This article was written by Bargello and posted on the old LHL boards.
WHAT VITAMINS SHOULD I TAKE?
Vitamins are very important not only for the growth of hair but also for overall health. After doing years of research on vitamins, I have found what vitamins work and what ones don't. My overall health has improved 200 percent since starting my vitamin program—and a healthy body means healthy nails, skin, and hair.
Multivitamin: I believe everyone needs to be taking a good multivitamin. You need one that contains at least 100 percent of most of the recommended daily nutrients. I am very partial to Vitaminshoppe's One-A-Day vitamin. This is an excellent vitamin for overall health. Note that it does not contain iron. This might be a concern or it may not be. Most menstruating women can benefit from extra iron in their diets. If you happen to be a woman who becomes iron-deficient easily, you may wish to add in an extra iron supplement. By not having iron, this particular multivitamin makes a good supplement for men, teens, and post-menopausal women.
Calcium: We all need calcium in our diet. This is something that is an absolute necessity. There is some calcium in the above multivitamin but not enough. Remember when taking calcium that you also need Vitamin D and Magnesium in order for the calcium to be absorbed properly. Most multivitamins will contain Vitamin D and Magnesium.
Now for the vitamins that promote healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Hair Vitamins: I like a good hair vitamin to start my program. There are several out there but GNC's Ultra Nourishair is probably one of the best I have seen. It is what I take and is the absolute heart of my program. I am a firm believer in this vitamin since it contains all the necessary vitamins needed for healthy hair.
Note: I do not like the vitamins that state that they are specifically for hair, skin, and nails. They generally have fewer vitamins than you really need for healthy hair, skin, and nails. I am not sure why but they do. If you take a good hair vitamin, your skin and nails will automatically benefit.
MSM: This vitamin is very important for healthy hair, muscles, and joints. It helps to decrease hair fall out by assisting in lengthening the growth stage of the hair. The longer you are able to retain the root, the longer your hair will grow. You may take up to 2000mg/day. Note: Ultra Nourishair contains 500mg of MSM. I take an additional 1000mg/day.
Silica: It will help increase the shine of your hair and is also a very valuable antioxidant. It assists in a lot of other areas other than just helping your hair be soft and shiny. Since Ultra Nourishair already contains silica, I take an additional 500mg/day.
Evening Primrose: There is so much to say about this essential fatty acid that contains Omega-6 Fatty Acid (Gamma-Linolenic Acid). This is a good Omega-6 Fatty Acid. It has several benefits of which I will only name a few: reducing PMS, clearing up eczema, helping your skin glow, minimizing fine wrinkles, reducing cholesterol, helping with your metabolism, and curing hair and nail problems. It helps nourish straw-like hair. You only really need 480-960 mg of GLA to reap wonderful benefits. I personally take 500mg/day. You should see results with Evening Primrose as early as two weeks after commencing daily consumption. Your scalp should feel less dry and the hair growing in should feel softer and more nourished.
Flaxseed Oil: This is wonderful in the sense that it contains both Alpha-Linolenic Acid (Omega-3 Fatty Acid) and Gamma-Linolenic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid). Omega-3 is very important in our bodies, too. We need both to help maintain a healthy body. Omega-3 has been known to help people with ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder). It is also essential for healthy hair, skin, and nails. It helps hair in the same way that Omega-6 does. Why take both? Because the cells of the body need both in order to work properly. Our bodies do not make either of the fatty acids; we must supplement. Taking both will help the cells of the body to work more efficiently. This, in turn, will help hair growth as well as overall health of hair and body. I take 500mg/day. I really don't think you need more than that but you should experiment. You might find that your body does need more.
Biotin: This is what really can boost your hair growth. Skin, nails, and hair rely on biotin to grow. Therefore, if we feed our bodies more biotin, our skin will look better, our nails will be stronger, and our hair will grow faster and be stronger. Ultra Nourishair contains 1200mcg of biotin. I take an additional 2400mcg/day. I have played with the dosage a little and have found that my hair definitely grows faster with the total biotin of 3600mcg/day. You might need to play with this too. You might need more or less than I do for results.
Protein: I can't scream enough about protein! We need it and I don't care if it comes from a plant or from an animal. Truthfully your body can absorb and utilize plant protein better than animal. This is why vegetarians are incredibly healthy. I drink a protein shake everyday with my vitamins. I drink it with milk; it tastes better and I get extra calcium and protein. Vegans can make a protein drink with soymilk. If you buy soymilk with calcium added, you have the benefits of extra vegetable protein as well as calcium. Adding protein to your diet will help your body all the way around. It will function better and you will not be as hungry all the time. I suggest a protein drink of at least 22gr. of protein. I recommend at least one serving a day. If your diet is really poor, you can drink more. The extra protein will also help your hair grow. It is protein, too, after all.
With all this said, everyone is DIFFERENT! You might need more of something than I do; you might need less. Vitamins are personal things. You need to play with them in order to get the correct dosage for you. They are not a cure all. They can help your body in ways about which you normally wouldn't think. I have tried to keep the above information brief although I could write pages about each vitamin and why you should take it. The above program works very well for me. My hair grows at the speed of 1 ½" per month. One thing to always remember: when starting a vitamin program, don't expect results overnight. It will take your body between two and six weeks to benefit from vitamins. This time period depends on how depleted your system is. The average time is four weeks. If you are recovering from a serious illness, it may take longer.
One word about prenatal supplements: I personally do not think they will boost hair growth any more than a good multivitamin. There are a lot of good over-the-counter prenatal supplements out there. I like Natrol probably the best. However, when I sat down and actually compared the ingredients in prenatal vitamins to multivitamins, the multivitamin actually had more than the prenatal vitamins did. Prenatal vitamins do contain extra iron (for anemia), folic acid (for birth defects), and potassium (to help with muscle cramps). However, none of those ingredients will boost hair growth. I have had three pregnancies and I have NEVER taken prenatal vitamins. When I presented my vitamin program to my OB-GYN, she stated that she could not have put together a better vitamin program for overall health during and after pregnancy. I have never had a prenatal supplement prescribed for me; there really was no need.
If you wish to take a prenatal supplement in addition to a good multivitamin, by all means do. I think that the only reason doctors have stated that there is a boost in hair growth when taking prenatal vitamins is that, generally, women don't take vitamins until they are pregnant. A woman takes a prenatal vitamin and her hair starts to grow making her think that it is because of the prenatal vitamin. In fact, the accelerated hair growth is simply because she is getting some good vitamins into her system. It is also as a result of pregnancy itself. Pregnancy can cause your hair to grow faster because your body is renewing things a lot faster.
WHAT VITAMINS SHOULD I TAKE?
Vitamins are very important not only for the growth of hair but also for overall health. After doing years of research on vitamins, I have found what vitamins work and what ones don't. My overall health has improved 200 percent since starting my vitamin program—and a healthy body means healthy nails, skin, and hair.
Multivitamin: I believe everyone needs to be taking a good multivitamin. You need one that contains at least 100 percent of most of the recommended daily nutrients. I am very partial to Vitaminshoppe's One-A-Day vitamin. This is an excellent vitamin for overall health. Note that it does not contain iron. This might be a concern or it may not be. Most menstruating women can benefit from extra iron in their diets. If you happen to be a woman who becomes iron-deficient easily, you may wish to add in an extra iron supplement. By not having iron, this particular multivitamin makes a good supplement for men, teens, and post-menopausal women.
Calcium: We all need calcium in our diet. This is something that is an absolute necessity. There is some calcium in the above multivitamin but not enough. Remember when taking calcium that you also need Vitamin D and Magnesium in order for the calcium to be absorbed properly. Most multivitamins will contain Vitamin D and Magnesium.
Now for the vitamins that promote healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Hair Vitamins: I like a good hair vitamin to start my program. There are several out there but GNC's Ultra Nourishair is probably one of the best I have seen. It is what I take and is the absolute heart of my program. I am a firm believer in this vitamin since it contains all the necessary vitamins needed for healthy hair.
Note: I do not like the vitamins that state that they are specifically for hair, skin, and nails. They generally have fewer vitamins than you really need for healthy hair, skin, and nails. I am not sure why but they do. If you take a good hair vitamin, your skin and nails will automatically benefit.
MSM: This vitamin is very important for healthy hair, muscles, and joints. It helps to decrease hair fall out by assisting in lengthening the growth stage of the hair. The longer you are able to retain the root, the longer your hair will grow. You may take up to 2000mg/day. Note: Ultra Nourishair contains 500mg of MSM. I take an additional 1000mg/day.
Silica: It will help increase the shine of your hair and is also a very valuable antioxidant. It assists in a lot of other areas other than just helping your hair be soft and shiny. Since Ultra Nourishair already contains silica, I take an additional 500mg/day.
Evening Primrose: There is so much to say about this essential fatty acid that contains Omega-6 Fatty Acid (Gamma-Linolenic Acid). This is a good Omega-6 Fatty Acid. It has several benefits of which I will only name a few: reducing PMS, clearing up eczema, helping your skin glow, minimizing fine wrinkles, reducing cholesterol, helping with your metabolism, and curing hair and nail problems. It helps nourish straw-like hair. You only really need 480-960 mg of GLA to reap wonderful benefits. I personally take 500mg/day. You should see results with Evening Primrose as early as two weeks after commencing daily consumption. Your scalp should feel less dry and the hair growing in should feel softer and more nourished.
Flaxseed Oil: This is wonderful in the sense that it contains both Alpha-Linolenic Acid (Omega-3 Fatty Acid) and Gamma-Linolenic Acid (Omega-6 Fatty Acid). Omega-3 is very important in our bodies, too. We need both to help maintain a healthy body. Omega-3 has been known to help people with ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder). It is also essential for healthy hair, skin, and nails. It helps hair in the same way that Omega-6 does. Why take both? Because the cells of the body need both in order to work properly. Our bodies do not make either of the fatty acids; we must supplement. Taking both will help the cells of the body to work more efficiently. This, in turn, will help hair growth as well as overall health of hair and body. I take 500mg/day. I really don't think you need more than that but you should experiment. You might find that your body does need more.
Biotin: This is what really can boost your hair growth. Skin, nails, and hair rely on biotin to grow. Therefore, if we feed our bodies more biotin, our skin will look better, our nails will be stronger, and our hair will grow faster and be stronger. Ultra Nourishair contains 1200mcg of biotin. I take an additional 2400mcg/day. I have played with the dosage a little and have found that my hair definitely grows faster with the total biotin of 3600mcg/day. You might need to play with this too. You might need more or less than I do for results.
Protein: I can't scream enough about protein! We need it and I don't care if it comes from a plant or from an animal. Truthfully your body can absorb and utilize plant protein better than animal. This is why vegetarians are incredibly healthy. I drink a protein shake everyday with my vitamins. I drink it with milk; it tastes better and I get extra calcium and protein. Vegans can make a protein drink with soymilk. If you buy soymilk with calcium added, you have the benefits of extra vegetable protein as well as calcium. Adding protein to your diet will help your body all the way around. It will function better and you will not be as hungry all the time. I suggest a protein drink of at least 22gr. of protein. I recommend at least one serving a day. If your diet is really poor, you can drink more. The extra protein will also help your hair grow. It is protein, too, after all.
With all this said, everyone is DIFFERENT! You might need more of something than I do; you might need less. Vitamins are personal things. You need to play with them in order to get the correct dosage for you. They are not a cure all. They can help your body in ways about which you normally wouldn't think. I have tried to keep the above information brief although I could write pages about each vitamin and why you should take it. The above program works very well for me. My hair grows at the speed of 1 ½" per month. One thing to always remember: when starting a vitamin program, don't expect results overnight. It will take your body between two and six weeks to benefit from vitamins. This time period depends on how depleted your system is. The average time is four weeks. If you are recovering from a serious illness, it may take longer.
One word about prenatal supplements: I personally do not think they will boost hair growth any more than a good multivitamin. There are a lot of good over-the-counter prenatal supplements out there. I like Natrol probably the best. However, when I sat down and actually compared the ingredients in prenatal vitamins to multivitamins, the multivitamin actually had more than the prenatal vitamins did. Prenatal vitamins do contain extra iron (for anemia), folic acid (for birth defects), and potassium (to help with muscle cramps). However, none of those ingredients will boost hair growth. I have had three pregnancies and I have NEVER taken prenatal vitamins. When I presented my vitamin program to my OB-GYN, she stated that she could not have put together a better vitamin program for overall health during and after pregnancy. I have never had a prenatal supplement prescribed for me; there really was no need.
If you wish to take a prenatal supplement in addition to a good multivitamin, by all means do. I think that the only reason doctors have stated that there is a boost in hair growth when taking prenatal vitamins is that, generally, women don't take vitamins until they are pregnant. A woman takes a prenatal vitamin and her hair starts to grow making her think that it is because of the prenatal vitamin. In fact, the accelerated hair growth is simply because she is getting some good vitamins into her system. It is also as a result of pregnancy itself. Pregnancy can cause your hair to grow faster because your body is renewing things a lot faster.
