Castor oil has the ability to penetrate dry and damaged hair to heal and restore it.
Gives Hair a Beautiful Shine and Silky Feel. By coating each shaft of hair and locking in moisture, castor oil leads to a natural luster as well as a smoother, silkier feel. Note also that castor oil tends to give hair a richer, darker hue due to its humectant effect and nutrients.
Increases Thickness of Hair. Both the omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids will help make your hair feel thicker, giving a real boost to its volume.
Heal and Regrow Eyebrows and Eyelashes. If you find yourself needing to regrow or thicken thin eyebrows, castor oil is probably your best bet. You can also use it to repair and strengthen your eyelashes as well. Use a mascara brush to apply it to your eyelashes.
How to Use Castor Oil for Hair Growth?
The first thing to be aware of is that you want to use an unrefined castor oil product because that will have many more of the nutrients that make your hair healthier. Also know that castor oil is quite viscous, meaning you’ll find it a lot thicker and stickier than other oils, so you might consider mixing it with a lighter oil to make it easier to work with. Coconut, olive or almond oils are good choices to mix with castor oil. Choosing an oil with a pleasing odor will also make your hair smell great (who doesn’t like the smell of coconut?).
A good rule of thumb here is that the longer you’re going to leave it in, the less you should use. It’s powerful stuff, and you don’t want to overdo it. If you only use a small amount, feel freet o use it on a daily basis as an added conditioner. Leave it in a good 15-30 minutes before washing your hair with your favorite shampoo. For longer treatments, use less, massaging it into your scalp and throughout your hair in sections, then wrap your hair in a moist, warm towel for an hour. If you leave it in overnight, be sure to wear a shower cap. To reduce the messiness of the whole process, you can also try using an applicator like a hair dye dispensing bottle or brush instead of your hands. Although you won’t see substantial improvements immediately, after about a month or so of regular use, you’ll notice all of the amazing benefits of using castor oil for hair growth and health.
Hair growth supplements companies are doing their best to formulate a product that gets your hair to grow. Often these products may work somewhat, and the ones that work best are usually the ones that include the most ingredients.
In fact, many of the hair growth supplements have ingredient lists that look similar to what’s in a multivitamin / multimineral formula.
That’s because there are three primary reasons for why your hair may not be looking its best is that you could have some vitamin or mineral deficiencies. For example, if you have a zinc deficiency, you could end up with hair loss. The zinc will affect hair growth and reproduction.
There are a few other reasons why you could have hair loss and need hair growth supplements.
1. You have an infection of the scalp, which is bacterial, parasitical, or fungal.
2. Your hormone levels are out of balance. You may have high testosterone and low estrogen as a female, or high testosterone as a male, which kills the hair follicles.
Each of these respond to better nutrition although if your hormone levels are out of balance, it’s best to work with your doctor to get them leveled out. And of course, if you do have an infection of the scalp, it’s best to get that treated so your hair can start to grow again. Some types of microbes will cause hair breakage, which contributes to further hair loss.
What Do Most Hair Growth Supplements Contain?
The primary ingredients found in hair growth supplements are any of the following:
B vitamins especially biotin, inositol, choline and vitamin B6
Antioxidant vitamins vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin E
Minerals zinc, selenium, iodine, copper, and iron
Amino acids L-methionine and L-cysteine
Alpha-lipoic acid, MSM, and N-AC
Omega 3
Some supplements may only contain five or six of the ingredients listed above. Others may contain almost all of them. A few may contain all of them.
There are some additional ingredients that may be found in hair growth supplements.
Some may contain herbs such as Korean red ginseng, the mushroom Polygonum multiflorum, Eclipta alba, Thuja orientalis, rosemary, or Fo-ti. These are herbs that have been used historically for centuries for hair loss and hair improvement.
Which supplements are the best? Certainly, the it would be the ones that contain the most ingredients in the right amounts your body needs.
Choosing the supplement with the most in it is much better than taking only one nutrient, thinking it will work. One ingredient by itself may or may not work, You will never be deficient in one nutrient alone; it doesn’t happen in nutrition since nutrients work together. It makes more sense to take a supplement that contains the most ingredients aimed at helping improve your hair.
The Missing Ingredient From Hair Growth Supplements
What is quite interesting is that many of the supplements on the market are overlooking a basic fact about hair, skin, and nails, muscle, and bone: these tissues are connective tissues that depend upon dietary silica for them to become strong.
It’s no wonder that they don’t add silica to their supplement. The nutrition boards of doctors that determine what nutrients are essential for the body don’t even acknowledge that silica is worthy of essential element status. Yet, when you do a little research on silica, you’ll find that not only has the soil been vastly depleted of this nutrient, but also there are only a few foods that have the mineral in it. Some of those foods include cucumbers, parsnips, and bell peppers.
Some hair growth supplements may contain small amounts of silica, but they are nowhere near the amount that is needed to get an excellent result in the hair and for hair growth. The dosage recommended is the amount of silica found in one heaping tablespoon food grade diatomaceous earth twice daily. This amount is usually added to protein shakes, juice, milk, or water. Diatomaceous earth isn’t tasteless but it is not a bad taste either.
For the past three years, I’ve recommended dietary silica in the form of diatomaceous earth to patients with all sorts of health issues that are related to connective tissue disorders. They might have hair loss, lack of hair growth, gum disorders, blood vessel disorders, bone and joint disorders, or muscle problems such as strain, tears, or injuries.
Every one of these problems has healed in record time, and I’ve been especially impressed with the results seen for those whose hair never grew much. They report that they have to get their hair cut about two weeks earlier than usual, and their hair has reached a new length they never had before in their entire life. I remember one patient in her 60s whose hair had grown past shoulder length. She was exceptionally happy about this and had wished she had found her secret to hair growth years earlier.
With diatomaceous earth, small hair loss patches on the scalp start to fill in, and over time look a lot better.
When it’s time for you to decide on a comprehensive hair growth supplement, choose wisely. Then start taking it regularly. Go the full distance and add the extra missing ingredient – dietary silica. You’ll be very happy with the results.
When it comes to figuring out how to make hair grow faster, it’s important to cut through the hype and myths, not to mention all those marketers out there trying to make a quick buck selling you products that may or may not get the results you’re looking for. In this article, I draw upon only the best sources of information out there in order to give you the truth about many different aspects of hair growth, whether you’re interested in just learning about what makes your hair grow, how to make hair grow longer, or how to make hair grow faster naturally.
Is There a Worldwide Epidemic of Hair Loss?
A recent study by Relevant Research, Inc. for the International Society of Hair Restoration Surgery, found the following (source):
Number of hair loss sufferers worldwide seeking professional treatment
811,363
Percent of men who will have noticeable hair loss by age 35
40 %
Percent of men who will have noticeable hair loss by age 60
65 %
Percent of men who will have noticeable hair loss by age 80
70 %
Percent of women who will have noticeable hair loss by age 60
80 %
Percent of male patients that use a minoxidil (such as Rogaine)
85 %
Percent of male patients that use a finasteride (such as Propecia)
15 %
Percent of all patients that had a negative reaction to any hair loss treatement
7 %
Percent of hair loss sufferers who would spend their life savings to regain a full head of hair
47 %
Percent of hair loss sufferers who said they would rather have more hair than money or friends
60 %
Clearly, there are a lot of people all around the world who are concerned about the state of their hair as it thins and disappears. I think it’s worth taking a good look at the science of hair growth to find out what’s really happening.
The Science of Hair Growth
What does the medical community have to say about hair growth? You can be sure that doctors all around the world have had to deal with patients concerned about hair growth and hair loss issues. Here is the collective wisdom the scientific medical community has come up with, as found at the WebMD website:
What is Hair Made of? It’s fascinating to think that as of week 22, a human fetus developing in the womb has already formed all of its hair follicles! There are typically around 5 million hair follicles all over the body, with the only exceptions being the palms of the hands, bottoms of the feet, lips and eyelids (except, of course, for the eyelashes). There are a million hair follicles just on the human head, with 100,000 of those found on the scalp. Everyone tends to say that hair is “dead,” but there is a living part to hair, but we can’t see it because it’s below the skin. At the base of the follicle is a bulb of living cells that divide surprisingly fast – every 23 to 72 hours, which is faster than most other cells in the human body. Those bulb cells are fed by the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) of the papilla that the bulb surrounds. It is true that the hair we see growing is in fact dead. It’s made of a protein called keratin.
How Fast Does Hair Grow?
The hair growing from your scalp tends to grow at a rate of about .3 to .4 mm/day, which overall translates into about 6 inches (15.24 cm) per year. You’ve probably noticed that out in nature, it’s pretty common for many animals to grow more hair or shed hair according to the seasons. This is not the case with humans – there is no seasonal variation in hair growth for us! We do, however, shed. In fact, there are three distinct stages in the hair growth cycle. A hair’s active phase is called anagen. Those cells at the base of the follicle are dividing away quite rapidly and pushing a new hair up through the follicle, if there’s an old hair already present that is no longer growing (called a club), it will get pushed up and out of the follicle. This anagen phase can last for 2-6 years, during which time the hair can grow as fast as 1 centimeter every 28 days. The hair on your arms and legs has a much shorter anagen phase, to the tune of 30-45 days, which is why those hairs don’t get very long – and isn’t that a relief to know? Then comes the catagen phase, which applies to about 3% of your hairs at any given moment. In this phase the individual hair has stopped growing and is becoming a club hair. In the final phase of hair growth, the telogen phase, the hair has made the final transition to being a club. It is at rest and will typically stick around for about 100 days before it gets pushed out by a new hair. On average, people lose about 25-100 telogen hairs each day. If you pull a telogen hair out at the root, you’ll find a bit of hard white material around the base of the hair.
At this point, you may be wondering, “What does any of this have to do with how to make my hair grow faster?” What you first have to realize is that there’s no magic solution that will make your hair grow faster or make your hair longer. If you want your hair to be longer, don’t cut it. If you want your hair to grow faster, there are some things you can do that will let it grow at the fastest rate possible, but you’re never going to beat the overall average by anything significant. In other words, your hair may be growing slower than it should, and you can address that. There is also a common myth out there that when you cut or shave your hair it seems to grow faster. This is not true. What is true is that shaving can make hair seem thicker when it grows back in, but it’s definitely not growing any faster.
What you’re really aiming for is to improve the general health and quality of your hair, which will include normal growth. I’m going to take a different approach, and it’s one that you won’t see taken in most of the articles about hair growth you’ll read on the Internet. I want you to understand the following statement very clearly:
You Hair Will Only Be As Healthy As The Rest Of You
That statement is the most basic truth you must accept when it comes to how to make hair grow faster. The healthier you are overall, the healthier will be your hair. But please don’t misunderstand me – you can be as healthy as anything and still have hair problems! There’s no guarantee that achieving optimal health will make for a luscious full head of hair, but it does give you your best shot at it! The reason there’s no guarantee is because there’s more at work here than just overall health – you can inherit hair problems through your genes, which can include both male and female pattern baldness. With that said, I believe that human health in general depends on three simple things:
Hydration
Nutrition
Exercise
And the next thing I’m going to suggest is that you can do all three things for yourself in general and for your hair in particular!
Hydration for You and Your Hair
The easiest rule of thumb for hydrating your whole body is the 8/88 rule – drink eight glasses of water each day that are about eight ounces each. If you’re not used to it, it’s harder than you might think, but so worth it in the long run. Those 8/8oz glasses come out to about 2 litres or a half-gallon each and every day. Now, when it comes to specifically hydrating your hair, keeping your whole body hydrated will help. Then, and only if you really need to, you could do a deep conditioning treatment, perhaps once per week if your hair tends to be dry.
Nutrition for You and Your Hair
This is the big one. You’ve probably heard the phrase “You are what you eat.” It’s true, and your hair will reflect it. If you’re more the computer-geek type, back when computers were first being used and everyone had to be a programmer to use one, a common phrase was “Garbage in, garbage out.” This is another one that applies to what you eat. If you eat junky food, then your health and your hair will both decline accordingly. Most everyone knows these days that the best diet of all is one that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables (7-9 servings) along with plenty of protein (not necessarily from red meat) and iron. What you want to minimize is all the highly processed food that’s full of fats, sugars, sodium, and all those chemical artificial sweeteners and flavors. Pretty simple, right? It’s not rocket science. But what can you eat that will specifically help your hair? Many people want to know what vitamins make your hair grow, so the following list are the ones that have been linked in some way to hair growth:
Vitamin A is key to hair growth, shine and flexibility.
Vitamin B2 boosts overall health of hair.
Vitamin B5 and B7 help maintain hydration, decrease hair loss, and enhance body and suppleness of hair.
Vitamin B6 regulates sebum production, a natural scalp oil that protects hair.
Vitamin C is said to give hair energy, although I couldn’t verify what that means.
Vitamin E stimulates the flow of blood to the scalp, an essential part of hair growth.
Find foods rich in those items and recipes to cook using them and you’ll be more than on your way to setting the stage for maximum hair growth and health. You can also take supplements, but it’s always better to get your vitamins from the food you eat.
Exercise for You and Your Hair
Do you know the World Health Organization’s minimum guidelines for Exercise? It says the following: Adults aged 18–64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity. If the idea of hair exercise sounds really strange to you, then you’re in for a surprise. Your hair will be healthier and grow faster (or not as slowly), if you take the time to brush or comb it regularly. What this does is stimulate the scalp, which means better circulation of blood to those living parts of the hair, keeping them vital and healthier. It will also help distribute the sebum that is your body’s natural oil for hair protection. And of course brushing and combing your hair many strokes at a time makes your hair look better and feel softer. Another way to get your hair exercise in is through a regular scalp massage.
Things to Avoid
Besides the obvious advice to avoid being unhealthy, I especially want to reinforce how important it is to avoid things that can really wreck your hair:
Too much stress – It’s not good for your health overall, and anytime you feel like “tearing your hair out” spells actual trouble for your hair as well.
Hair products with silicone – Check your shampoos and other hair products. They should not have silicone in them, which is known to dry your hair out and cause it to deteriorate.
Excessive Sunlight – Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting you hide completely from the sun, as some skin doctors would have you do. You need to expose yourself to sunlight because it’s the best way to get your vitamin D, and there are many other benefits as well, but when you get too much sun, you not only put yourself at greater risk for skin cancer, but it wrecks your hair as well.
Harsh treatment – Curling irons, blow dryers, crimping irons, and all the other crazy ways we’ve come up with to bend hair to our will can really damage your hair as well, so use them sparingly. This can even include hair ties, clips and extensions – if they’re always worn in the same place, they can weaken and damage your hair. And should go without saying that bleaching, dyeing, perming is very, very hard on your hair over time.
Untreated health conditions – If you’ve got health problems, they’re probably affecting your hair. Be proactive to address and solve your health problems to have healthy hair.
Ancient Chinese Wisdom for Hair Care
Everything I relayed so far is really coming from a traditional Western perspective on health and sicence. In an effort to give fair play to both Eastern and Western approaches to healthy hair, I thought I’d include what some of my research has revealed for hair care practices in Chinese culture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I’m particularly indebted to Joanna Burton, a holistic health and beauty practitioner in Australia for providing me with much of the research she put into her own book on the topic of healthy hair and skin via TCM. After all, the Chinese culture is one of the oldest in the world, and the women are renowned for their silky black tresses.
In TCM, human health is governed by groups of major organ-energy systems. Before getting into the details of that, however, there are several simple practices you can incorporate if you want the kind of beautiful hair often associated with traditional Chinese women.
Rice water is a common and very important aspect of Chinese hair care. Rice is such a basic staple in Chinese life that it’s not surprising to see that they’ve discovered how it can be used for hair. Soak the rice in water for 20-30 minutes, strain out the rice and voila! You now have a lovely hair rinse that you can use like a conditioner, leaving it in for a few minutes after a regular shampooing. This will both strengthen each shaft of hair as well as give it great shine. The really traditional Chinese women actually wouldn’t even use regular shampoo. They would only wash their hair every few days with the rice water!
Combing one’s hair in China is like a sacred ritual. 500 strokes is the standard. The ultimate TCM comb would be one made out of rhino horn, but that’s no longer acceptable given the endangered status of the species. Sheep and ox horn combs can be used to achieve the same types of effects, just not as strongly. The horn material is known to aid in the removal of excess heat and toxins, both of which can impede hair growth.
Other items that can be applied directly to the scalp to encourage hair growth include camellia nut oil, which you would use like a conditioner, as well as ginger. You can use either ginger juice or freshly sliced ginger put directly onto your scalp to stimulate growth. Using ginger in this fashion results in a tingling sensation that is the sign of enhanced blood flow to your scalp that will help you hang on to more of your hair as you age.
Now for the various Chinese dietary guidelines you can take advantage of for getting fabulous hair:
Certain dark nuts and legumes can help prevent or even reverse premature graying of the hair, especially for dark-haired people. You would want to focus on adding plenty of black beans, black sesame seeds and walnuts into your diet. Other foods that can help with graying and/or thinning hair include a number of different oils, including flaxseed, sesame, virgin coconut oils as well as avocado. It is both the liver and kidney organ-energy systems that relate to hair quality, thus any treatments that address those organs’ energy will be helpful as well (such as acupressure, acupuncture, moxibustion and detoxification). Signs that you liver system’s energy needs boosting would be having a pale complexion, experiencing dizziness, having dry, dull skin and hair, and suffering from fatigue. If the kidney system is in need of attention, than can manifest as weak bones, poor teeth, deafness, impotence, infertility, exhaustion, and poor quality hair. As the energy of these organ systems decline with age, that’s why hair thins, gets weak and brittle, goes gray or falls out altogether.
Perhaps the most fascinating of all Chinese herbs for anti-aging and hair is one called Polygonum multiflorum, or He Shou Wu. The Chinese name literally translates into “Black-Haired Mr. He.” There are many similar folk tales that relate to this herb that all follow the same basic idea: Mr. He began taking a wild herb he found growing in the forest. After a time, not only did his graying hair turn back to its original black, many of his other health problems vanished and he lived to be 160 years old, so the herb is named after him. Not surprisingly TCM classifies this important herb as a kidney, liver and blood tonic, which explains why it is applied for both hair issues and longevity. However, its potency requires that you only use it with the direction of a qualified TCM practitioner.
Other herbal medicines that can help hair by bolstering kidney and blood energies include Rehmannia root, fo-ti root, dong-quai root, quince fruit, and Gastrodia rhizome. Foods that can be eaten to aid in the same process would be Hijiki seaweed, blackstrap molasses, black sesame seeds, nettles, wheatgrass and chlorophyll.
If you are suffering from hair loss, you can be very proactive by acupuncture geared towards tonifying the kidney organ energy system as well as a specific form scalp acupuncture using a 7-star plum blossom needle. This is an instrument that holds multiple needles in a star pattern that can be used to tap the scalp. In 2004, the Shanghai Journal of Acupuncture and Moxibustion reported that among 110 balding people who underwent 7-star needle acupuncture therapy, the treatment was 99.1% effective and resulted in total cure rate of 83.6%. That is very impressive!
Conclusion
This article has given you a solid summary of everything you need to know from both Western and Eastern perspective to achieve the healthy head of hair you’ve been wanting. You’ve even found out how to make hair grow faster, which really means getting your hair to grow as fast as is humanly possible, by focusing on your overall health, which is the key to healthy hair as well.
Iron deficiency is frequently linked to hair loss, although this very simple condition often goes misdiagnosed or ignored until it’s too late. In this article, I’m going to give you some basic information on how iron and other minerals affect hair growth and what you should do about it.
How Does Iron Affect Hair Growth?
Since hair growth is a continuous metabolic (hence “growth”) process, it requires a constant supply of essential vitamins and minerals in order to function well. It’s long been known that iron and vitamin D are both extremely important to our metabolism and any deficiencies can have serious adverse effects.
Curiously, hair growth is considered to be a non-essential process (by the body), which means that it’s always one of the last things on your body’s to-do list. For this reason, vitamin and mineral deficiencies have such a strong effect on hair growth: there’s simply not enough “fuel” left over for these not-very-important processes, and so they are ignored.
Now, practically anyone can suffer from an iron deficiency. Some of the most common risk factors are:
Following a vegan or vegetarian diet.
Women of menstruating age (blood loss during periods leads to chronic iron deficiency when combined with an unhealthy diet).
People who suffer from various health conditions such as anemia.
Possible iron deficiency symptoms are: difficulty sleeping, increased anxiety levels, chronic fatigue, depression, skin that’s very sensitive to cold, brittle nails, muscle weakness, and so on. The most important thing is to get proper blood tests done. These tests are not expensive, just ask your doctor to check your blood iron levels. Never self-supplement with iron without a proper diagnosis.
Does Supplementation Help?
If your hair loss was caused by an iron deficiency, taking supplements will surely help. Sadly, making an accurate diagnosis can often be very difficult, because hair loss can be caused by a huge range of factors. Normally however, both men and women with severe iron deficiency experience slow, gradual decline of hair density on the scalp (which, unlike pattern baldness, affects the entire scalp).
Iron deficiencies are almost always accompanied by other vitamin/mineral deficiencies as well as the inability to absorb certain minerals from food (either due to a medical condition or poor diet). For this reason, most people who take iron supplements should also be taking a multivitamin that includes vitamins C and D. Vitamin C is particularly important for absorption of iron.
Foods like lean red meat (sirloin steak), green leafy vegetables (spinach), lentils, beans (especially kidney beans), dried apricots, and so on also contain iron. Studies show that protein-based iron sources are by far the best way to replenish our iron supplies (which means eating lean red meat, skinless and boneless chicken breast, turkey breast, etc).
Remember that iron deficiencies take a long time to develop and an even longer time to go away completely. Sadly, normal hair/nail growth can take many months (normally between 3 to 6 months) to resume, so be patient and do not just assume that your treatment didn’t work.
Have you heard celebrities talk about the benefits of taking prenatal vitamins for hair growth? The big question is whether or not this is true.
Many women find that their hair does grow exceptionally long during pregnancy, but does that mean that the two are related? Pregnant women also do other things like eat odd food combinations; maybe these are related!
Two Physiological Reasons Why Hair Grows During Pregnancy
The fact is that a woman’s hair grows fast during pregnancy, not because she is taking prenatal vitamins for hair growth, but because of her hormones. The higher levels of estrogen during pregnancy allow the hairs to essentially stay on the head longer before they are shed.
Scientifically speaking, the estrogen-influenced hairs stay in the anagen phase (when they grow) before they progress to the telogen phase where shedding occurs. This results in thicker and longer hair.
Another reason is that the circulation is expanded in the pregnant woman’s body so that the baby can get more nutrients it needs, especially oxygen. Extra blood vessels and capillaries begin to grow and every part of the body including the scalp receives more blood flow. With more blood flow, it’s easy for hair follicles to grow.
It’s a coincidence that the woman is taking prenatal vitamins for hair growth. Or is it?
What About Nutritional Reasons?
Actually, we have to identify what’s in prenatal vitamins for hair growth to see if the nutrients may be part of the reason why a pregnant woman’s hair does grow thicker. Comparing a prenatal vitamin to a regular multivitamin, you won’t find much difference. The average prenatal vitamin formula has more iron and more folate and usually more biotin.
The nutrients cited in medical studies that may be responsible for hair growth include biotin, iron, zinc, iodine, selenium, and vitamin D.
The average prenatal vitamin contains the following amounts of these hair growth nutrients:
• Biotin – 300 mcg
This amount is 100% of the estimated value for adults. A biotin deficiency will cause the hair to fall out. If someone is deficient in biotin, the amounts taken to correct it are 3 mg, 5 mg or even 10 mg. Thus, it’s easy to see that a prenatal isn’t providing a nutritional cushion for those with deficiencies or those with hair loss.
• Iron – 30 mg
This is more than the 18 mg a multivitamin for women would contain for a menstruating woman because the needs are greater in pregnancy, and anemia can seriously harm a developing baby as well as the mother. Iron deficiency causes hair loss.
• Zinc – 15 mg
This is the amount everyone needs as an adult. There’s nothing special with this amount, and it won’t cure a deficiency. Zinc deficiency causes hair loss.
• Iodine – 150 mcg
This amount is 100% of the estimated value for adults. This is an interesting amount to have in a prenatal vitamin since the American Thyroid Association recommends 250 mcg for pregnant and lactating women. Iodine influences thyroid health, which controls how fast the hair, grows. (Birth Defects Res A Clin Mol Teratol, 2012 Sep; 94(9):677-82.)
• Selenium – 100 mcg
The usual amount in supplements is 70 mcg so the 30 mg extra could provide a small buffer, but not enough to be considered a replacement if a woman is deficient. Deficiency is associated with hair loss, as is toxicity. Toxicity is exceptionally rare.
• Vitamin D – 400 IU
Prenatal vitamin companies haven’t caught on to the idea that up to 75% of the population may be deficient in this nutrient, and if so, could need up to 10,000 IU per day for three months in order to correct the deficiency.
Higher circulating levels of vitamin D in moms during pregnancy are associated with improved mental and psychomotor development in infants. (Pediatrics, 2012, Oct; 130(4):e913-20.)
Animal studies are beginning to show an influence of vitamin D on hair growth and regrowth, too, although it’s not definitely proven. However, since vitamin D controls over 1000 different genes that are related to illness, it’s not far-fetched to think that one of those 1000 could possibly be connected with hair growth.
Prenatal Vitamins Can Supplement But Never Be Enough
From this summary, it’s easy to see that prenatal vitamins really aren’t going to do much for hair growth, let alone for pregnancy! Prenatal vitamins are pretty inadequate in providing all the woman’s needs for pregnancy. Surprisingly, prenatal vitamins are one area of medicine not addressed much, as ob-gyns simply hand out prenatal vitamins as if one size fits all.
The problem is that all of us are living far underneath our nutritional potential and have dietary and nutrient imbalances. Nutritional studies have found deficiencies in every group of people, young or old – and it’s not only one deficiency; it’s multiple ones. It’s conceivable that your nutrition can be boosted to optimal and your hair loss could stop.
By adding prenatal vitamins for hair growth, you can temporarily give yourself a boost of some nutrients and notice that you’re feeling better, but there are better ways to approach hair loss that are more scientifically sound. By using a whole panel of nutritional tests and hormonal tests, you can detect the cause of your hair loss.
There is no doubt in my mind that vitamins and hair growth are linked in a million different ways and that some vitamins, such as B7 (or simply Biotin), are extremely important for maintaining healthy, strong and shiny hair. Now, many beauty products that contain Biotin claim that this magical ingredient can make hair grow faster, re-grow lost hair and even make your hair thicker. Let’s find out whether these claims are true or just marketing hype.
What is Biotin?
Biotin, also called vitamin B7, is a part of something known as the vitamin B complex, which is a whole group of very important vitamins that aid everything from cell growth to balancing hormonal levels in the body. Biotin is created naturally in the intestines and can also be acquired from various food sources as well as supplements.
One very important thing to understand about Biotin and most other vitamins (including B-complex vitamins) is that they do not aid hair growth/re-growth directly. Many hair beauty products claim that B vitamins can improve hair growth – that’s not true!
Now, this doesn’t mean that supplementation is useless! Biotin plays an important role in hundreds of different processes within the body, some of which are crucial to maintaining/producing healthy hair. This is exactly why vitamin B (including B7) supplements seem to have a different affect on different people. If your inner processes are working slower due to mineral or vitamin deficiencies, correcting them will certainly produce great results. In some cases, however, taking vitamin supplements will have no noticeable effect (if your hair loss is genetic, for example).
Oh and remember that vitamins for hair/nail growth should always be taken orally. Topical creams, shampoos and various other solutions that contain Biotin are next to worthless.
Sources and Usage
As with all vitamins, the best way to increase your daily intake is by changing up your diet. That’s because vitamins from dietary sources are much better absorbed by the body. Some of the most common Biotin-packed foods are: green leafy vegetables, lentils, walnuts, almonds, Swiss chard, milk, carrots, berries (raspberries, strawberries) and many others.
Another way to get more Biotin into your system is by taking vitamin B supplements. While this method is not as effective as eating a healthy and balanced diet, it is often the best option for people with Biotin deficiencies and conditions that could benefit from Biotin supplementation.
Remember, however, that you should have your vitamin B levels tested (ask your doctor to perform a blood test) in order to determine what daily supplement dose you should be taking. While Biotin deficiencies are rare, some people suffer from various other vitamin B deficiencies that can have devastating effects on hair growth/health and should be treated with a full B-complex vitamin supplement.
In very rare cases your body might be unable to properly absorb vitamin B. When this happens, you will experience brittle nails, weak/breaking hair, slow hair growth and many other related symptoms. In such cases, ask your doctor to recommend a good sublingual vitamin B supplement instead of pills/tablets. Sublingual supplements are absorbed directly into the bloodstream and have a much quicker and more powerful effect.
And remember that any vitamin/supplement regimen will normally take 2-3 months to start showing measurable benefits. So be patient, eat healthy and don’t lose hope!
What Vitamins Does Your Hair Need For Hair Growth?
There are many reasons why you may want to speed up your hair growth. Whether you simply can’t wait to grow out of a horrible haircut or need help with problems such as hair loss or thinning, there are natural solutions that can help. Choosing the right Vitamins for Hair growth is essential and important.
Vitamins are particularly useful for hair growth as well as your overall health. Now, since hair is actually a part of your body, you can’t have healthy hair growth without maintaining a good vitamin and mineral balance. Another very important thing to remember is that both vitamins and oils can make your hair softer, shinier and thicker, which is something that often goes overlooked.
On this website I will try to answer all of your natural hair growth questions and give you some tips on how to keep your hair looking healthy all year round! While the main focus is on vitamins for hair growth, I will also cover topics such as hair oils and hair loss treatments.
What Makes Our Hair Healthy?
We all have bad hair days from time to time. For some people, however, hair problems are almost a part of life, something they’ve been dealing with for so long that they can’t imagine it being any other way. So what is it that separates people with healthy hair from those who face hair problems on a daily basis?
The answer is usually very simple. Hair growth and health depends on three things: your genes, your hair care routine and your diet. While we can’t change our genes, there’s a whole lot that we can do about how we look after our hair as well as what foods we eat.
In reality, most problems with slow hair growth happen either due to malnutrition (very rare) or because of improper hair care (extremely common). Both of these conditions can be treated with natural solutions and you should see incredible results in no time. And even if you suffer from a genetic condition that causes hair loss or thinning (inability to absorb certain vitamins, male pattern baldness, thyroid issues, and so on), there is probably a solution out there, so don’t despair and start searching.
In the next few paragraphs, I will help you find the best vitamins for hair growth and identify other natural treatments that can help make your hair more luscious, softer and healthier.
Why Choose Natural Vitamins for Hair Growth?
You might be asking yourself why choose natural vitamins for hair growth instead of artificial chemicals/products? After all, these products are scientifically created and therefore superior, right? Not quite.
Most scientific studies show that minerals and vitamins which we need to promote good health, growth, and hair growth are best absorbed when ingested through food. As a result, many people choose natural vitamins instead of artificial supplements, pills or hair care products that contain vitamins and minerals.
Now, some people are under the impression that natural is the way to go for everything and others are the complete opposite; they think that natural is always bad and chemically altered products are vastly superior.
To be honest, there is definitely a midpoint that is ideal for all things in life and hair growth/health are no different: some hair growth vitamins are best obtained from food sources, while others should be taken in supplement form. In the majority of cases however, natural sources prove to be far superior to artificial supplements.
When it comes to hair care products however, things are a little different. The sad truth is that you can spend hundreds of dollars on fancy revitalizing shampoos from salons, but many of these products are merely snake oil. That is, they have a label full of chemicals, a fancy bottle, an appealing smell, and no positive influence on your hair. Things have gotten so out of hand that many beauty product manufacturers today use respectable scientific studies to their advantage by twisting the facts whichever way they like! Here are two examples of such false marketing:
Most hair care products today contain B-complex vitamins. Interestingly, there is practically no scientific evidence that B-complex vitamins have any positive effect when applied externally. In practically all cases vitamin B should be either acquired through food or taken in supplement form. Nonetheless, beauty product makers flaunt all of the amazing benefits that vitamin B can have on your hair.
Expensive shampoos that contain coconut oil and a whole lot of other ingredients such as silicones, vitamins, various oils and so on. The truth is that a simple baby/organic shampoo combined with a little organic coconut oil will do a lot more good for your hair. Without the premium price tag.
Instead of nourishing your hair and allowing it to grow to its fullest capability, artificial chemicals and other ingredients used in beauty products can often cause damage and be detrimental to hair growth.
The Best Vitamins for Hair Growth and Thickness
There’s a lot of debate whether vitamins and hair growth are related and which vitamins, if any, should be used to improve the rate at which hair grows. My opinion is that vitamins do affect hair growth, both directly and indirectly. Below is a list of some of the main vitamins that can help you boost hair growth and thickness.
Vitamin B7 (also known as Biotin)
One of the most important vitamins for hair growth and thickness. Biotin is a necessary vitamin as it aids in the production of fatty acids, promotes cell growth and has many other important roles involving amino acids and fats. Simply put, your hair needs biotin.
An important thing about Biotin is that it works best when taken together with other B-complex vitamins such as vitamins B5, B6 and B12. Most of us suffer from mild to severe vitamin B deficiencies and restoring this balance can do tremendous things to hair health. Sources of Biotin include various foods as well as most dietary supplements and multivitamins.
Using Biotin: Since you are most likely already consuming some biotin through your diet, it is very difficult to tell whether you have a deficiency or not without a proper blood test. Luckily, this test is not expensive and only takes a few minutes – as your doctor for more details.
If your test results show that you do suffer from Biotin (or any other vitamin B) deficiency, you should begin a course of B-complex supplements. Now, some people suffer from a condition that makes it very difficult for the body to process some of the B vitamins. In these cases using a sublingual (under-the-tongue) supplement might be a good idea.
The results will not be instantaneous, but within a few months you should definitely see noticeable results with regards to hair growth and thickness, as biotin is one of the best vitamins for this. It is important to note that no such treatment, even when using all natural products, should be undertaken without first consulting a doctor or a nutritionist.
All vitamins and minerals that improve the immune system (vitamin C) , help with cell growth (vitamin C), improve blood circulation (vitamin E), fight dry skin/scalp (vitamin A) and help the body absorb other nutrients (vitamin D) should be considered when looking to speed up hair growth.
While many of these vitamins do not have a direct effect on hair growth rates, a person suffering from a vitamin deficiency will not be able to sustain normal hair growth. Remember that every vitamin is different. Some should be taken in supplement form, while others must to be acquired through diet and diet alone! Read more about this here and here.
Hair Growth Vitamins for Women
While (at least for the most part) men and women should be following almost identical nutritional and hair care routines, there are a few crucial differences:
Women are much more likely to enjoy various hair oil treatments which can be beneficial for hair growth, shine, softness and scalp health.
Women tend to have significantly longer hair which breaks off easier. This calls for better, more subtle hair care. In addition, hair breakage can be prevented by reducing split ends, using coconut oil to strengthen hair, and so on.
As for vitamins, most women tend to have some (although usually mild) hair problems due to stress and should take vitamin B, C and D supplements to help keep stress and anxiety levels low. Do remember to consult with your doctor and check for deficiencies before taking vitamin supplements.
Hair Growth Vitamins for Men
Believe it or not, hair is, for the most part, just hair, and this means that it is very similar in both men and women. For this reason, hair growth vitamins for men tend to be more or less the same as those recommended for women. This includes B-complex vitamins as well as vitamins C, A and E. Just remember to take all vitamins in appropriate doses and from the right sources!
On top of this, foods that contain essential fatty acids and products such as natural flax oil can do wonders to promote overall male health, and are a good way to improve hair quality.
Vitamins for Hair Growth – Quick Summary
Most shampoos or hair products claiming to accelerate hair growth or improve hair quality are hoaxes, as many of the natural vitamins cannot even be absorbed properly through hair and skin – they must be taken orally.
B-complex vitamins along with vitamins A, C, E and D are all very important to healthy hair growth. With that said, most people should look into using vitamin B7 (also called Biotin). Hair oils are another superb option for people suffering from various hair conditions including dry hair, dry/flaky scalp, bad split ends, itchy scalp, and so on.
For men and women hair growth vitamins (as well as other treatments) don’t differ too dramatically. In other words, practically any vitamin treatment that works to increase hair growth or quality in men can also be used to achieve the same results in women (and the other way around).
* Please note that no cure or treatment should be undertaken without first consulting your doctor or a nutritionist. *
4. The herb ginkgo biloba
