Have you ever bought a bottle of hair growth vitamins and been disappointed with the results? You want your hair to grow badly, but you’ve already bought 2-3 bottles of pills and you’re tired of dishing out money for pills that don’t work.
If this is you, you’re not alone. The multimillion-dollar hair supplement industry is eager to make promises with self-promoting claims and eye-catching marketing, but do hair growth vitamins really work?
If you want to know and understand hair growth vitamins, keep reading. In this post, we’ll look at the ingredients, their functions, and whether you should be skeptical of their claims.
What’s in a Hair Vitamin?
Biotin. Biotin is otherwise known as Vitamin b7, and it is the star ingredient found in most hair vitamins. Biotin is praised for its ability to grow hair, but there is little scientific evidence. If you do take biotin, begin with a small dosage, as many claim that it makes them break out with acne.
Folic Acid. This ingredient is the synthetic version of folate. It is also known as Vitamin B9, and works in conjunction with other B vitamins. It can help to control hair loss, but only if you have a folate deficiency. The body absorbs folate from real foods much better than it does from a lab-produced folic acid pill.
Vitamin E. This vitamin helps to repair and nourish the scalp. You’ll find that treating your scalp topically with this particular vitamin will soothe an inflamed scalp and heal the follicles. If you want to take the vitamin orally, the body absorbs it best in whole food form rather than synthetic.
Collagen. Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins found in the body, and it’s very important for hair growth. Your body makes collagen on its own, and there are a few foods which promote the body’s ability to make it. However, there’s very little scientific research that proves you can simply pop a collagen pill for hair growth. If you do try collagen, be sure to consume Vitamin C alongside it for better absorption.
MSM. Methylsulfonylmethane is a sulfur-based compound that many claim that it helps the body produce collagen (which is needed for hair growth). There’s very little scientific research to support hair growth claims, so it is unclear whether MSM helps with hair growth. Like collagen, MSM is best absorbed with Vitamin C.
You may find that your bottle of hair growth vitamins also contains ingredients like synthetic Vitamin A, zinc, and iron. These vitamins are also commonly found in daily multivitamin bottles.
Do Hair Vitamins Work?
No one knows for sure. Everyone knows that the body needs nutrients from food, but there’s not a whole lot of evidence that taking a daily dose of pills is effective to grow hair.
Why is it so difficult to pinpoint whether they work or not? Because there are so many factors that determine whether you personally will have success with a supplement. It’s not one-size-fits-all, and there is no magic solution. Some doctors recommend hair growth vitamins to fix your beauty issues and some don’t seem to care.
The body is reliant on food and nutrients to survive and it’s the organs that come first. So, if you have a deficiency such as anemia, it could take longer to relieve symptoms like thinning hair, than it would with someone who is healthy. It would depend on the severity of the deficiency, and other factors like how fast your digestive system can absorb nutrients.
How Much Scientific Evidence Do You Need?
If you’re an analytical person that likes to have specific facts and graphs on the success of hair growth vitamins, you’re going to be disappointed.
There isn’t much to look at when it comes to scientific research studies on hair growth. Hair growth vitamins are kind of like home remedies. You can Google before and after results, but it’s mostly personal testimonials, reviews, pictures, and videos.
So, how much evidence is enough for you? You’ll have to decide how much you want to spend on trying different vitamins even though the evidence is lacking. Keep in mind that supplements tend to take 1-3 months to kick in and start working. Make sure you buy plenty to test the results if you do decide to begin supplementing.
Using Food and Water as Beauty Fuel
Another option is to eat healthy. When you consume a well-balanced and clean diet, vitamins become almost unnecessary.
Try to think of food as beauty fuel as you prepare and eat your meals. Counting specific protein, fiber, and vitamin requirements will help you save money when you realize you can cut back on some of the food-like substances that aren’t providing much.
Try to eat hair-boosting foods like salmon, eggs, spinach, legumes, and avocados. Foods like this will serve to fuel the production of hair and skin.
Water is in a category of its own. H20 is the body’s most abundant substance, and you’ll need plenty if you want gorgeous hair and skin.
You’ve probably noticed that your lips and hands look parched and dry after becoming dehydrated. It’s the same for your scalp, the skin that covers your head. If follicle cells are not hydrated, they won’t be able to produce beautiful hair.
Taking Care of The Growth You Already Have
If your hair looks the same year after year, you may be left wondering whether it is even growing. Sometimes it’s not the hair growth we’re lacking. If you’re an average person, your hair grows at a rate of ¼ of an inch per month.
This means, you should be gaining a full three inches each year. If you have no growth to show for all the years that have passed, you should definitely consider whether you are retaining the length you’ve grown.
Curly hair requires a good balance of moisture and protein to thrive. Unfortunately, we lose both throughout the day from things like friction and sun rays. Our curls also tend to cling together and become tangled, causing further damage. The result is breakage and week, thin hair.
Our need for constant protein means that your shampoos, conditioners, and styling products should contain protein to replace what you lost.
In addition, your hair products should all contain slip. Slip is a beauty industry term that refers to how slippery a product is. If you have natural hair, you’ll want products that are extra slippery so that your curls can slide apart with ease as you go to detangle.
Nutress shampoos are designed to stop breakage through moisturization, and fortify strands with protein so that you can keep the hair that you’re working hard to grow.
Stop Break Sulfate-Free Shampoo and Natural Hair Conditioner are excellent for curly hair and they’ll allow you to retain your length. If you have serious heat or color damage, you’ll want to restructure and restore the shaft with Nutress Protein Packs.
What has your experience been? Have you had any success with hair growth vitamins?
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