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. *
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