What are Supplements?
Nutritional supplements, in the form of tablets, capsules and liquids, can be useful boosters to your diet. They help you ingest vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that you might not otherwise be consuming in adequate quantities. Supplements can be particularly beneficial for hair growth — read on to find out why.
Why can Supplements Help Hair Growth?
Hair cells are the second-fastest dividing cells in your body (surpassed only by intestinal cells) therefore hair needs a great deal of energy and nutrients in order to grow to its full potential. But, because hair is a non-essential tissue, your body will never send nourishment its way if another part of you is lacking — meaning even the slightest deficiency or imbalance in your body can cause your hair to suffer. If you have a nutritional deficiency, you may experience symptoms such as shedding, strands that will not grow beyond a certain length, and/or weak, brittle tresses.
A well-balanced diet will help ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals you need for healthy hair cell production, but metabolism and nutritional needs vary from person to person. As well as this, stressful lifestyles and hectic day-to-day responsibilities often make it challenging to eat a nutritionally balanced diet all of the time. This is where supplements come into play.
It is important to be patient when taking supplements, as your hair only grows half an inch per month, so it can take over two months for them to have a visible beneficial effect. People often get frustrated by this slow progress and stop, but perseverance will pay off. Within 12 weeks you should see a definite benefit to your hair.
The best supplements for healthy hair:
- Iron
- Zinc
- Biotin
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin B12
- Gelatin protein
