Vitamins for hair: which to choose and how to apply

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Hair loss, dandruff, brittleness, dullness - these and other problems with hair can be triggered by a lack of vitamins in the body. Which ones, find out from this article.

Many people attribute hair problems to external factors. Dry and brittle? Dry air and daily hair dryers are to blame. Dandruff? Probably the shampoo doesn't work. Does your hair stay on the comb and pillow? It can't be helped, it's a seasonal phenomenon.

But hair is one of the indicators of the general condition of the body, and problems with them often come from the inside. When cosmetics do not cope, it is worth considering whether the hair has enough vitamins?

Why does hair need vitamins

Hair is a derivative of the epidermis, its outer shell is covered with dense keratin scales. Each hair consists of a shaft and a root. What we comb, wash and cut is the outer part of the hairline. What is under the skin is called the root, or hair follicle. The bulbs are surrounded by hair follicles.

In the follicles, the biochemical processes necessary for the growth and health of hair take place and they are nourished. Useful substances and oxygen with the blood flow first enter the hair follicles, and then are distributed from the roots to the tips.

If the supply is well established, the hair looks great. While dull, quickly becoming dirty and falling out hair indicates that the biochemical processes in the follicles are malfunctioning. Hair fiber is starving without getting the right amount of nutrients. The reason for this may be a deficiency of vitamins, since they activate the metabolism in cells.

The main vitamins vital for our hair:

• Vitamin A - to strengthen hair and fight dandruff (liver, eggs, butter).
• B vitamins - for growth, density and brightness (liver, egg yolk, nuts).
• Vitamin E - for shine and smoothness (herbs, nuts, vegetable oil).
• Vitamin C - for nutrition and growth (citrus fruits, kiwi, sea buckthorn).

Vitamin A

Many people are familiar with vitamin A as a vision protector. Indeed, with its deficiency, the wetting of the cornea of the eye is disturbed, vision deteriorates. But the lack of this vitamin also leads to a weakening of the immune system and various skin problems, including on the head.

Lacking vitamin A, the scalp dries up - dandruff appears, hair becomes thin, brittle, split ends. To restore their elasticity, to cope with dryness and hair loss, you need to introduce into the diet more foods containing vitamin A. For example, liver, eggs, butter, fish oil, whole milk. You can also eat carrots, pumpkins, bell peppers, and other orange fruits and vegetables. They contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A.

B vitamins

These are the most important components for the beauty and health of hair. Vitamin B1, or thiamine, which is found in large quantities in cereals and cereals, gives curls a shine and promotes their growth.

B2 provides an active blood flow to the follicles and normalizes metabolic processes between cells. With its deficiency, the hair becomes too oily at the roots, and at the ends, on the contrary, is very dry. Riboflavin is rich in dairy products, eggs and liver.

Nicotinic acid, or vitamin B3 (PP), is responsible for the rapid growth of hair as well as its pigmentation. If the body receives it in sufficient quantities, unpainted curls literally shine and lengthen before our eyes. To replenish the reserves of nicotinic acid, you need to eat rye bread, beets, buckwheat, organ meats (liver, kidneys), as well as pineapples and mangoes.

Hair, like other organs, needs oxygen. Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is responsible for this. It penetrates directly into the hair follicle, making the roots strong and preventing hair loss. B5 is found in large amounts in hazelnuts, green leafy vegetables, cauliflower, garlic, buckwheat and oatmeal, and egg yolks.

If the scalp is dry, suffers from constant itching and dandruff, then the body does not receive enough pyridoxine - vitamin B6. You can fix the situation if there are more bananas, sea fish, chicken and nuts.

The benefits of biotin (B7) for hair are legendary. On the Web, you will find many articles on how it has a beneficial effect on the structure of hair, helps in the fight against hair loss and dandruff. Biotin is found in milk, nuts, soy, and bananas.

Folic acid (aka vitamin B9) activates the synthesis of new cells, thereby reducing hair loss and at the same time stimulating hair growth. There is also an opinion that vitamin B9 deficiency leads to premature gray hair. To replenish the lack of folic acid, eat more spinach, cabbage and nuts, brew rosehip tea.

B12 (cyanocobalamin, "red vitamin") is one of the most important vitamins for the body in general and for hair in particular. It promotes cell regeneration, thanks to it, the curls grow rapidly, look beautiful and silky. It is found in a large number of products, especially of animal origin: eggs, cheese, cottage cheese, liver, seafood.

Vitamins and their properties	Improves hair growth	Strengthens roots and reduces hair loss	Gives shine and shine	Restores brittle and split ends	Helps Fight Dandruff
B1 (thiamine)	+		+	+
B2 (riboflavin)	+		+
B3 (PP, or nicotinic acid)	+		+
B5 (pantothenic acid)		+
B6 (pyridoxine)		+			+
B7 (H, or biotin)		+		+
B9 (folic acid)	+	+		+
B12 (cyanocobalamin)	+	+	+	+

Vitamin E

This vitamin is a powerful immunomodulator and antioxidant that strengthens the body's protective barriers. It also improves blood circulation and stimulates cell regeneration.

Deficiency of vitamin E is reflected in the curls, loss of shine, growth retardation, deterioration of the structure of the hair shaft. In addition, vitamin E protects strands from the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation and slows down the process of gray hair formation. With a lack of it, the hair looks dull and lifeless.

Vitamin E is rich in vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, as well as herbs, legumes, broccoli and spinach.

Vitamin C

Ascorbic acid is one of the main substances in the human diet. Vitamin C is necessary for the normal functioning of the connective and bone tissues, maintaining immunity.

Lack of vitamin C affects the condition of the skin, nails and hair. The latter become weak, begin to fall out and practically do not grow. The situation can be improved if there are more citrus fruits, berries (currants, sea buckthorn, blueberries), kiwi and apples.

How to use vitamins correctly

In the mass consciousness, vitamins are unconditionally associated with benefits. But they can also do harm if consumed without measure and specific purpose. Especially when it comes to medicinal vitamin and mineral complexes.

There is a large selection of hair vitamins in tablets in pharmacies. As a rule, in addition to these vitamins, these complexes also include proteins necessary for hair (keratin, collagen), as well as trace elements (magnesium to stimulate growth, zinc for shine, and so on).

It's good. But it is even better if such a vitamin complex is selected and prescribed by a doctor specializing in trichology. If you don't have time to go to the doctor, then at least read it carefully.

In addition, the external use of vitamins for hair is now very popular. Many girls buy them in ampoules and add them to shampoos, make wellness masks with them.

But here, too, there are some nuances that you need to know about.

1. Before making a mask with this or that vitamin, find out if you are allergic to it. For example, by making a “harmless” mask of aloe and niacin to prevent hair loss, contact dermatitis can cause the opposite effect - hair will begin to shed even more.
2. Study the biochemical effects of vitamins. For example, it is better not to combine B6 and B12 in the same mask with B1, since thiamine, as well as ascorbic acid, neutralizes their effect. And vitamin A is recommended to be mixed with olive or burdock oil, since it is fat-soluble by its nature.
3. You shouldn't try to get rid of all hair problems at once. Vitamin hair masks are made in courses and do not give an instant effect. For example, try first to strengthen your hair with B vitamins, take a break, and then take a course of masks with vitamin E.

So, vitamins are essential for the normal functioning of hair follicles. They activate (together with trace elements) the biochemical processes of nutrition, respiration and hair growth. Most of all, our curls need vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamins E and C. Their deficiency can be replenished by taking special vitamin complexes or by including vitamins in ampoules in hair care. But usually, to stabilize the vitamin balance, you only need to slightly adjust your diet.

Anything to add? Share your experience with hair vitamins in the comments.