You are what you eat - these words perfectly define how the food that you consume can make or break your skin and hair health. While a lot of people make an effort to keep their skin looking flawless, hardly any effort is made for hair care. No, we're not talking about fixing regular salon appointments or stocking up on chemical-laden products. We're talking about what your hair needs the most. If you aren't getting enough of certain important vitamins and minerals for your hair, you are at a big loss. Hence, we're here to tell you about the top vitamins for hair growth that you must consume to maintain happy and healthy hair. But first, let us tell you the importance of hair vitamins in your diet.
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Why Do We Need Vitamins for Hair?
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Essential Vitamins For Hair
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Essential Nutrients for Hair Growth
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Conclusion
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Frequently Asked Questions On Vitamins For Hair Growth (FAQs)
Why Do We Need Vitamins for Hair?
Vitamins are generally important for some functions in the cells throughout your body, including the ones responsible for your hair. For the uninitiated, your hair is made up of a structural protein called keratin. The main job of hair vitamins is to strengthen the hair follicles, cell turnover, optimal use of protein and maintain healthy hair. While there is no scientific evidence that supports the role of vitamins in hair growth, the deficiency of the same can lead to hair loss. There are many people who use vitamin supplements for hair growth and have noticed remarkable changes. Deficiencies can be caused by junk foods, unhealthy food patterns, psychological nutritional issues like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, etc., unidentified gut allergies or absorption disorders. When your body is deficient in vitamins and minerals that are essential for your skin and hair, they can be corrected with a change in diet. This not only takes good care of your skin and hair but also builds good health practices for life and prevents quite a few diseases in future.
Essential Vitamins For Hair:
Here is a list of some of the most important hair vitamins that you must include in your diet if you wish to promote hair growth or maintain healthy hair in general.
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Vitamin A:
Hair is the fastest growing tissue in the human body and all cells need vitamin A for growth. This is the kind of vitamin that will help your scalp skin glands make an oily substance called sebum, which has the ability to moisturise the scalp and keep your hair strong and healthy. When you have a vitamin A deficiency, it can lead to several health issues including hair loss. Hence, vitamin A is one of the best vitamins for hair growth. However, you don't want too much of it as an excess of vitamin A can also be a cause of hair loss. You can get vitamin A out of foods like carrots, spinach, sweet potatoes, pumpkins and kale. Vitamin A can also be found in milk, eggs and yoghurt.
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B Vitamins:
One of the essential vitamins for hair is the B vitamin called biotin. Biotin deficiency can lead to hair fall issues and so it is used as an alternative to hair loss treatments. But, biotin deficiency is really rare as it occurs naturally in an array of foods. There are other B vitamins too that can help create red blood cells, which carry oxygen and nutrients to your scalp and hair follicles. You can get enough B vitamins from foods like meat, fish, seafood, almonds, whole grains, and dark leafy greens. So, if you are suffering from hair thinning or hair loss, you need to start taking B vitamins for hair growth.
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Vitamin C:
Did you know that your hair can age faster when free radical damage blocks growth? Well, you don't have to worry as vitamin C can work as a powerful antioxidant that protects your hair against oxidative stress, which is caused by free radicals. If we had to name one of the best vitamins for hair growth, it'd definitely be vitamin C as it helps your body absorb iron - a mineral that is extremely important for hair growth. Your body requires vitamin C in order to create a protein called collagen, which is quite crucial for your hair structure. Foods like guavas, strawberries, peppers, and citrus fruits are all wonderful sources of vitamin C.
If you wish to topically use vitamin C for hair, Pure Sense, a premium skincare and haircare brand, has a great conditioner that contains vitamin C-rich grapefruit extracts. The Pure Sense Rejuvenating Grapefruit Revitalising Hair Conditioner aims at removing impurities and combats excess oil production in the scalp. The hair conditioner effectively leaves your hair strands smoother, shinier and bouncier. Together, both of these products work to revitalise your hair and make detangling a much easier job for you.
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Vitamin D:
Vitamin D is one of the most effective vitamins required for hair growth as it stimulates new and old hair follicles. When your body doesn't get enough vitamin D, new hair that grows out can be stunted. Vitamin D deficiency is also linked to alopecia - the autoimmune condition that causes bald patches on the scalp. Hence, it's a good idea to add it to the best hair vitamins list as it promotes hair growth. Some of the good dietary sources of vitamin D are fatty fish, cod liver oil, mushrooms like maitake, morel, chanterelle, oyster, and shiitake; and fortified foods like milk, yoghurt, soy milk, etc.
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Vitamin E:
Just like vitamin C, vitamin E is another antioxidant that helps prevent oxidative stress. So, people who experience hair loss should consume foods or supplements that contain vitamin E as it is one of the best vitamins for hair growth. Foods like almonds, spinach, avocados and sunflower seeds are loaded with vitamin E.
These days even hair care products are enriched with vitamins and minerals that are important to nourish your hair. One such product combo that Pure Sense has to offer is the Macadamia Deep Nourish Hair Care Combo. This Deep Nourish Hair Care Combo is encased with a Macadamia-infused hair cleanser and hair conditioner. The hair cleanser gently cleans and nourishes the scalp while leaving your hair frizz-free. The conditioner is rich in vitamin E among other vitamins and minerals that lock in the nutrients to soften your hair and add shine to them.
Essential Nutrients for Hair Growth:
Other than the vitamins that help hair growth, there following are some essential nutrients that also help with natural hair growth and overall hair health.
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Protein:
Protein is the most important nutrient for healthy hair as it is a building block for keratin and hair follicles. When your body is deficient in protein, there are chances of you experiencing hair loss or scalp dryness. You can introduce protein-rich foods in your diet like chicken, milk, cottage cheese, eggs, beans, nuts and quinoa.
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Iron:
This nutrient helps with oxygenating the blood and an iron deficiency can lead to symptoms of anaemia that include chest pain, brittle nails, fatigue, dizziness and hair loss. If you notice hair loss, it's ideal to get some tests done and if at all your body is low on iron, you can start including iron-rich foods in your diet like chicken, fish, red meat, leafy green vegetables, legumes and cereals in order to achieve healthy hair.
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Zinc:
Zinc is usually found in all parts of your body like your teeth, hair, pancreas, retina, blood cells and other body organs. In fact, zinc deficiency is often noticed through hair loss. Hence, it is an essential nutrient that contributes to healthy hair and you can include it in your diet through foods like legumes, peanuts, shellfish, pork and beef.
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Probiotics:
Other than vitamins for hair growth, probiotics can also benefit in producing radiant hair as they are live bacteria cultures that support your gut health. They do this by controlling the growth of harmful bacteria. Some of the probiotics-rich foods you can start consuming are yoghurt, soft cheeses, sourdough bread, and other fermented foods.
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Omega-3 Fatty Acids:
These are mostly popular for heart health but they support a healthy scalp too. When you consume a diet that consists of omega-3 fatty acids, it improves hair loss, scalp dryness, inflammation and promotes a healthy scalp for thick and nourished hair. Omega-3-rich foods include flaxseeds, almonds, peanuts, and fatty fish like tuna, mackerel and sardines.
Conclusion:
Food is always going to remain the best source of vitamins good for hair. When you fail to get enough of it through your diet, there are supplements that you can rely on, only after consulting a professional. Just make sure that you don't end up taking large doses of hair vitamins and nutrients as they can be harmful to your overall health. Work with a doctor to first determine if you have any sort of vitamin deficiency and only then start introducing vitamin-rich foods or supplements to your lifestyle.
Frequently Asked Questions On Vitamins For Hair Growth (FAQs):
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Are vitamins helpful for hair growth?
There might be no evidence suggesting that individual vitamins have the ability to encourage faster hair growth. However, deficiencies in specific vitamins can very much lead to hair loss or hair thinning and even brittle hair. Hence, you need to consume vitamins through foods in order to maintain the overall health of your hair or take some oral supplements of vitamins for hair growth.
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How long does it take for vitamins to work on hair?
When you're taking hair vitamins to help with hair growth, you have to quit the thought that they will work immediately or overnight. It does take a long time, sometimes one year, sometimes five, to see some noticeable results in your hair health. Even if you logically think about it, your hair grows only half an inch each month, so even after taking hair vitamins, it will take a good amount of time for your hair to grow a few inches to reach your shoulders or below.
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Can too many vitamins cause hair loss?
Absolutely yes. Overdoing anything can cause harm to your body, be it on your skin or on your hair. Overdoing vitamins and nutrients can result in hair loss as well. Hence, it's better to consult a dietician or a doctor before you start consuming vitamins for hair growth or vitamin supplements so as to keep track of how much you should be consuming daily.
