Vitamins may help hair to grow. The Huntington College of Health Sciences and the University of California at Davis both report that various nutrients have been shown to help hair grow. Hair loss can be triggered by diseases, poor nutrition, steroid use, or even by using some shampoos that damage hair. Proper nutrition or vitamin supplementation can add these nutrients to the blood stream and may help to regrow hair.
Vitamin A
Huntington College of Health Sciences reports that vitamin C is needed to grow hair. A deficiency of this nutrient can cause hair to be dry, while too large doses, over fifty thousand IU a day, can cause hair to fall out. Vitamin A acts by preventing damage from free radical cells. Huntington College of Health Sciences suggests a daily dose of 5,000 to 25,000 IU per day. Sources of vitamin A are carrots and dark leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is found in many fruits and vegetables and a deficiency in this vitamin causes a disease called scurvy. Sailors developed this disease before they discovered that eating lemons and limes would prevent it, even before the discovery of vitamins. One of the symptoms of scurvy is hair loss. Vitamin C is an antioxidant. Huntington College of Health Sciences recommends a daily dose of 100 to 200 mg a day. Vitamin C is also added to skin creams and hair treatments because of its known ability to grow hair and renew skin.
Biotin
Biotin is also called vitamin B-7 and was once known as vitamin H. It is part of the B complex of vitamins. Used to convert sugar in the blood into a source of energy, biotin is also a part of the cells of the skin. A deficiency of biotin can cause cradle cap in newborns. Huntington College of Health Sciences recommends a dose of 500 mcg to 1000 mcg of biotin a day. The report that the nutrient is needed to nourish hair follicle cells. Many people prefer to take the entire complex of B vitamins together in a B-vitamin complex supplement. Sources of B vitamins are meat products and whole grains.
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