6 Vital Vitamins for Hair Growth

With age it is a very natural response for the fall in thickness of hair. Women tend to see signs from the age of 30 and have lost most of their hair by their 60′s where as men this is many different patterns which are associated with the cause behind the baldness. There are very many reasons behind this.

Causes for hair loss

1. Stress
2. Medication and medical condition
3. Nutritional deficiency
4. Thyroid
5. Menopause
6. Childbirth 
7. Alopecia
8. Fungal scalp infections
9. Over treating hair

Most times, the reason behind your hair loss is a combination of a few of the above reasons. Which makes it very hard to stop in most cases. The best we can hope for is reducing it to the large extent. For this we take the aid of many external treatments, ayurvedic, allopathic and what ever else we can find in between.
Some treatments work and some don’t but if we had to pick one practice to anti hair loss regimen, it would be to ensure that your hair receives abundant supple of nutrition to with stand the rigors of the daily life. Our lifestyles are a picture perfect example of excessive stress and unhealthy living. And as the saying goes, healthy inside is healthy outside. Hence, the adjustment of your diet to add the nutritional value. What reflects in your health will also reflect in your hair.

What to eat for healthy hair?
Your hair is essentially protein based and though it is dead, there is some life is roots that result in hair growth. Hence, the need for the right nutrients and vitamins for hair will help you boost hair growth. The next obvious question will be what are the nutrients. So here is the list.

• Vitamins
• Proteins
• Iron

Yes vitamins top the chart. So which vitamin is good for hair? Why do you need to consume it to ensure reduce hair fall?
Here is the list of the most required vitamins for hair growth.

1. Vitamin A
Vitamin A also plays an important role in hair growth. It keeps your hair black and shiny. Vitamin A contains Antioxidants that moisturizes the scalp and prevents the hair from drying out. Vitamin A helps in strengthening and thickening of the hair.
Foods rich in Vitamin A

• Sweet Potatoes and Carrots
• Liver
• Egg yolk
• Milk
• Spinach
• Dried Apricots
• Mangoes  

2. Biotin or Vitamin B7
Biotin is called as the H vitamin and also ‘hair growth’ vitamin by people around the world is the one the 12 of the Vitamin B family. We like to also call it our favorite of all the hair growth vitamins. It repairs brittle hair and improves the health and texture of the hair. Biotin is known to work wonders on hair volume and thickness. It aids in the production of fatty acids within the cells, the growth of cells, and many other important processes that involve amino acids and fats. Amino acids as we know are the building blocks of proteins. Plus it plays an important role in the process of glucogenesis too.

Due to its very many important functions, the result of sufficient biotin in take results in the folllowing

• rapid increase in the growth rate if your hair
• gaining thicker hair with greatly multiplied volume
• straightening of hair.

Food rich in biotin :

• Eggs
• Yeast
• Cauliflower
• Raspberries
• Bananas
• Walnuts
• Almonds

3. Vitamin B12

As the name suggests this one from the Vitamin B family too! And it is very essential to prevent hair loss. This aids in the absorption of iron to the body without which you can loss hair due to iron deficiency.

Foods containing Vitamin B12

•  Eggs
• Cheese
• Whey powder
• Milk
• Yoghurt

4 . Vitamin C

Vitamin C is a hair growth vitamin that has the ability to cure premature graying of hair and hair dryness efficiently. Daily intake of vitamin C through food items or supplements is necessary to maintain the health of your  hair.

Food rich in Vitamin C

• Lemons
• Guavas
• Mandarins
• Strawberries

5. Vitamin E

 

This is an essential vitamin for hair growth as it beats all dry and rough hair troubles! It locks in moisture and leave protects your hair from drying out and keeping it shiny. Along with this it also keeps the scalp healthy and promotes blood circulation.

Foods rich in Vitamin E

• Almonds
• Fish
• Milk
• Peanuts
• Cooked spinach
• Sunflower seeds
• Dried herbs 

6. Folic Acid

This is another miracle worker of the vitamin B group or we like to call it “the hair vitamins”. This vitamin plays an important role in the making your hair thicker and shiner all while it adds moisture. It also helps in fighting away graying of hair.

 

Food rich in Folic acid

Pretty much any source that gives you vitamin B will also have folic acid as a component. But if you feel the need for supplements than a vitamin B complex is perfect for that. Other than all whole wheat grains and cereals contain folic acid so now you can go ahead and consume carbohydrates without any guilt! 

It is now but obvious that we need vitamins for healthy hair. But there are two other nutrients that we cannot skip mentioning here, for we have said that vitamins aid in the absorption of it.

They are

• Iron
• Proteins

Iron

Researchers have found that conditions like alopecia, severe hair loss and breakage or caused due to iron deficiency. Intake of proper amount of iron everyday regulates good blood health and not only that, it will definitely help in re-growth of your hair.

Food rich in Iron:

• Red meat
• Green leafy vegetables
• Turkey
• Beans
• Dried fruits

Proteins

 

Proteins are essential for the hair structure giving you a shiny hair and iron is required to maintain their strength at the roots.  Without these your hair will be left dull and lifeless, often prone to breakage and falling out!

Foods rich in proteins

• Sprouts
• Milk 
• Paneer and many more!

It is sometimes very hard to find the natural sources to these vitamins and that is when you need to consider the use of supplements. supplements are invariably designed in difference for men and woman as the needs and quantities vary. These are basically a mix of various vitamins and minerals in the right proportions to make up its lack in our natural diet.

Pre- natal Vitamins

These are the same as any vitamin complex supplement given to a women. The only addition being that it has an additional dose of iron and folic acid. As Iron is said to carry oxygen to the roots and deficiency of this causes severe hair loss problems.

Viviscal

This supplement has a high content of vitamin C and omega 3 fatty acids. Plus, it has slew of experts that say that it works miracles!

Nourage

This is a vitamin supplement really but it does have a healthy dose keratin which is the key to the building of the hair follicle. So harm in trying this out either!

Not just topical hair treatments but inclusion of a nutritious diet plan in your hair care routine will ensure that you have the lustrous tresses that you have always desired. Consult your dietician before starting any vitamin supplements. Good luck!