Unfortunately, there is no complete repair for damaged hair, but some products can help the appearance of damaged hair or prevent further damage. More important than products, though, is your diet; maintaining a diet that supplies your daily nutrient needs will help you grow hair that is strong and shiny. The average woman's hair grows approximately half an inch every month, so with a proper dose of vitamins and hair care, you can potentially treat and hide damaged hair until it grows out and can be cut off.
Biotin
Biotin is a B-complex vitamin that forms enzymes and powers your metabolism. Biotin is one of the main vitamins that provides you with healthy hair, making it easier to grow out old, damaged hair. While there are biotin supplements on the market, you can also find biotin in fruit, nuts, egg yolk, rice and milk.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E can do basic repair to damaged hair on a cellular level, nourishing your hair from root to tip. Consuming vitamin E in dietary supplements or in your daily foods can help your new hair continue to stay strong and healthy as it eventually replaces your older, damaged hair. You can also add vitamin E to your shampoo---or purchase a shampoo that already has vitamin E---to help minimize the appearance of damaged hair.
Vitamins B6 and B12
Vitamins B6 and B12 are essential nutrients for your overall health, but your hair quality will suffer and likely become damaged if your body has too little of either of these vitamins. Worse, if you have a deficiency of vitamin B6 or B12, you may end up losing hair as well.
Other Vitamins and Nutrients
Biotin and vitamins E, B6 and B12 are the primary vitamins associated with helping fix damaged hair and helping you grow healthy new hair. Some medical documents also claim that vitamins A, C, and K can play a part in reducing your risk of damaged hair, though those claims have not yet been fully researched. Other important nutrients involved in minimizing your risk for damaged hair include proteins, fatty acids such as omega-3, and aloe vera.
Damage
Doctors emphasize that if you maintain a healthy and balanced diet, you will supply your body with all the nutrients you need grow healthy, shiny hair and avoid breaking and damage. But remember that damaged hair has many causes and cannot always be repaired. For instance, the damage resulting from heat or bleaching will not be repaired by any amount of vitamins and will only go away when new hair grows in and the old hair is cut off.
Member Comments