| Hair Vitamins & It’s relation to Hair Loss
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Having a well-balanced & nutritious diet is necessary for good health. Same can be said for a healthy hair growth. It is essential to take your doctor’s advice before setting in a vitamin program for your hair. These vitamins affect the health of external organs like hair, skin & fingernails. Vitamins are always the better option than say a shampoo/conditioner. It aims at solving hair problems, ranging from thinning to slow growth of hair, that too naturally. These vitamins also promote dense & lustrous hair.
Some of the Hair Vitamins are as under:
- Vitamin A (It is an antioxidant which helps in the formation of the skin oil—sebum)
- Vitamin C (It is a natural antioxidant which helps in maintaining well being of the hair & skin)
- Vitamin E (It promotes the blood circulation among the scalp)
- Biotin/Vitamin H (It helps in reducing the effects of hair loss)
- Vitamin B6 (This too prevents hair loss & helps in creating melanin, the coloring pigment of hair)
- Vitamin B12 (It hinders the ill-effect of hair loss)
- Inositol (It helps in keeping hair follicles healthy)
Food Sources of these vitamins are as follows:
- Vitamin A: It can be found in meat, dairy products, fish liver oil, eggs, vegetables, peaches, apricots etc.
- Vitamin C: It can be found in citrus fruits, tomatoes, Indian gooseberry, kiwi etc.
- Vitamin E: Vegetable oils, wheat germ oil, soybeans, nuts etc have a lot of Vitamin E.
- Vitamin B6: It can be found in grain cereals, egg meats & organ meats.
- Vitamin B12: It can be found in fish, eggs, chicken and milk.
Why the intake of Hair Vitamins?
Hair disorder like hair loss is often related to the imbalance of the percentage of vitamins which constitutes our daily diet. Hair loss is frequently reported when the normal diet of a person is devoid of Vitamin B and minerals. B5 & B3 (among B vitamins) are primarily responsible for hair growth. Some of the important amino acids were found liable in controlling the thickening & thinning of hair when tested on animals. Also, deficiency in B6 Vitamin often reverts to hair loss in men. Fatty acids help stop dry & brittle hair. It also improves the texture of hair. There are also natural vitamin supplements available in the market which can be taken for better results. But one must always recommend a doctor before doing so.
In the herbal world, Amla (Indian gooseberry) has the richest amount of vitamin C concentrate in it. It is good for elevating protein level in entire body, thereby, vitalizing the hair. Wheatgrass contains Vitamin A & Vitamin E, mineral (magnesium), calcium & amino acids which are required for a healthy & thick growth of hair. Aloe vera is particularly known to have properties to counter the symptoms of psoriasis (a common & chronic scalp disorder).
The diet can consist of more preparation of coconut, as coconut is very useful in preventing hair loss. A person who is suffering from anemia is most liable to suffer from hair loss, so his diet should contain iron-rich foods. A wholesome diet rich in minerals, calcium and iron will help reduce or prevent hair loss. Green vegetables are the prime source of minerals in food. Balding phenomenon in men is very frequent nowadays, in such cases, an intake of a low-fat diet is a must. Basically, our hair is a matter, made up of a substance known as keratin (a protein). So by default, in order to have healthy hair, our diet should be rich in proteins. Soybeans are an excellent source of protein. Other sources of protein are eggs, fish, yoghurt etc. Another important nutrient for our hair is silica, which is known to instigate hair growth. It also provides the hair sheen & a lustrous look.
Food sources of silica are Bean sprouts, the outer coverings of potatoes, green/red peppers and cucumbers.
A cautionary note: One must remember that the consumption of extravagant amount of Vitamin A can cause hair loss. Therefore, a person should be well aware of the daily doses, he/she is required to take.
Hair Vitamins come in plenty. Professional advice should be taken before consuming anything in this regard, as over intake of such vitamins may do more harm than good.
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