Information On Vitamins For Hair

If you want shiny, thick, luxurious hair, skip the expensive hair products and use the money you save to buy fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Nothing you put on your hair can make up for poor nutrition, says Lisa Drayer, author of "The Beauty Diet: Looking Great Has Never Tasted So Good." To grow a mane of healthy, glossy hair, your body needs high-quality proteins, lots of water, some essential fatty acids and foods that contain vital vitamins for hair growth.

Why Your Hair Needs Vitamins

Your hair is more than the strands you see above the surface of your skin. Each strand begins beneath the skin's surface as a hair follicle. The follicle consists of a swelling that surrounds a group of capillaries--tiny blood vessels that feed the hair root with the nutrients needed for healthy hair. A small gland attached to the hair follicle--a sebaceous gland--creates sebum, an oily substance that coats the hair, protecting it and making it glossy. The hair follicle builds hair cells from the bottom, pushing older cells up through the skin as new cells are formed. The hair cells are mostly protein, but your body needs vitamins that promote cell formation, healthy circulation and proper metabolism to create healthy hair cells.

Significance

Hair loss; dry, brittle hair; and thinning hair are all symptoms connected with specific vitamin deficiencies. A deficiency of vitamin A, for example, can result in dandruff. A deficiency of vitamin B7, also known as biotin, and Vitamin H causes hair loss. In fact, the B-complex vitamins work together, so a deficiency of any of the B vitamins can result in brittle, dry hair. Vitamin C deficiency results in weak hair that breaks easily.

Benefits

Vitamin A promotes healthy cell growth throughout the body, including the hair. It also helps the sebaceous glands produce sebum, which is necessary for healthy hair. Among the B-complex vitamins, B6, B12 and folate promote healthy blood circulation, which is needed to bring nutrients to the scalp. B6 helps your body to create melanin, which gives hair its color. Vitamin C supports the creation and maintenance of capillaries that nourish hair follicles. Vitamin E protects the scalp's natural oils and may improve scalp circulation.

Healthy Hair Foods

Most doctors recommend getting the vitamins you need from whole foods. A diet for beautiful hair should include orange vegetables, such as carrots, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, and fruits such as cantaloupe, apricots and mangoes, which are high in vitamin A. Add whole grains, spinach, nuts and salmon to increase your intake of B vitamins. Foods high in vitamin C include blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers and, of course, oranges. Blueberries, kiwis, sweet potatoes and peppers also contain vitamin E, as do spinach and walnuts.

Warning

Too much of some vitamins is as bad as not enough. Too much vitamin A, for instance, can cause hair loss. If you're considering taking vitamin supplements above the doses recommended by the Food and Drug Administration, talk to your doctor or health care provider. Some vitamins have serious side effects when you take them in higher doses.