Having great hair is a huge benefit in both your personal and professional life. Why else would we spend so much time making sure our hair looks just right? We tease it, treat it, comb it, clean it, and customize our hairstyles down to each strand of hair, just to make sure it looks perfect. Your hair is a representation of yourself, a significant part of the face you show the rest of the world.
Celebrities spend hours preparing their hair for the red carpet, and their thick, shiny locks are a symbol of their success and beauty. Everyone deserves hair that good, even if you’re not a Hollywood megastar! That’s why it can be so heartbreaking when your hair starts to thin or fall out. It can feel like your self-confidence is falling out with each strand, and it’s easy to get demoralized and stuck in a pit of despair.
Even though Hollywood might want us to think; otherwise, the truth is that hair loss is extremely common for both men and women. More than half of all women will experience hair loss during their lifetime, especially after menopause. As much as we like to think that our thick, lustrous mane will be there for our entire lives, that’s simply not the case.
It’s a normal part of the aging process; however, just because hair loss is a natural aspect of life for most people, that doesn’t mean that you have to lie down and take it. You can do several things to fight your hair loss and sometimes even regrow some of the hair you’ve lost, so don’t despair! You’re not alone, and you have plenty of options available to you.
One of the hair loss solutions you might hear about often is taking supplements or vitamins to strengthen your hair and prevent it from falling out. This is a pretty appealing idea! After all, why should you spend time and money on more complicated cures like twice-daily Rogaine or even expensive hair transplant surgery when you can just take some vitamins once a day. It’s easier, cheaper, and theoretically a healthier and more natural solution than most other available ones.
The real question, however, is: do they work? There’s a lot of information out there on vitamins and supplements, and some of it can be pretty shady. That’s why we did some research of our own, and now we’re passing some of that knowledge on to you. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the different vitamins and supplements available on the market, what they can be used to cure, and how effective they really are.
It’s important to keep in mind that everybody’s hair is different, and what works for one woman might do absolutely nothing for someone else. It’s always a good idea to get your doctor involved in the decision-making process, especially for something as important as your hair. Knowing what causes your hair loss is the first step to curing it, and your doctor is the best person to ask about figuring that out.
If your hair is thinning or losing your hair, it could be due to an underlying health issue. Even though it’s a sensitive subject for many women, don’t be afraid to speak up! Speed is vital for treating hair loss, and the faster you figure out what’s going on, the more likely it is that you’ll be able to preserve the majority of your hair and even maybe grow back some of what you’ve lost.
Causes Of Hair Loss In Women
There are a million and one reasons why you might experience hair loss, and each one has its own set of treatments to use. This is part of why it’s so important to talk to your doctor about your hair loss! The only way you’re going to know what to do is if you know what the problem is and what’s causing it. As a general rule, hair loss tends not to start in women until around menopause, although it can start affecting you as early as your 20s.
There are also tons of conditions that can cause hair loss to develop early in your life, so that’s definitely not a hard and fast rule. The only way to figure out exactly what’s going on is to talk to your doctor. When you go in for your appointment, your doctor will give your scalp a thorough evaluation to find out exactly what your symptoms are. They’ll also likely ask you some simple questions about your diet, hair care routine, family history, and overall medical history. If you’re lucky, they might just tell you to simply make a couple of lifestyle choices! Otherwise, you may need to try something a little more serious.
Your doctor might also perform a few tests to determine if any underlying conditions cause your hair loss. One of the most common is a blood test, which helps discover if hormonal changes cause your hair to fall out. This is actually the root cause of female pattern baldness, which underlies most hair loss cases. They might also perform a pull test, which involves lightly tugging on a few strands all over your head.
This lets your doctor know how severe your condition is and gives an idea of where the hair loss is focused on your head. If your doctor suspects a medical condition or allergic reaction is causing your hair loss, they might pull out a few hairs or take a small skin sample for a biopsy. Some medical conditions that can contribute to thinning hair in women include:
- Ringworm
- Celiac disease or other autoimmune conditions
- Trichorrhexis invaginata
- Hypothyroidism
- Hyperthyroidism
- Scleroderma
- Lichen planus
- Addison’s disease
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Hashimoto disease
- hypopituitarism
- Hodgkin’s disease
If your doctor diagnoses you with any of these conditions, you’re probably going to have more to worry about than just your hair, but treating them can cause your hair loss to stop or even reverse in some cases.
Female Pattern Baldness
Female pattern baldness is the most common cause of hair loss in women. It’s pretty similar to male pattern baldness, although the hair loss pattern is usually different. Like male pattern baldness, female pattern baldness is genetic and caused by hormone fluctuations in the body, particularly androgens. It’s particularly common in postmenopausal women since menopause brings body chemistry changes that affect your hormones.
Female pattern baldness is hereditary, so it’s passed down to you by your parents. If your mother, father, siblings, or grandparents suffer from male or female pattern baldness, it’s much more likely that you will as well. Unlike some other forms of hair loss, since female pattern baldness is genetic, it’s more challenging to treat. Still, there are plenty of treatments that are effective against female pattern baldness, including Rogaine.
Hair Loss From Vitamin D Deficiency
There is some evidence to suggest that hair loss can be caused by vitamin deficiency, especially vitamin D. Vitamin D is essential for a lot of things in the body, including bone strength and heart health. It’s sometimes called the sunshine vitamin because standing out in the sun is the best way to get it in your body. However, interestingly enough, you don’t actually get vitamin D from the sun. Rather, the vitamin is produced inside your body as a natural reaction to sunlight hitting your skin. It’s a pretty minor difference, but kind of interesting.
Vitamin D is also present in some foods, like fish and egg yolks. It’s one of the most important vitamins for your body, so it’s always a good idea to go outside and get some sun! It’s most well known for helping your body use calcium from your diet to strengthen your bones, and a deficiency in vitamin D can cause a bone condition called rickets. However, vitamin D is also connected to hair growth, so not getting enough can cause hair loss symptoms.
Vitamin D is particularly relevant to hair loss because it acts to stimulate the follicles on your scalp. Follicles are little pockets of skin all over your head, and the average person has over 100,000 in total. Each follicle is responsible for growing a single strand of hair, and when that hair falls out, the follicle simply grows a new one.
This is the natural process your body uses to refresh your hair and replace them when they get old. Vitamin D also helps your body create new follicles, which directly affect the thickness of your hair. The more follicles you have, the thicker your hair will be!
Because of the connection to hair growth, vitamin D has also connected directly to hair loss. Less vitamin D means fewer follicles, which means thinner hair. On average, patients with hair loss tend to have lower vitamin D levels, suggesting that vitamin deficiency might be part of the problem. It’s also just a good idea to try to get enough vitamin D in general! There are plenty of other symptoms of vitamin D deficiency, including:
- Changes in mood, including more depression and anxiety than usual
- More frequent bone fractures
- Slower healing when you’ve been cut or wounded
- Loss in bone strength and density
- Muscle weakness
- High blood pressure, or worsening of existing high blood pressure
- Constant fatigue
- Chronic pain
- Infertility
- Decreased endurance
For all these reasons, plus the possibility of hair loss, it’s always a good idea to make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D. Try to take more walks outside if you can, or eat foods like avocados, fish, and egg whites more frequently.
Other Vitamin Deficiencies That Can Cause Hair Loss
Besides vitamin D, there are lots of other vitamins associated with hair growth, so a deficiency in any of these can contribute to hair loss as well. One of the other big ones is vitamin A, which is found in foods like carrots, pumpkins, milk, and eggs. Vitamin A is involved in the growth of all the cells in your body, not just your hair, so it’s one of the essential vitamins to take in general.
It’s also directly related to hair growth because it helps your skin cells create a substance called sebum, which keeps your scalp moisturized and your hair healthy. However, you should be careful about not taking too much vitamin A. Even though it’s important, too much vitamin A can also contribute to hair loss, so make sure you know how much to take.
B vitamins are also very beneficial for hair growth, and a deficiency in any of them can damage your hair. A B vitamin called biotin is particularly relevant because it’s closely involved in keratin production. Keratin is the particular kind of protein that makes up your hair, nails, and the outer layer of your skin, so it’s vital for healthy hair and skin.
Biotin is found in various foods, so it’s relatively uncommon to have a deficiency, but it’s still a good idea to make sure you’re getting all you need. Other B vitamins that contribute to hair growth are vitamin B-6 and vitamin B-12. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you should consider taking supplements of vitamin B-12 since it’s only found in animal products like meat.
Vitamin C is another essential vitamin overall, and especially for hair growth. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and it helps to protect your hair from free radicals in the environment. Free radicals can block your hair’s growth and cause it to age prematurely, so it’s a good idea to get as much vitamin C as you need.
Vitamin C is also important to help your body produce collagen, a protein that makes up a vital part of your hair structure. Vitamin C can be found naturally in peppers, citrus fruits, and strawberries. Similarly, vitamin E is another vitamin that helps block free radicals. One study found that patients taking vitamin E supplements experienced a 35% increase in hair growth compared to the control group, so it’s possible that vitamin E could be a useful supplement for combating hair loss too.
Hair Loss From Diet
Poor nutrition can also be a significant contributor to hair loss. If you’re not eating the right foods, then your hair can look dull and unhealthy and can even start falling out. Getting enough protein is important, and you also need to make sure you’re getting enough zinc and iron in your diet as well. Eating a balanced diet with the right nutrition can go a long way towards making your hair thicker and more lustrous, so here are a few foods that will help keep your hair from thinning:
- Eggs are great for your hair since they’re a good source of protein and biotin, which keeps the keratin in your hair nice and thick. Hair follicles are made up of mostly protein, so anything that’s a good source will do a great job of promoting hair growth.
- Berries are chock full of antioxidants and vitamins that promote hair growth, so they’re an excellent choice for a healthy snack. Strawberries are particularly helpful because they’re a terrific source of vitamin C. Just one cup of strawberries has over 140% of the daily recommended dosage of vitamin C, which makes them one of the best foods out there for protecting your hair from environmental damage.
- Spinach is also loaded full of vitamins that help keep your hair nice and thick, including folate, vitamin A, and vitamin C. It is also a great source of iron, which helps red blood cells carry oxygen through your body and promotes healthy hair growth.
- Fatty fish like salmon, herring, and mackerel are great sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which some studies have linked to increased hair growth in women. The jury is still out on fatty acids since more studies are required, but salmon and other fatty fish are still a great source of B vitamins that are also important for hair growth.
- Sweet potatoes are full of vitamin A, which helps your body create sebum and keeps your hair moisturized and healthy. Some studies suggest that vitamin A can speed up hair growth, although more research still needs to be done.
- Avocados are great for getting your daily dose of vitamin E and vitamin D. Like fatty fish; avocados are also chock full of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are connected to hair growth. It’s essential to get these fatty acids from the food you eat since they can’t be produced naturally in the body.
- If you’re looking for another healthy snack, give nuts a try! Nuts are loaded with all kinds of nutrients related to hair growth, including vitamin E, B vitamins, zinc, and fatty acids. Zinc has been connected to hair growth in women who have experienced hair loss, so it’s of particular importance if you’re dealing with thinning hair already.
- Like nuts, seeds are chock full of hair related nutrients like vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids. It’s worth noting that the fatty acids in seeds aren’t as efficient as those in salmon, but it’s still a great snack that’s good for you.
- Sweet peppers are some of the best possible sources of vitamin C, which helps with collagen production. One yellow pepper contains five and a half times as much vitamin C as an orange! Sweet peppers are also very high in vitamin A, which keeps your hair healthy.
- Oysters are one of the best sources out there for zinc, which is connected to hair growth. A deficiency of zinc is one of the possible causes of telogen effluvium, a relatively common hair loss condition.
- Shrimp is also full of vitamins and minerals, including protein, B vitamins, zinc, iron, and vitamin D. They’re also pretty good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, although not as good a source as salmon or mackerel.
- Beans are one of the best protein sources essential for so much in the body, hair growth included. Beans are also very high in iron, zinc, and biotin, promoting healthy hair growth.
- The science isn’t conclusive yet, but soybeans are potentially great for promoting hair growth. Soybeans are high in spermidine, which has been connected to the lengthening of your hair’s life cycle’s growth phase, called anagen. The more time each hair strand spends in the anagen phase, the more time it has to grow, and the longer it can last before falling out. The studies aren’t conclusive yet, but there’s some evidence of this already.
- Finally, meat is one of the best sources of protein you can find, which helps with hair growth. Red meat is especially helpful due to its high iron content, although non-red meat is also pretty good.
Controlling your diet can go a long way towards making your hair healthier, especially if you’re avoiding any deficiencies. It might help talk to your doctor about what foods you should eat and figure out a plan together.
Do Hair Loss Vitamins And Supplements Work?
Finally, after all that information, we come to the article’s real point: can you use supplements to fight hair loss? The answer is yes, you can! But it’s going to depend pretty heavily on what’s causing your hair loss. If you’re suffering from female pattern baldness, then supplements probably aren’t going to do a ton for you.
They may help you keep your hair thick and healthy, but they’re not going to treat the underlying genetics causing your hair to thin and fall out. The same goes for some other conditions that cause balding, like traction alopecia or telogen effluvium. However, supplements can effectively promote hair growth and fight dietary and vitamin deficiency-related hair loss.
Your body has a regular hair growth cycle, which keeps going even as various conditions affect it. While supplements can’t cure you of those conditions, what they can do is make sure that the natural processes that create hair growth are running at peak efficiency. This will help you preserve the hair you do have while also making it look thicker and healthier.
It’s also worth noting that buying supplements or vitamins that you’re already getting enough of isn’t going to do that much for you. Many experts recommend getting a yearly blood test to determine which nutrients are lacking in your bloodstream and basing your supplement usage on that test. That way, you’re making sure that your hair growth processes are always running the way they should, which prevents any kind of hair loss due to nutritional deficiencies.
As a rule, it’s generally recommended to try to get your required vitamins and minerals from food before trying supplements. However, many nutrients are more difficult to get into your diet, especially if you’re a vegan or vegetarian. That’s why the blood test can help figure out what exactly you’re missing, so you’re not buying anything that you don’t need or potentially taking too much of something. In some cases, an overdose of some vitamins can be just as bad for your hair as not having enough!
Supplements are also particularly useful for hair growth compared to the rest of your body. Hair has pretty unique nutritional requirements, so it can be hard to find everything that you need in food. It also requires a pretty constant stream of those nutrients because it’s continuously growing, so sometimes it’s hard to keep up just by sticking to a diet. Hair cells are the second fastest-growing cells produced by your body, following only the cells that line your gastrointestinal tract, so that supplements can be incredibly helpful.
Hair Loss Supplements
If you’re dealing with hair loss and you want to try supplements, there are plenty of options out there for supplements that are specifically focused on promoting hair growth and protection. The KeraViatin supplements sold by Keranique are some of the best vitamins available for treating hair loss, so they would be a great place to start.
The KeraViatin Hair and Scalp Health Supplements are chock full of all the vitamins you need to keep your hair thick and healthy, including B vitamins, zinc, and omega fatty acids. They’re also fueled by curcumin, a compound found naturally in the turmeric root. Curcumin is kind of like a super antioxidant and is incredibly powerful when it comes to protecting your hair from damage. Keranique’s supplements feature a special curcumin and black pepper complex, with about 20 times the absorption rate of curcumin by itself.
The other ingredients in the supplements are specifically chosen to promote scalp and hair health and prevent any deficiencies that might cause hair loss. They’re also all clinically tested, non-GMO, and sustainably sourced, so you know exactly what you’re putting in your body. If you’re looking for supplements that will strengthen your hair and keep it from falling out, you really can’t do much better than the KeraViatin Hair and Scalp Health Supplements.
Hair Regrowth Systems
Suppose you’re looking for something a little more heavy-duty than supplements alone or suffering from genetic alopecia like female pattern baldness. In that case, you might try a more holistic system like the Keranique Hair Regrowth System. Keranique’s unique kit is powered by minoxidil, the only active ingredient currently approved by the FDA to treat hair loss in women, combined with premium hair care products to keep the hair you do have thick and strong. This multiple-pronged approach is more effective than any single treatment, which makes this system the ideal choice for someone wanting to fight against hair loss in any way they can. The system works in three simple steps:
- Keranique Shampoo and Conditioner: If your hair is thinning or falling out, you need a shampoo and conditioner that is specifically designed to fight those conditions. Keranique’s Scalp Stimulating Shampoo and Volumizing Keratin Conditioner are formulated to clean your scalp and hair before infusing every strand, strengthening and thickening it while also repairing any frizz or split ends. Taking overall better care of your hair is a great foundation for treating your hair loss, so the shampoo and conditioner are good places to start.
- Keranique Regrowth Treatment: After the shampoo and conditioner comes the hair regrowth treatment itself. Fueled by minoxidil, the active ingredient in Rogaine, this carefully formulated solution works to regrow your hair and reactivate your follicles. Unlike Rogaine, Keranique’s regrowth treatment is specifically designed with women in mind, so you know you’re getting something attuned to your body chemistry. It also comes with a patented Easy Precision Sprayer, making it easier than ever to attack hair loss wherever it is on your head.
- Keranique Lift and Repair Treatment Spray: Last but not least is the Lift and Repair Treatment Spray, a styling spray that acts to lift and style your hair while also protecting it from environmental damage. The heat-activated spray also infuses your hair with Keranique’s Keratin Amino Complex, which repairs damage to your hair while restoring its shine. A third-party study showed that the Lift and Repair Spray effectively fought frizz for 24 hours while repairing up to 96% of split ends.
If you’re looking for a hair loss solution that takes a complete and holistic approach to your hair while not breaking the bank, Keranique’s Hair Regrowth System might just be the option for you.