Vitamins for Promoting Hair Growth

Hair loss can be genetic; you just may be the victim of family history. There can be medical issues causing hair loss, like a thyroid problem. Stress can cause you to lose your hair, so that old belief that your hair is falling out because of being under pressure is true. Not getting the right nutrients can also cause your hair to thin (and we'll find out which nutrients you need for healthy luxuriant hair shortly). Excessive processing, coloring or perming your hair or pulling it back too tightly in a pony-tail can be detrimental to your hair and cause it to start falling out and lose its vitality.

So, there are many reasons you could be losing your hair or that it's thinning. The most common, however, is hormonal changes. As women age they start to lose estrogen and testosterone comes in and causes some hair loss. Of course, men, having more testosterone anyway, tend to be afflicted with greater hair loss.

However, certain nutrients can help in the maintenance and growth of hair.

There are several B vitamins that are good for your hair. The one that is widely known for being conducive to healthy hair is called biotin, or B7. Biotin strengthens hair and prevents it from getting thin and brittle and also increases hair growth. It protects the roots. This particular vitamin is water-soluble, so it safe to take in relatively higher doses. You can find biotin in eggs, nuts, berries and fish.

B6 is another vitamin that promotes hair health. It binds to testosterone and so keeps that hormone from damaging your hair. You can find B6 in avocados, eggs, legumes, whole grains and, of course, you can also take it as a supplement.

B9 is also known as folic acid and it influences the metabolism of biotin, so it helps you make fuller use of biotin. This one is, therefore, on the list of vitamins helpful to keeping your hair thick and strong.

Niacin, also called B3, helps nutrients make their way to your hair. So, this one too will aid the hair in staying in good shape and looking good too.

Vitamins for hair growth:

• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin E

Vitamin C helps in hair renewal and repair and is an antioxidant so prevents damage too. The body does not produce vitamin C, you have to take it as a supplement or get it from foods like oranges, broccoli and spinach.

Vitamin A protects the scalp from stress and damage.

Vitamin E can be taken as a pill or can be applied directly to the scalp as an oil. It helps hair to grow faster because it encourages the development of blood vessels and so increases blood flow and so decreases hair loss, increases hair growth and overall makes the scalp healthier.

Other nutrients that help health of your hair include iron, vitamin D, zinc, magnesium and amino acids. Some recommend taking a prenatal vitamin for hair health because they have these nutrients in heavy doses, but you should be very cautious about that because of the heavy amount of iron in those vitamins; it is possible to reach toxic and very dangerous levels of iron if you take too much of it.