Saturday 26 June 2010

Vitamins and Minerals That Our Hair Needs

Vitamins are an important part of maintaining our hair and making it look healthy. Most people suffering from hair loss have several vitamin deficiencies. Most of the time, people suffering from hair loss have deficiencies in the B-complex vitamins. However, vitamins in the B-complex are not the only vitamins that our body uses to grow and maintain our hair. There are also other vitamins and minerals. It is important to know these vitamins and minerals because they are a great way in fighting hair loss and re-growing hair back in the scalp.

All vitamins are important in our body. But most of the time, we do not have enough time nor do we pick our foods that have a healthy dose of the vitamins we need so we rely heavily on supplements. Some of the vitamins that our hair follicles use for nourishment are:

Vitamin A - This vitamin function as an antioxidant. It aids in the building and production of healthy sebum in the scalp. Vitamin A can be found in eggs, butter, chicken, turkey or beef, milk, carrots, spinach, orange or yellow vegetables or fruits,, fish oil, liver, broccoli, apricots, lamb, pork, nectarines, cantaloupe, and sweet potatoes.

Vitamin C - Vitamin C is an antioxidant also. This vitamin functions to improve skin and hair. Some food sources for vitamin C include peppermint and parsley, tomatoes, zucchini, raspberries, asparagus, broccoli, bell peppers, kale, cauliflower, strawberries, lemons, mustard and turnip greens, brussels sprouts, papaya, chard, limes, celery, pineapples, lettuce, watermelon, cabbage, spinach, kiwifruit, snow peas, cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, fennel.

Vitamin E - This vitamin is great for improving scalp circulation.
Vitamin B3 or Niacin - This vitamin also promotes or improves scalp circulation.
Vitamin B5 or Pantothenic Acid - Prevents graying of hair.
Vitamin B6 - This vitamin is very important. This prevents our follicles from falling out and promotes the production of melanin in the body. Melanin is also responsible for hair color. Too much B6 however have severe side effects or adverse effects. Studies show that taking less than 100mg a day shows no side effects to the subjects.
Vitamin B 12 - This is also another great vitamin to prevent thinning and shedding.

Biotin - Biotin requires a page on its own due to a lot of Internet feedback and lack of studies. Other minerals and vitamins that are important to hair growth and hair loss prevention are Zinc, L-Cysteine and L-methionine, Trace Mineral Silica, Iodine, and Iron. Some herbal extracts that also help re-grow are Rosemary Extract, Saw Palmetto, Horsetail Extract, and Chamomile Extract.

There are many vitamins and minerals that help our hair grow and be healthy. Some of these vitamins and minerals even stop hair loss by blocking DHT. DHT is the leading cause of hair loss for men. They cling on to the hair follicles and slowly squeeze the life out of it by preventing nutrients from getting into the hair follicles. When hair follicles cannot get food or nourishment to grow, they slowly wither and die. So one of the most important part of battling hair loss and re-growing hair is having the right vitamins and minerals.

See Also : Collie Breads

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