Healthy hair growth is not only a result of what you apply to its outside surface but also fueling your body from the inside. While genetics are key to hair health, intake of certain vitamins can make a significant difference in enhancing growth and quality. This article takes a look at the ten best vitamins that are required for increasing hair growth and helping you keep your locks full, healthy, and luminous.
Best Hair Growth Vitamins
Knowing the best vitamins for hair growth might be the next frontier among people suffering from hair health, after all. The following will be a rundown of key vitamins in the growth of thicker, faster hair and how to get these into your everyday life effectively.
1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is required for all body cell growth, including hair—the fastest-growing tissue in a human being. It helps your skin glands make an oily substance called sebum that keeps the scalp conditioned and keeps the hair healthy.
Good sources of beta-carotene, which changes into vitamin A, are carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and spinach.
2. B-Vitamins
While every single one of the vitamins receives loads of press on the road to “stimulating hair growth,” perhaps the most common player in their cause is biotin—a B-vitamin. Studies suggest that it may be deficient in cases of human hair loss. B-vitamins help to create red blood cells that are carrying oxygen and nutrients right up to the hair and scalp follicles.
Foods rich in B-vitamins include whole grains, almonds, meat, fish, seafood, and dark, leafy greens.
3. Vitamin C
Free radical damage can block growth and cause aging of your hair. Vitamin C is one of the great antioxidants to protect the hair follicles from oxidative stress that free radicals have caused. Additionally, it also works well in the generation of collagen, which is a protein that strengthens the hair. A good part of this vitamin may be found in strawberries, peppers, guavas, and any type of citrus fruits.
4. Vitamin D
This is just a medical term for the loss of hair, and low levels of vitamin D have been associated with it. The research has also shown that vitamin D is actually able to create new follicles, which are the tiny pores of the scalp from where new hair can grow.
Vitamin D is best obtained through sun exposure, though supplements can be used as per a doctor’s recommendation.
5. Vitamin E
Like vitamin C, this is also an antioxidant. Vitamin E helps in preventing oxidative stress. Vitamin E supplementation in one study showed that people losing hair during the period of eight months had a 34.5% greater increase in hair growth. Food sources include sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, and avocados.
6. Zinc
Zinc is important in the growth and repair of hair tissue. It also helps in maintaining the oil glands surrounding the follicles. The body should have an adequate level of the mineral because the related symptoms usually accompany low levels, such as hair loss. Foods rich in zinc include but are not limited to beef, spinach, pumpkin seeds, lentils, and chickpeas.
7. Iron
Iron is necessary for facilitating red blood cells in carrying oxygen to your cells; hence, it is very important for various bodily functions and, of course, general health, including hair.
Anemia, which is brought about by an insufficient amount of iron, is a leading cause of hair loss. Women face this condition more than men.
Iron-rich foods include clams, oysters, eggs, red meat, spinach, and lentils.
8. Protein
Almost 100% of hair is made of protein and, therefore, a proper amount of protein is an indispensable need for hair growth. Good sources of protein include animal products, but plant-based proteins are also high: lentils and chickpeas can supply the necessary amount of protein for hair growth.
9. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are important fats that our body is incapable of making; hence, it has to be obtained through the diet. These are found in the cells lining the scalp and also are responsible for providing oils that retain your scalp and hair moist. Excellent sources are flaxseeds, chia seeds, fish oil, and walnuts.
10. Niacin (Vitamin B3)
Niacin helps in nourishing the scalp and gives improvement to hair growth. With insufficient niacin in the body, hair can actually become brittle, lifeless, and finally falls off. To improve your intake of niacin, add turkey, chicken breast, avocado, and peanuts to your diet.
Conclusion
These vitamins are taken in through your diet and help the fast growth of your hair and also further improve the health of your hair. Though, it is always important to check with a healthcare provider like My HairSmart before taking up some new hair growth vitamin supplement into the diet, more so if he has preexisting health conditions.
