Do Hair Vitamins Really Work? Find Out Here

We are exposed to all kinds of ads across social media every day of our lives. We get notifications and coupon offers for waist trainers and teeth whiteners, and our favorite bloggers rave about a detox tea.

Though they might have cute packaging, and the girls who are modeling them look absolutely beautiful, do hair vitamins really work?

A couple of popular hair vitamins, known as Hairfinity and HairBurst, have popped up across the internet. Many young women across social media platforms such as Instagram have been posting photos of themselves with long, shiny locks, claiming that one of the two of these pills have magically helped them to grow long and luscious hair.

However, are these pills the reason their hair is so great?

Hairfinity’s ingredients include biotin, niacin, vitamins A, C, D, and B12, vitamin B complex, silica, MSM and a complex that is unique to the pill itself. We will go through what each of these ingredients contribute to hair growth and thickness.

Biotin

Biotin is a very popular vitamin taken when a woman is trying to achieve hair growth in a short amount of time rather than just letting it grow naturally on its own. Why?

Biotin helps in the production of amino acids, and those are the building blocks of protein. Hair is made up of protein, and so biotin’s ability to help with the production of protein allows for healthier and faster hair growth.

Niacin

Niacin is also known as vitamin B3, and is a water-soluble vitamin that helps the body convert the food we eat into energy that our bodies can use. Niacin also can increase blood flow to the scalp, as well as oxygen and essential nutrients that the hair follicles need to grow long and strong.

According to Viviscal, “Research shows that Niacin can help keep aging skin firm and glowing. It may also improve acne or skin blemishes by increasing the moisture balance of skin”.

Vitamin A, C, and D

Vitamins A, C and D all play incredibly important roles in keeping our bodies healthy overall, but when it comes to growing your hair out, they also are essential. Vitamin C helps the immune system and works as an antioxidant, while vitamin A also works as a powerful antioxidant.

Antioxidants are very important to consume because they help the body to fight oxidation, which is something our bodies go through every day. However, stress, cigarettes and alcohol can increase the oxidation process.

When the process of oxidation is disrupted, free radicals are created, which can cause damage to the cells in each of our bodies. Thus, including antioxidants in all forms is very important.

Foods that have high antioxidant concentrations include red grapes, blueberries, red berries, nuts, dark green veggies and orange vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots. Consuming a vitamin C tablet can help to fight off free radicals, but too much vitamin A can actually counter your hair growth, so its best to find natural, whole sources of it in the foods that you eat.

Foods that are rich in vitamin A include sweet potatoes, kale, carrots, squash, dried apricots and cantaloupe. As you can see, a lot of the hair growth process really is broken down to caring about your body and what you put in it, and less so a magic pill, but that does not mean that pills cannot help hair growth when coupled with good eating habits.

Let’s explore some more vitamins that can be found in popular hair growth pills.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps to increase follicle growth, and you can actually get enough of your daily vitamin D by getting some sunlight! Vitamin D can be hard to get in food, so make enough time for a walk in the sun, head to the beach, or just try and find a reason to be outside.

Signs of a vitamin D deficiency can include sadness, heightened pain sensitivity and high blood pressure. This article breaks down how much sunlight you need per day for healthy vitamin D production based on the color of your skin.

Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is generally taken to help with regulating your metabolism and helping the central nervous system remain healthy and function properly. Many dieticians believe that vitamin B12 can help to strengthen and condition hair. The B-complex group can be found in foods such as whole grains, dark leafy greens, eggs, soybeans and avocados.

Silica

According to Shabir Daya of Victoria Health, “Silica is a relatively unknown mineral, which is absolutely astounding bearing in mind what it does for the body, which is nothing short of miraculous. Also known as Silicon, it is a combination of silicon and oxygen, the two most abundant elements on our planet”.

The mineral is essential for bone growth and helping to maintain the mineral balance between calcium and magnesium within the body. According to Hairfinity, “Due to its ability to maintain collagen, Silica helps maintain the hair’s elasticity and helps keep the hair lustrous”.

So how can I get gorgeous hair?

It’s very clear that the hair vitamins include some very important vitamins needed for successful hair growth. Reviews on the company websites and across social media claim that the vitamins do indeed work.

However, for an optimum effect, a woman must also change her diet in order to make it more balanced and include a nice mix of all of the above nutrients.

A balanced diet will allow for more hydrated hair, increased circulation to the scalp, antioxidants that will help to keep cells healthy and an increased ability for your body to create protein—and thus stronger, healthier and longer hair.

It’s most important to remember to relax and eat healthily; your hair will grow long and strong on its own!