Because so many women taking prenatal vitamins have thick, healthy, lustrous hair, it's very common to assume that the prenatal vitamins themselves can have an effect on your locks. In reality, however, the healthy, vibrant look of a pregnant woman's hair is the result of something else entirely.
Your Hair
Because shampoo and other hair product manufacturers try so hard to convince you that your hair needs nourishment, you may be under the impression that adding extra vitamins to your diet--or directly to the surface of your hair--will cause your locks to grow thicker and more lustrous. In fact, this is not the case. Hair that you can see and touch is not living, and doesn't require any nourishment.
Hair Requirements
The living portion of hair is located underneath your scalp, where cells called follicles produce the protein, keratin, that makes up your hair. While follicle cells need nourishment in the form of both energy and vitamins--in this way they're just like any other body cells--providing them with extra vitamins doesn't do them any good. Provided you're not malnourished, your hair is getting all the vitamins and energy it needs.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy rather famously improves both skin and hair. This is because pregnancy hormones cause more blood to circulate your body, and where circulation improves, you bring more vitamins and energy-providing nutrients to body cells. This causes hair to grow faster than it usually does. Pregnancy hormones also temporarily cease the process of shedding, explains Dr. Miriam Stoppard in her book "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth." As a result, during pregnancy, your hair becomes much thicker than normal.
Coincidence
Because the same group of women tend to have thick hair and take prenatal vitamins--pregnant women, that is--it's common to assume that the vitamins must augment hair growth. In fact, this is nothing more than coincidence. You can't make your hair grow faster by taking prenatal vitamins. In fact, if you're not pregnant, prenatal vitamins won't do you any good beyond what a normal daily multivitamin would do.
Prenatal Vitamins
The major differences between a prenatal vitamin and a regular multivitamin are few, and are significant only for pregnant women. In their book "You: Having A Baby," Drs. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz explain that prenatal vitamins contain more iron and more folic acid than women's daily vitamins. Neither of these components has any effect upon hair growth, and neither benefits a woman who isn't pregnant when taken in large quantities.
References
- "Conception, Pregnancy and Birth"; Miriam Stoppard, M.D.; 2008
- "You: Having A Baby"; Michael Roizen, M.D. and Mehmet Oz, M.D.; 2009
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