Vitamins are the building blocks that hold your health and vitality in together. Coupled with minerals, vitamins are essential for skin, nail, eye and hair health. According to the Hair Loss Learning Center, over 35 million men and 21 million women in the U.S. suffer from some form of hair loss. This hair loss can start as simple dry ends that tangle and cause breakage or may be more extensive with widespread hair thinning that occurs with age. Whichever the case, vitamins may be able to slow or stop hair loss.
Hair Loss
Hair loss (alopecia) can occur in both men and women and at any stage in life. Hair loss is a natural part of aging, although it can be a symptoms of a scalp infection or as a result of a hormone imbalance. According to MedlinePlus, malnutrition can cause rapid hair loss, when severe. Malnutrition occurs when the body lacks necessary nutrients, this can occur even when a person is deficient in one single vitamin.
Vitamin Supplements
Vitamins are needed to ensure the proper development and maintenance of every aspect of the human body, which includes the hair. To have long healthy, strong hair, you can take vitamin supplements to ensure you are getting all the nutrients your hair needs from the inside out. According to the Harvard Medical School, two B vitamins in particular help hair remain healthy -- vitamin B1 (thiamine) and vitamin B2 (riboflavin). You can purchase B1 and B2 over-the-counter in pill, powder or liquid supplement form. You can also purchase them combined as part of a supplement called B-complex. In addition, many multivitamin and prenatal vitamins offer supplements that contain vitamins B1 and B2.
Vitamins in Food
You can obtain vitamin B1 (thiamine) through eating thiamine-rich foods such as soymilk, watermelon, acorn squash and ham. According to the Harvard Medical School, women should consume at least 1.1 mg of vitamin B1, and men should consume 1.2 mg. You can obtain vitamin B2 (riboflavin) through eating foods such as milk, yogurt, cheese, whole and enriched grains, cereal and liver. Women should get 1.1 mg of riboflavin daily, the recommendation for men is 1.3 mg.
Considerations
Check with your physician to see if you are suffering from B vitamin deficiency before taking any B-complex vitamins. B vitamin-deficiency can cause symptoms such as hair loss, anemia, tiredness, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, eczema, muscle cramps and respiratory infections, according to the American Cancer Society. According to the American Hair Loss Association, alopecia can be symptom of hormonal imbalances, which occurs with conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome, pregnancy and menopause. It can also occur with scalp infections or as a side effect of medication Notify your physician of your hair loss in any case, so it can be treated appropriately.
Cautions
Do not take more than the daily recommended allowance of B vitamins. Overdosing on B-complex vitamins can cause long term health issues such as heart or liver damage as stated by the American Cancer Society. Also note that few over-the-counter B vitamin supplements have gone through the FDA for approval.
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