Vitamins and minerals for hair – opinions and effects
Text updated on 06.05.2021
Excessive, usually significantly accelerated, hair loss is a problem encountered by both men and women. If you do not lose more than 100 – 150 hairs a day, this is a natural process and there is nothing to worry about. Otherwise, we may be dealing with one of the varieties of alopecia, which should first be properly diagnosed, preferably with the help of a trychologist, and then proceed to treatment. Hair loss may have various causes, some of its causes are our own fault, forgetting that hair needs vitamins and minerals, which should be provided with food or dietary supplements.
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Hair loss – what else can it be caused by
Hair loss is a disease, which should be counteracted as soon as its first symptoms are noticed. In the first place, it negatively affects the condition of hair, affecting its structure, making it brittle and fragile. It also does not remain without impact on the health of the scalp, and the most common causes of this are:
- Lack of hygiene, irregular shampooing or using the wrong shampoos for this, causing the skin to become oily or, conversely, dry. Damage is also caused by mechanical factors, tying the hair up too tightly or combing it out frequently;
- Problems with secretion of certain hormones, mainly testosterone causing particularly difficult to treat androgenic alopecia, male or female, differing in the way of hair loss;
- genetic factors, in short, inheritance of the tendency to baldness, mainly from parents, less often from grandparents;
- Other coexisting diseases, of which hair loss is a symptom. It may be, for example, lupus erythematosus, hyper- or hypothyroidism, anemia, disrupting iron absorption, and even seemingly mundane diseases of the digestive system. It is also necessary to mitigate the effects of stress, also weakening the hair follicles;
- improper diet, causing the body to be depleted of nutrients, mainly vitamins and minerals that the hair needs for proper growth and to prevent hair loss. Therefore, you should properly compose your diet, eliminate what is unhealthy, replacing it with healthy products.
Vitamins and minerals for hair – which must be in our diet
Scientific research has long since proven that we will take care of our health, the best way is to provide daily vitamins and minerals in carefully selected doses. We should also remember about them, taking care of the health and appearance of hair, because it is they that give it a unique shine and fluffiness. It is thanks to them that hair becomes strong, resistant to damage and atmospheric factors, and strengthened in this way, stop falling out. Specialists in hair and scalp diseases, trichologists and dermatologists, recommend using a whole range of vitamins, which include:
Vitamin A
Also known by two other names, retinol or beta-carotene, involved in the processes of new cell formation, including hair and skin. It is responsible for the function of the sebaceous glands, regulates sebum secretion, excess of which can also cause acne, removes free radicals, and its deficiency quickly leads to brittleness and hair fragility. It is found in fatty fish, preferably sea fish, liver, dairy products, spinach, carrots and tomatoes.
Vitamin B3 (niacin)
Also called vitamin PP, it is primarily responsible for the health of the scalp. It improves microcirculation in hair follicles so that they are better nourished, hair stops falling out, and the skin is free from irritation and inflammation and regenerates faster. Vitamin PP contains legumes, nuts, almonds, wheat bran, oatmeal, tomatoes, broccoli and bananas.
Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid)
One of the most important B vitamins, without which the synthesis of keratin, the basic building block of hair, would not be possible. It also strengthens hair, makes it resilient, resistant to moisture and temperature changes, and properly moisturises the entire length. It prevents greying of hair, accelerates its regeneration, delays skin ageing processes, soothes its redness and inflammation. We will provide it together with milk, egg yolks, honey, walnuts and hazelnuts and with garlic.
Vitamin B7 (biotin)
Often presented as vitamin H, which we need in order to have strong, shiny and healthy hair. It is impossible for the body to function properly without it, as it affects many aspects of health. It participates in the metabolism of the scalp, produces elastic sulphur bonds ensuring a strong structure of the hair shaft. As a result, hair grows faster, does not break or become brittle, and does not have split ends.
Biotin also ensures proper functioning of sebaceous glands, preventing greasy hair and seborrhoeic dermatitis. The recommended sources of biotin are again dairy products, sunflower seeds, yeast, liver, spinach and wholemeal flour products.
Vitamin B9 (folic acid)
The importance of this B vitamin for hair should not be underestimated especially by women, for whom hair loss is a much more serious problem than for men. Folic acid is not only effective in stopping greying, it also stimulates hair growth by stimulating the hair matrix and is involved in the formation of new cells. Vitamin B9 is also found in vegetables, mainly leafy vegetables, lettuce or spinach, in addition to cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, bananas and again in liver.
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin)
The last of the B vitamins needed to stop and reverse hair loss is B12, cobalamin. It forms a protective barrier around hair follicles, protecting them from the effects of dihydrotestosterone, or DHT, a mutated form of testosterone, among other things. Such follicles grow back stronger and healthier hair, free of dandruff and non-greasy, which helps keep the hair fluffy. Natural cobalamin is found in fish, beef, poultry meat and offal.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)
Considering all the vitamins and minerals in our bodies, this is the vitamin of greatest importance for the health of our hair. It is a very strong antioxidant, which helps to get rid of free radicals, the cause of numerous diseases, including skin cancer. Vitamin C prevents capillary walls from breaking down, which improves the scalp’s blood supply and nourishes the roots. It participates in the synthesis of collagen, a material that is part of many tissues, including hair. It can be found in citrus fruits, raspberries, strawberries and the popular sauerkraut.
Vitamin E
Another antioxidant that removes free radicals, ensuring that we can have healthy hair, properly moisturised, without split ends. Vitamin E will also take care of oxygenation of the skin and supply it with the necessary nutrients, and we can get it by eating white cabbage, parsley, peppers, cereal grains, nuts, vegetable oils, sunflower, rapeseed or grape seed oils.
The listed hair vitamins must be included in every diet, they can of course also be supplied in the form of dietary supplements. Their action effectively prevents hair loss, but even better results will be obtained by supporting them with minerals, and the two most important are:
Zinc
It can be safely considered the most important element in our body, without which we certainly will not prevent hair loss. It is also an antioxidant, and its deficiencies lead to the development of skin diseases, including fungal infections. It takes part in cell division, thanks to which our hair grows, in synthesis of the already mentioned keratin and collagen and regulates the sebaceous glands. It is found in such products as meat, seafood, eggs, buckwheat groats, cereal grains, rice.
Silicon
The first symptoms of silicon deficiency are visible weakening of hair condition, which is dry and thus brittle and fragile, and dandruff is another symptom of silicon deficiency. Unfortunately, the amount of silicon decreases with age, therefore it needs to be supplied from the outside in order to maintain proper and strong hair structure. Proper amounts of silicon will also ensure healthy skin, and natural sources of this element include root vegetables such as carrots, legumes, beans or corn, cereal products, bran and oatmeal.
Folisin – essential vitamins and minerals in one tablet
As you can see from the example of the above described vitamins and minerals, proper composition of a diet providing them may cause many problems. That is why it is worth to make up for the lack of these nutrients with the help of a dietary supplement Folisin, which has an excellent effect on the health of hair and scalp. It effectively prevents premature balding, and while taking care of your hair, you should trust its rich composition, full of such substances as:
- EVNolMax™, a vitamin C-based ingredient that works well on the scalp;
- PhosphaMax, a dual-action ingredient that reduces hair loss and accelerates new hair growth;
- Sabal palm, saw palmetto, preventing the conversion of testosterone into harmful DHT;
- BioPerine®, containing piperine, which not only helps fight overweight and obesity, but also stops baldness;
- Pumpkin extract, which contains virtually all of the vitamins and minerals outlined above, in addition to Omega – 3 healthy fatty acids;
- Selenium SeLECT®, a unique set of minerals, their extra dose quickly restoring the former thick hair.
Sources:
- https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/best-vitamins-hair-growth#TOC_TITLE_HDR_6
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318403