Getting the right vitamins for hair growth is important for the overall health of your hair. Running a deficiency in any of the following vitamins and minerals creates the potential for less than optimal hair growth. Here is our list of the top 11 vitamins you need to keep your hair looking its best and growing just as fast as it possibly can.
1. Vitamin C
Most of us are aware of how important Vitamin C is for the immune system, and as an antioxidant in the body. But it is also used in plenty of hair care products for a good reason. It is one of the most important vitamins you can use to get the results you seek. You can use products that are infused with it, and also make sure that you’re
getting enough Vitamin C of it each day so your hair looks its best. Whole foods work best but you can also take a supplement if you feel like you are not maintaining the right levels.
2. B Vitamins
The B Vitamins are typically grouped together because there’s so many of them and you’ll want to be sure to cover them all. You can eat foods that are rich in these vitamins, take a B Vitamin complex, or buy shampoos and conditioners that contain them. Signs of not getting enough of the B Vitamins include feeling weak or tired, and easily bruising, and you’ll also notice it because your hair won’t grow as fast as it used to.
Vitamin B12 is the most important of the B Vitamins, but for best results try to include them all in your daily plan.
3. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is one of the most overlooked vitamins, but is essential in keep your hair growing healthy. You can
get enough Vitamin E by eating foods that are full of it, or by taking a whole food multivitamin that contains it. If you’ve been running low on it, you should see an improvement in how your hair looks, feels, and grows. Vitamin E, when combined with the other vitamins on this list provides a healthy scalp that encourages rather than discourages hair growth. You can also find this in many hair care items, but if you haven’t seen any results through those, trying taking the strategy of getting enough on the inside.
4. Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant in the body and has many health properties that make it a vitamin worth keeping a mindful eye on. You can go to the doctor and have all of your vitamin levels checked to see where you rank and see which ones you need more of. It is possible to get too much Vitamin A which is going to be counterproductive to your hair growth efforts, so it’s best to each
foods containing Vitamin A rather than taking supplements with larger-than-needed amounts. Some symptoms of not getting enough Vitamin A include vision problems and skin problems.
5. Vitamin D
Vitamin D promotes healthy follicle growth so you don’t want to run a shortage on it. In order to top up on it you’ll want to schedule regular and brief outings outdoors so you can get some exposure to the sun. You don’t need much in order to keep your body synthesizing its own Vitamin D, but hermitting yourself indoors during the winter months can lead to a deficiency. There are also Vitamin D supplements and hair products that contain it, but they don’t compare to having your body generate its own supply.6. Iron
While not a vitamin, Iron is an important mineral that your body needs adequate supplies of in order to function at its best in several areas, including growing hair. You may realize that beef is rich in iron, but there are plenty of other
foods that are high in ironthat you can eat without having to rely on red meat. Once you’re making sure that you’re getting enough iron and the other vitamins and minerals, you can seek out hair products that contain iron in order to see greater improvement.
6. Iron
While not a vitamin, Iron is an important mineral that your body needs adequate supplies of in order to function at its best in several areas, including growing hair. You may realize that beef is rich in iron, but there are plenty of other
foods that are high in ironthat you can eat without having to rely on red meat. Once you’re making sure that you’re getting enough iron and the other vitamins and minerals, you can seek out hair products that contain iron in order to see greater improvement.
7. Magnesium
Another mineral that your body needs is Magnesium. It’s best to look at your hair as a cumulative problem that involves your entire lifestyle, from the foods you eat to how much sleep you’re getting. Eating a
diet rich in foods with Magnesium in them is one way to make sure that you’re giving your scalp what it needs to growth strong and healthy hair. It’s one of those minerals that you won’t really notice you’re not getting enough of until it becomes a chronic condition, and then you’ll benefit greatly from righting the imbalance.
8. Protein
Protein may not be a vitamin, but if you want stronger hair that grows thick you’ll want to make sure that you’re consuming enough protein, or using protein treatments to help your hair. You’ll see products out there that are focused primarily on protein, but you’ll also benefit by eating enough of it in your diet. Vegans and vegetarians need not fret, there are plenty of plant based sources of protein, like
quinoa, spinach, broccoli, and more. Protein helps the hair grow strong, and also helps the speed at which it grows. If you’ve noticed sluggish growth, first check your protein intake.
9. Niacin
Niacin is in the B Vitamin family but deserves its own recognition for its role in helping to nourish the scalp, promoting healthy hair growth. Without adequate amounts of niacin, your hair stands the chance of becoming brittle, lifeless, and may even fall out. Not getting enough Niacin is a real condition, and the scientific name is pellagra. Most times it doesn’t become this serious, but correcting a Niacin shortage often yields several results. Be sure not to stop there, as you’ll want to make sure that you’re getting enough of each of the items on this page for your best hair possible.
10. Biotin
If you want longer, healthier hair don’t forget the Biotin. This is quickly becoming one of the most used hair supplements, and it simply requires taking it in pill form. Biotin is a B Vitamin, but plays such a key role that it needed its own spot. While most people get enough Biotin from the foods they eat each day, it is a water soluble vitamin which means your body can’t retain it, so you need to get enough of it each day or you’ll run a deficit. Many hair care products now contain Biotin in them to try and take an outside in approach, but a combination of both an internal and external supply seems to work best.
11. Zinc
They say to cover your vitamins from A to Zinc and this is one instance where they’re right. You might not have given much thought to your Zinc levels before, but they could be playing a part in lackluster hair growth if you don’t have enough. The good news is that it’s not too hard to keep up with your zinc requirements, and most standard diets keep it covered. But you may have trouble absorbing the Zinc you are getting, at which point you may need additional supplements or hair products that contain added Zinc.
By taking a comprehensive approach to helping your hair grow you’ll be doing everything in your power to give it the best chance. Also consider making lifestyle changes to accommodate your hair, including changing the number of times you wash and condition it, how you style it, and how often you get it cut. All of this plays into how healthy your hair is on a day to day basis. Everyone’s hair is a little different, and responds differently to different treatment, so it requires a bit of trial and error to see where you happy hair place is.
Top 3 Vitamin Supplements for Hair Growth
Here is a hair growth supplement that not only contains the important ingredients we’ve covered above, but contains additional nutrients and extracts that can provide you with even better results. Unlike some companies that make all sorts of health and beauty products and supplements, Toji is focused solely on making products geared towards healthy hair.
The price on this may be a little high for a hair product, but with the feedback it’s getting it’s may be worth it if you are currently experiencing dull, lifeless hair that has trouble growing. A one-month supply would give you enough of an evaluation window to see if you want to continue on with it.
Key Highlights:
Uses 36 different ingredients to help hair grow.
Is based on all-natural ingredients, ones proven for hair growth.
Statistically significant data suggests it works.
Quality standards during the manufacturing process.
This is an internal approach to hair growth that you don’t want to pass up on. If you’ve been neglecting the nourishment of your hair and need to turn things around ASAP this could be the supplement to get. It doesn’t use any drugs to get the job done and is using vitamins we’ve talked about on this page as well as marine sources of nutrients in a proprietary blend.
Aside from the buzz it’s generating, being on talk shows, being a top-seller, what is most telling is the large amounts of positive feedback it’s received. With hair growth products you want to find one that is making the majority of users happy, and that’s what we’re seeing here. Also the price is pretty reasonable for a one-month supply.
Key Highlights:
Drug-free and side effect free.
Combats common hair loss problems like stress and a poor diet.
Specifically for those with thinning hair problems.
User feedback is mostly positive.
If you don’t want to worry about trying to get each individual vitamin and mineral your hair needs from the food you eat, here’s a way to cover all of your bases – and then some. You can take this as a daily dietary supplement, or whenever you feel like you’re running low on vitamins, either because you haven’t been eating right, or because your hair is looking a bit rough.
Unlike other hair supplements out there, this one is value priced but comes from a trusted source so you’re getting the vitamins and minerals your hair needs without having to break the bank.
Key Highlights:
Contains vitamins hair needs daily.
This is formulated for normal to dry hair.
You can use it when your hair needs a boost.
The price is right.
Hair Vitamin FAQ
Do vitamins for hair really help it grow?
Compared to not getting adequate supplies of vitamins, it most definitely makes a difference in the health of your hair, and thus it can be said that vitamins for hair really do help with hair growth. Of course if you have a hereditary problem of hair loss, or a different medical condition that is limiting your hair growth, they may not have an effect and you should seek additional treatment options.
Can I take prenatal vitamins for hair growth?
One noticeable side effect of prenatal vitamins is that they improve hair growth since the body is getting increased amounts of many of the vitamins that encourage hair growth. However, there are hair growth vitamins that you can buy that are specifically designed to grow hair, and will have a vitamin profile geared directly towards hair growth and not geared toward providing proper nutrition for pregnancy.
Can vitamins help regrow hair?
If you have male pattern baldness taking vitamins may only help the hair grow in better in places that aren’t affected. If you’ve been experiencing hair loss related to stress or other factors, you may notice an improvement when you start topping up on all of the vitamins that hair needs to grow properly. Lifestyle changes may also help, since you can mitigate stress with daily exercise or help to improve whatever situation is causing the hair loss.
Do multivitamins make hair grow faster?
Taking a multivitamin is one way to cover your nutritional gaps, as long as you’re using a whole food supplement that uses food sources for the vitamins and not a synthetic multivitamin. If you really want to give your hair the best chance of success you should go with a supplement that is geared toward hair growth. We’ve included three of the best around further up on this page.
Do vitamins change hair color?
There are many products out there that claim they can get your hair back to its original color using a combination of vitamins and minerals. It’s the B Vitamins that rank highly in this regard, so if you’re considering a supplement to get your hair color back, make sure it covers the family of B Vitamins, including Biotin.
Should I buy organic vitamins for hair growth?
If available you should always opt to get organic products, especially when you’ll be ingesting them. Buying organic vitamins also means that you’ll be getting them from whole food sources so your body will be better able to absorb them and use them the way you want it to.
Are there any side effects of vitamins for hair?
You don’t need to take excessive amounts of vitamins in order to have optimal hair growth. In fact it can be detrimental to your goal if you overload the body with certain vitamins and minerals. Always make sure you’re getting just enough, and not running a deficit, rather than trying to run a surplus. Getting more than you need does not provide better results.
