Introduction to Hair Loss Vitamins
Suffering from hair loss will send you on a wild chase for remedies.
You have probably looked into the thousands of hair vitamins available on the market today.
While the number of available choices can be overwhelming, there are a few key ingredients and attributes you should include in your search.
The good news is, if you pick the right ingredients and products, you can holistically grow back your hair with all the results and none of the scary side effects.
Finding the best hair vitamin for your body requires some analysis of your needs.
You see, hair loss can be attributed to several factors, such as nutrient deficiencies from dieting, stress, and even hormonal and genetic conditions. Understanding these categories will help you find the best supplement for your hair goals and your overall health needs.
Most hair vitamin labels look similar with key ingredients like Biotin, Folic acid, and vitamins A, C, D, and E.
Each of these vitamins plays a vital role in not just the health of your hair, but also the rest of your body.
However, while these vitamins are important to support hair growth, there are other key ingredients you might be missing out on that will help you achieve even better results.
Key Vitamins and Herbs to Know About for Your Hair Growth Regimen
Both men and women can benefit from vitamins that help with hormones, stress, and energy metabolism.
When your body is functioning optimally, your hair growth will naturally improve.
Most hair vitamins work to target your hair, skin, and nails specifically – but they miss the mark on other vital nutrients that your body needs.
Some essential vitamins and herbs to consider in your hair growth regimen are:
- Ashwagandha
- Collagen
- Hyaluronic acid
- Branch chain amino acids
- B vitamins
- Saw palmetto
So What Exactly Do These Added Vitamins & Herbs Do?
Here’s a quick breakdown of each and how they can improve your health and improve those tresses too.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha has many benefits, including stress relief, lower cortisol levels, improved brain function, and even lower blood sugar (Spritzler, 2019).
Since chronic stress and unhealthy hormone levels can contribute to hair loss, adding this adaptogenic herb to your diet can help bring balance to your body and improve your hair health.
Collagen
The amino acids in collagen help strengthen your scalp health and support the growth of hair proteins. But the benefits of collagen don’t stop there.
Collagen has many other health benefits for your body, including; repairing gut health, supporting healthy joints, and improving liver function (Myers, 2020).
Collagen also helps support healthy skin and can aid in sustainable weight loss.
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a moisturizing miracle that can give your hair volume a boost and increase hair growth. Hyaluronic acid also works as a natural lubricant for your joints and skin.
You will commonly find hyaluronic acid in skin moisturizers and serums, but that only helps with the skin’s surface.
Taking a supplement will help moisturize from the inside out.
Branch Chain Amino Acids
Branch chain amino acids act as building blocks for protein.
Your body needs protein to support healthy hair and also to improve muscle recovery and growth. Since your body does not create branch chain amino acids on its own, they must come from outside sources such as food and supplements. Branch chain amino acids help produce the potassium ion channels essential for aiding in the healthy functioning of your hair follicles.
When you experience hair loss, there is typically a malfunction in potassium ion channels, so branch chain amino acids play an essential role in repair (MPB).
B Vitamins
B vitamins support a healthy scalp and hair follicles by creating red blood cells.
Red blood cells carry vital nutrients and oxygen to your body, supporting a healthy head of hair (McDonell, 2016).
Do Men and Women Need Different Vitamins to Fight Hair Loss & Regrow Their Hair?
All of the vitamins and herbs we have discussed today are beneficial for both men and women.
However, there are some specific vitamins and herbs that men and women might benefit from separately.
Added Benefits for Women
Did you know that the dips in estrogen from your monthly period can decrease iron levels and cause hair loss (Mansinghka, 2018)?
Lower iron levels cause hair loss and thinning, so it might be worth mentioning to your doctor.
Adding iron and vitamin C for better absorption can help decrease period related hair loss. It is also worth adding selenium and probiotics for healthy thyroid function (Eisnaugle, 2020).
Your thyroid is essential for regulating your metabolism, and when it is not functioning correctly, it can cause hair loss.
Added Benefits for Men
Men can benefit from adding saw palmetto to their hair growth regimen.
This is a vital herb for prostate health, regulating 5-alpha reductase, and decreasing inflammation (Links, 2019).
5-alpha reductase can convert your testosterone into DHT, which is a hormone known for causing hair loss. Saw palmetto reduces DHT and prevents it from binding (Links, 2019).
Nutrafol makes specific vitamins for both men and women separately.
What to Look for in a Hair Growth Vitamin Beyond the Ingredients?
Having the right ingredients is the first step to an effective hair growth supplement, but it doesn’t end there.
You also need to focus on the quality of ingredients and whether they have been tested and approved.
Some key attributes to look out for are:
- Sustainably sourced
- Absorption rates
- Doctor approved
- Medical grade ingredients
Everything works together for the best results.
You need medical-grade ingredients that are easily absorbed by your body and proven to get you results.
Make sure you thoroughly research your options and check the labels for these key phrases.
You don’t want to waste your money on low-quality ingredients that produce low-quality results.
Can There Be Too Much of a Good Thing?
Be special attention to the amounts of vitamins and herbs in your supplements.
Getting more of one vitamin than your body needs does not have many benefits and can even be harmful.
When you are taking a supplement, be aware of the amounts of vitamins you are getting in your food and your other supplements.
Tracking your intake is crucial because too many vitamins and herbs can cause nerve damage, hair loss, fatigue, and even heart problems (Nierenberg).
Here is a basic breakdown of some vital vitamins and recommended daily doses:
- Folic acid 1,000 micrograms per day
- Biotin 2,000-5,000 mg per day
- Vitamin D 4,000 IUs per day
- B12 2.4 micrograms per day
What About Other Holistic Hair Regrowth Options
Adding the right supplements into your diet can work wonders for your journey to healthy hair.
You don’t need surgery or dangerous medications to grow back your hair and improve your health.
Besides adding the right hair growth vitamin to your diet, you might also consider other natural options such as LLLT.
Low-level laser therapy or LLLT is a great way to grow back your hair naturally and works well with hair supplements. LLLT is commonly found in laser caps and uses light therapy to stimulate the cells and hair follicles in your scalp.
This helps your hair when it enters the growth phase of the hair cycle and repairs damaged cells. This is a pain-free alternative to surgery and only requires a few days a week of use.
LLLT is also backed by clinical research and cleared by the FDA.
Illumiflow is a cost-effective option that uses medical-grade lasers and has a dedication to quality control and high-quality design.
Our Conclusion on Hair Growth Supplements & Vitamins
Holistic therapies are always a great route to take when trying to improve your health and prevent hair loss.
Just be sure to check those ingredients, focus on quality, and make sure doctors and research back them.
Here’s a list of what we feel are the best hair growth vitamins.
Hair Growth Vitamin & Supplement Reviews
Below is a list of reviews of different top hair growth vitamins. Some are plant based, doctor approved, have clinical testing, and the like.
- Nutrafol Vitamins (Our #1 Pick)
- iRestore Hair Gummy Vitamins Review
- SugarBearHair Gummy Hair Vitamins Review
- Ultrax Labs Hair Surge Review
- Keraviatin Review
- Propidren Hairgenics Vitamins Review
- Hairfluence Hair Growth Formula Review
References:
[+] (Mansinghka, 2018) https://www.bebeautiful.in/articles/how-your-period-affects-your-hair
[+] (Spritzler, 2019) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-proven-ashwagandha-benefits#1
[+] (Myers, 2020) https://www.amymyersmd.com/article/benefits-of-collagen/
[+] (MPB) https://www.hairloss-research.org/LinkUpdateBCCA5-12.html
[+] (McDonell, 2016) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-vitamins-hair-growth#section5
[+] (Mansinghka, 2018) https://www.bebeautiful.in/articles/how-your-period-affects-your-hair
[+] (Eisnaugle, 2020) https://www.healthline.com/health/hypothyroidism/five-natural-remedies-for-hypothyroidism
[+] (Links, 2019) https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/saw-palmetto-benefits
[+] (Nierenberg) https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/effects-of-taking-too-many-vitamins#1