The Best Vitamins for Healthy Hair

by Autumn Jones

Overview

Let's debunk two myths about hair vitamins. First, hair vitamins don't make hair grow faster; they make hair stronger. Second, the hair on your head is already dead, so applying topical vitamins, such as hair vitamin shampoo, won't have any significant effects. The magic of vitamins lies in their ability to make you healthy from the inside out. This means that your hair won't change overnight, but new hair growth will be increasingly stronger and healthier.

Take your vitamins.
For Strong Hair

Vitamin C helps in the development of collagen, and a lack of this vitamin can result in weakened hair, split ends and breakage. Get your daily dose with a pill, or find it naturally in dark, leafy greens; citrus fruits; berries; and tomatoes. Bonus tip: Although protein isn't a vitamin, it's absolutely vital for strong hair (hair is made up of protein). Protein deficiencies can make your hair fragile and easily stretched. Get your protein from fish, poultry, beans, nuts and whole grains.

For Dry Hair

Your scalp produces a natural hair moisturizer called sebum. Sebum production is helped along by vitamin A, and a lack of this vitamin leads to dry hair and dandruff. Too much vitamin A can cause hair loss, though, so get it from natural food sources to avoid overdosing. It's found in spinach; liver; eggs; fish oil; and red, orange, and yellow veggies. Two minerals, silica and zinc, work with vitamin A in regulating healthy sebum production. You can find these in supplements and some teas. Zinc is also found in red meats, seeds and wheat.
For Hair Growth

Without enough oxygen to the scalp, hair can't grow properly. Vitamin E is essential for scalp circulation and can be found in leafy, green vegetables; vegetable oils; nuts; and grains. The B-complex family---eight separate nutrients that work interdependently---is also essential for hair. Many of these nutrients work to produce hemoglobin, which carries oxygen to the body's tissues and is necessary for healthy skin and hair. B-complex vitamins occur naturally in liver, chicken, fish, soybeans, yeast, dairy and eggs.