Having a nice, full head of hair may seem like an unreachable goal for men who suffer from hair loss. If you’ve struggled with thinning hair or fear that you may be genetically predisposed to hair loss, don’t give up, there are solutions to assist you in your quest for hair growth. You don’t have to resort to getting a hair transplant, go toupee shopping, or get an embarrassing comb over. Instead, consider these vitamins for hair growth for men.
Best Hair Growth Vitamins for Men
There are tons of different vitamins that can have a direct or indirect influence on hair growth. It’s important to note that healthy hair growth is only possible if you do not suffer from essential vitamin deficiencies. Now, another thing to keep in mind is that in some cases vitamins won’t be able to cure your hair loss condition – natural methods are rarely effective in treating genetic conditions, for example.
Vitamin A: This vitamin is essential to healthy sebum production (which is a natural skin moisturizer) and a vitamin A deficiency can cause dry scalp and dried out hair follicles. Both of these problems can lead to hair thinning, although that is rarely the case.
Now, vitamin A overdose can actually be very bad for your hair and health in general. Foods that contain beta carotene (which is converted into vitamin A when needed) are completely safe to consume, so eat as many sweet potatoes and leafy vegetables as you want without worrying about overdosing on vitamin A. When it comes to supplements, however, be careful – most multivitamins contain a lot of vitamin A and prolonged consumption can cause toxic amounts of vitamin A to build up in the body, inhibiting healthy hair growth.
Vitamin B: The next time you go shopping for shampoo or other hair care products look at the ingredients. I guarantee you there will be at least one B vitamin in there. There are tons of B vitamins including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12. Now, an important thing to understand about vitamin B is this: it is not effective when applied directly to hair/scalp. This means that all of those expensive shampoos that claim to contain vitamin B for healthier hair are, simply put, worthless.
While vitamin B products applied externally are mostly worthless, taking oral supplements can have tremendous benefits. I’ve written an extensive article about vitamin B and hair health – check it out!
Vitamin C: This vitamin plays an important role in collagen synthesis and without collagen hair cannot exist. The best way to take in vitamin C is through natural food sources: citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, sweet peppers, guava, tomatoes and all kinds of berries. The effectiveness of vitamin C supplements is very difficult to determine properly and many nutritional experts believe that supplementation is nowhere near as effective as vitamin C obtained through diet.
Vitamin E: Again, just like most other nutrients, vitamin E has no direct impact on hair growth. However, since it is known to increase blood circulation to all areas of the body (including the scalp), it can help your hair absorb more essential nutrients and minerals. Good sources of vitamin E include kiwis, avocados, mangos and peanut butter. Since extremely high doses of vitamin E can be toxic and actually contribute to hair loss, you should consume any vitamin E supplements with care.
Fresh garlic: Garlic has incredible healing, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Allicin, an active ingredient found in fresh garlic, can increase nutrient delivery to the skin (which includes your scalp and hair follicles). Many nutritional experts advise people to consume at least 2-3 clovers of fresh garlic daily. Just remember that processed or cooked garlic loses many of its core properties.
As you can see, vitamins are not only good for your immune system health, but can also have a very positive effect on your overall wellbeing, and that includes healthy hair growth. Just remember:
- Vitamin A overdose can cause hair loss, but it is nearly impossible to overdose on this nutrient if you get it from food instead of supplements.
- Vitamin B is one of the most important vitamins for hair growth.
- Vitamin C works best when obtained through diet.
- Vitamin E overdose is toxic and can cause hair loss. With that said, it is essential to healthy skin/hair growth.
- Eating fresh (unprocessed and uncooked) garlic on a daily basis can cure many skin conditions and improve scalp/hair health.
- External hair care products (shampoos, conditioners, etc) that contain vitamins are not going to do much good for your hair. Almost all essential vitamins and minerals have to be taken orally for maximum effect.
Lastly, you have to understand that vitamins alone will not prevent hair loss. A combination of a healthy diet, reducing stress, exercise, and proper hair care all should be used in the fight against hair loss.
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