Your hair can be your best conversation piece when is at its best, but what about when it’s not? The leading cause for unhealthy, thinning hair at the moment is chemical or heat damage, and various physical illnesses that can sap the nutrients you need for healthy hair.
This is where vitamins and minerals come in and save the day.
Naturally, the food you consume supplies you with vitamins that combat illness, help your systems perform correctly, and keep you at peak physical condition. But sometimes the food you consume just isn’t enough.
Vitamin and mineral supplements can help, not only to make you feel better, but to give you healthier skin, nails, and even hair.
Now, you may be wondering if hair vitamins work in reality. Studies have shown that they can and do increase the rate at which your hair grows and the overall health of your strands.
Many vitamins and minerals have a positive role in maintaining healthy strong hair, in this post we concentrate on the vitamins that research shows are most helpful for healthy hair growth.
Iron
Most people get their highest doses of iron from red meat, but for those who do not or cannot eat red meat a supplement may come in handy.
Usually, iron pills are prescribed for people with low iron due to anemia, but even people without the affliction can have low iron levels. Though you can buy pills, you can also increase your intake of iron-rich foods such as whole grains, fish, nuts, and milk products.
Iron helps to digest nutrients and carry them through the bloodstream which will in turn end up in the follicles of your hair.
Biotin
Also known as Vitamin H, Biotin is necessary for cell growth and metabolism of amino acids and proteins such as the keratin that makes up the outer follicles of your hair. Biotin is found in many supplemental hair growth vitamins for women and hair growth vitamins for men.
Consuming Biotin will up the production of keratin in your body and serve to strengthen and add shine to your locks.
Biotin-rich foods include eggs, peanuts, and leafy green veggies.
Folic Acid
Folic Acid also helps break down amino acids that provide your hair with strength and shine, as well as durability and elasticity.
Folic Acid is one of the many vitamins depleted during pregnancy and prescribed by doctors to aid in the health of the baby which is why so many moms-to-be have such healthy flowing hair.
Folic Acid is present in dark green leafy veggies, liver, nuts, and fruit.
Niacin
Niacin plays an important part in the energy transfer of fats amino acids and proteins such as keratin which, as stated above, makes up the hair follicle. So, an increase in niacin can improve the overall health of the hair follicle.
Niacin is found in chicken, beef, legumes, avocados, and tomatoes.
Riboflavin
Same as Folic Acid and Niacin, riboflavin helps with the production and absorption of amino acids and proteins. Riboflavin helps to increase hair production and combat breakage while providing proper length retention.
Riboflavin is found in milk, cheese, mushrooms, and almonds.
Vitamin B12
B12 aids in the metabolic breakdown of carbs, lipids, and proteins. Your hair is like millions of tiny ropes of protein, so this vitamin helps with the building of strength in your strands.
B12 is found in liver, fruit, nuts, and green leafy veggies.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is responsible for the breakdown and absorption of zinc and iron, both of which aid in natural hair growth, strength, and length retention.
Vitamin D is through the bloodstream in the body. It is carried to the scalp and seeps into the follicles giving your hair shine and elasticity that helps your hair maintain bounce.
The easiest way to soak up vitamin D is to soak up the sun. The vitamin is found in very few foods, so the best way is to let your body replenish itself with vitamin D by simply going out in the sun. But be careful to wear sun protection so as to not burn or take in too much UV radiation.
Zinc
Zinc is found in almost all areas of the body and is crucial for producing many enzymes in the body, and it is vital for many biological functions.
It helps with fertility, cell division, immune health, and hair, skin, and nail health. Zinc helps increase cell growth and boost the rate of cell regeneration.
Zinc can be found in red meat, poultry, fish, and seafood.
Our Hair Is What We Eat
A proper hair loss diet can give you positive results on your hair in a matter of weeks. Changing and maintaining a diet consisting of the foods above should bring you the hair you want as well as increase, in general, overall health and happiness.
Remember always to consult a doctor first as an overdose of these vitamins can bring you more harm than help.
Consider checking for other underlying medical issues. Sometimes hair loss occurs because there is something that is a little bit lacking in a person’s system. Thyroid problems could be a cause. Also, anemia or hormone imbalance issues could play a role in your hair loss.