7 Vitamins for Hair Growth
Caring for your hair is a wonderful part of your self-nurture journey. While topical ingredients can lend a helping hand in maintaining healthy, voluminous hair, nourishing from the inside out with supplements may truly reveal the full potential of your hair’s health!
Let’s take a closer look at hair growth, including its physiological process, different nutrients that can play a role and ways you can start supporting your hair, starting from the inside out.
How Does Hair Growth Work?
Healthy hair comes down to the processes that occur at a microscopic level in the hair follicles from which hair growth emanates.
Below, we look at the anatomy of the hair follicle, what hair is made of, what the natural hair growth process is and factors that can impact hair growth.
Anatomy of the Hair Follicle
Everywhere hair grows, there is a hair follicle beneath your skin that gives rise to the strand we see on the outside. Hair follicles are hollow structures that reach down to the deep layers of skin, where they get their blood supply to deliver nutrients that nourish the root, also known as the dermal papilla.
The hair follicle anatomy can be divided into three separate sections.
The lower section consists of the bulb and the supra bulb. In these lower structures is where hair growth originates and where the hair follicle gets its blood supply. This area contains what is known as the follicular matrix, which contains cells that mitotically divide at a rate higher than any other tissue in the body. The matrix contains a number of different types of cells, including keratinocytes and melanocytes, which give rise to the hair filament's structure and color.
The middle section consists of the isthmus, typically where the arrector pili muscles attach to the hair follicle. These small muscles are what make the hair stand up on end and cause goosebumps!
The most superficial section consists of the infundibulum, where hair exits the skin. This section is where the oil-producing gland, known as the sebaceous gland, innervates the hair follicle to provide your hair with natural fatty acids.
What Is Hair Made of?
Hair has three distinct layers: the innermost medulla, the cortex layer surrounding the medulla and the outermost cuticle layer.
The hair cortex provides most of hair's strength, texture and color and is largely composed of a specific type of protein known as keratin. A healthier hair cortex tends to yield stronger hair that is also more resistant to breakage.
The Hair Growth Cycle
One of the most common misconceptions regarding hair growth is that hair grows indefinitely. In actuality, healthy hair growth occurs in a recurring cycle that includes a growth phase (anagen), a transitional stage (catagen), a dormant stage (telogen) and a hair-shedding phase (exogen). After the hair has been shed, the cycle restarts from anagen, where regrowth occurs.
While hair does not grow indefinitely, the anagen phase tends to last the longest amount of time and tends to last anywhere from three to 10 years. The rate of growth during the anagen phase depends on several factors.
What Factors Affect Hair Growth?
Knowing the process of how hair grows is important to truly understand how different factors impact hair growth and even hair loss. Some known factors that can impact hair growth include genetics, age, the levels of certain hormones, stress and environmental factors like how frequently you shampoo your hair or if you do anything to your hair that increases hair traction.
Here are some of these factors and how they impact your hair health.
Genetics
Many traits you have are hard-coded into your DNA. Your hair type, eye color and many other aspects of your health are determined by the mixture of genes from your parents. This includes traits that impact hair growth, including texture, thickness and even hair loss.
Hormones
Hormones are chemical messengers within the body and help coordinate several functions throughout the body. Certain hormones can directly affect hair growth and be a factor in thinning hair or even hair loss.
Nutrients for Hair Growth
Nutrition is another factor that can significantly impact the health of your hair. Hair is mostly composed of protein and not getting enough amino acids within your diet can significantly impact the rate at which your hair can grow. If your hair root is not provided with the building blocks it needs to develop hair, it will not work as efficiently as it could if you provide it with all the nutrition it needs.
Some other important nutrients that may play a role in the hair growth cycle include vitamin A, vitamin B7 (biotin), vitamin B12, vitamin B9 (folic acid), vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, iron, selenium and zinc. Various products may support healthy-looking hair, from gummy vitamins and softgels to supplements (such as magnesium, ashwagandha or saw palmetto).
Supporting hair growth is important, but it is also key to support the health of the scalp, as it can play a significant role in the health and strength of your hair. Proteins like collagen can help strengthen the skin and things like biotin or antioxidants can support overall hair health.
Environmental Factors
The way you treat your hair can also have a direct impact on hair growth. Washing your hair vigorously and too frequently, frequently dying or bleaching your hair, applying heat directly to the hair, utilizing harsh hair products, over-brushing your hair or styling your hair in a way that pulls on the follicle can result in damaged hair that is more likely to break. These factors can also negatively impact scalp health and have a negative impact on overall hair health.
What Ingredients Can Support Healthy Hair?
The appearance and look of your hair have a direct relationship to its overall health. There are countless products on the market, and it can be difficult to know what specific ingredients do and why they are good for your scalp and hair health.
Below is a closer look at some of the superstar vitamins, minerals and supplements to help take your haircare to the next level.
Biotin
Biotin is one of the major B vitamins and biotin supplements can help support optimal hair growth. Biotin is a water-soluble vitamin that is necessary for many metabolic and catabolic reactions in the body.
The proposed benefit of biotin for hair is that biotin plays a role in the synthesis of proteins such as keratin. A deficiency in biotin, while very rare, can harm hair and nail growth. Taking a biotin supplement can help mitigate the chances of a deficiency.
Collagen
Collagen is one of the most prevalent proteins within the body, providing skin with strength and elasticity. Skin health and hair health go hand in hand, and improving collagen levels in your skin to their optimal levels can help increase the resilience of your skin, which could benefit your hair follicle.
Iron
One of the potential causes of a decline in hair growth and health could be an iron deficiency. Iron is an important mineral that acts as an important component of a protein known as hemoglobin which is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Iron deficiency can lead to anemia and a reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.
Iron-deficient anemia can cause a number of symptoms, including fatigue but can also harm hair growth. The hair root requires a good supply of oxygen as it contains cells that are increasing at a high rate.
For this reason, many hair growth supplements contain an iron supplement to help ensure that anemia-associated issues with hair growth are covered.
Zinc and Iodine
Zinc and iodine are important minerals utilized by the body and play an important role in several bodily processes. One that can directly impact the hair is there role in thyroid production.
Vitamin C and Vitamin E
Antioxidants are molecules that help support your cell health during exposure to free radicals. Oxidative stress is caused by highly reactive free radicals, and it can cause damage at a cellular level.
Taking antioxidants or utilizing hair products that contain antioxidants can help support your hair and keep your cells in good shape.
What Supplements Help Support Hair Health?
Nutrition is undoubtedly an important part of living a healthy lifestyle, but getting your daily dose of essential vitamins, minerals and macronutrients can be difficult. Many people opt for a multivitamin. While these can help fill in the gaps in your diet to avoid nutritional deficiencies, they may not provide the targeted formulation to help your hair directly like a hair growth supplement.
We offer a range of products to help support your hair and scalp from the inside out. A community favorite is our Inside-Out Beauty Bundle, which includes our signature ergonomic hair brush for free. Our hair-love products include:
- Our Hair + Energy formula contains our exclusive JSHealth™ kelp, a rich source of Iodine, combined with Zinc, to help bolster your overall health while also supporting healthy hair growth.
- Our 2-Step Vitamin Haircare System contains a blend of the nutritionist-curated hair growth vitamins to deliver the molecules directly to the scalp and hair every time you shower.
- Finally, our tummy-loving Skin + Digestion formula contains ingredients to support the important gut/skin connection.
Conclusion
In conclusion, hair growth is a complex bodily process that can certainly benefit from proper nutrition. Taking supplements and staying on top of your nutrition can help support optimal hair growth and provide your hair follicle with everything it needs to work at its best.
Supplementation is a great way to provide support but is not a substitute for definitive care from a licensed healthcare professional. If you experience excessive hair loss or changes in your hair, you should seek out a board-certified dermatologist, as they can help treat any underlying causes of changes to your hair.
Sources:
Hair Growth - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics
Anatomy, Hair Follicle - StatPearls | NCBI.
Whole exome sequencing in Alopecia Areata identifies rare variants in KRT82 | Nature Communications
The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review | NCBI