Vitamins for Hair Growth

In this article, we bring you some effective vitamins for hair growth. If you also dream of that Rapunzel hair, then yes, you are at the right place. In this article, we will be talking about a few Vitamins that are essential for hair growth. Feeling jealous to see other girls with those long luscious bangs is easy but maintaining the health of your hair and having the same for you is a bit difficult. As, you all know that no natural remedy is a witch’s wand, everything takes time.

In the case of our hair, the patience’s graph reaches its peak. Hair grows only 6 inches per year, which is considered as a normal rate unless your hair growth is similar to that of Chia Pets. Though this is not the fixed rate, the growth of your hair can be boosted with the help of a few vitamins. This is because intake of vitamins fulfills their deficiency in your body, thus initiating the hair growth.

There are many people living with the myth that diet has nothing to do with hair growth, which is indeed not true. Your diet plays a key role in terms of hair growth, as the direct intake is even more effective that topical application. Below are a few Vitamins for hair growth that will help you maintain those healthy tresses over time.

vitamins for hair growth

Essential Vitamins for Hair Growth

1. Vitamin A for Hair Growth

Another essential vitamin for hair growth is Vitamin A, which is necessary for proper hair growth. It also initiates the production of sebum on the scalp, which prevents the hair from drying and shedding.

Symptoms of a Vitamin A Deficient body:

  • Loss of vision.
  • Skin afflictions.

Foods that are rich in Vitamin A include carrots, melons, and dark leafy green veggies.

2. Vitamin B for Hair Growth

Vitamin B Complex comes in a group of eight, i.e. B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. This set of eight plays a key role in keeping the body healthy. Vitamin B is known to boost energy, metabolism, stimulate the muscles and also boost the growth of your hair. This makes it one among all other essential vitamins for hair growth. As a whole, it helps to promote cell growth and divisions which are important for your hair. In order to maintain Vitamin B complex in an ample amount that is necessary for your body, it is needed to replenish your body regularly. This is because Vitamin B complex is water-soluble and is often flushed out from the body as waste, thus the body cannot store it.

Signs of Deficiency of Vitamin B:

  • Feeling weak or tired.
  • Easy bruising.
  • Improper hair growth.

Foods like meats, eggs, nuts, grains, fish and vegetable are a rich source of vitamin B. You can also include Vitamin B supplements in your daily diet to get better results along with the foods. Topical application of vitamin B rich hair care products is also an essential remedy for hair growth.

  • B1 or Thiamin 

Another effective vitamin that helps your hair growth and initiates the natural process is Vitamin B1 also known as Thiamin. It helps to boost the health of your hair including the eyes, skin, nervous system, and the liver.

Symptoms of a Vitamin B1 Deficient Body Includes: 

  • Dull and thin hair.
  • Dryness of your tresses.
  • Other symptoms of your body like stress, fatigue, irritability, abdominal issues and trouble in digesting the carbs.

Foods that are rich in Thiamin include black beans (35% DV), sunflower seeds (43.3% DV), barley (33.3% DV), green peas (30% DV), dried peas (30.8% DV), pinto beans (27.5% DV), lentils (27.5% DV), and oats (25% DV).

So, if you aim to have those shiny and bold hair tresses do maintain your Thiamin intake in the daily diet.

  • B2 or Riboflavin 

Riboflavin is known as one of the glamorous vitamins among all other essential vitamins for hair growth. This is because it acts as a building block for the cells. Their work is to fetch all the damaged cells in the body including the tresses and the scalp. They also help to repair the wrecked and damaged DNA which results into lifeless, dull, kinky, dry and malnourished hair tresses. You need 1.2 mg of the daily Riboflavin dose, in order to boost hair growth and repair the damaged cells over time.

Foods rich in Riboflavin include Beef liver (2.9 mg in 3 oz), milk (0.24 mg in 3 oz), yogurt (0.57 mg in a cup), spinach (0.21 mg in half a cup), almonds (0.323 mg in 1 oz), mushrooms (0.23 mg in half a cup)

  • Vitamin B12 

B12 is one among a few vitamins for hair growth that your can easily store. But, the challenging part is that it is a bit difficult to have an ample amount this vitamin in your daily diet. B12 works as a proxy for your actual DNA and acts as an essential part for the benefit of your hair and skin. It is also an important element for your body’s metabolism.

Symptoms of a B12 Deficient Body:

  • Digestive disorders.
  • Chronic disease.
  • Celiac Disease.
  • Faster aging.
  • Pigmentation

Foods that are rich in vitamin B12 include eggs, shellfish, dairy products, beef liver, meat, yeast and breakfast cereals.

3. Vitamin C for Hair Growth

Vitamin C is a popular remedy to boost the immune system; this is because it protects us from harmful diseases and fights against infection. In an addition to its benefits, Vitamin C also helps to boost hair growth and strengthen the tresses. All these qualities make Vitamin C one among the essential vitamins for hair growth. Now, how does it work? Vitamin C helps our body and initiates the release of collagen, which is a vital protein for healthy hair. It is also helpful to fight free radicals that damage the body tissue. This process is very much helpful as these free radicals are known to damage hair growth, making them weak indeed. So, if you witness the loss of hair, it may be due to the deficiency of Vitamin C.

Intake of foods rich in Vitamin C like Broccoli, Lime, Oranges, Carrots, Potatoes, Sprouts, Strawberries, bell peppers is an excellent remedy for hair growth. Another alternative is to take Vitamin C supplements.

Other than the consumption of foods and supplements, topical application of hair care products that are rich in Vitamin C also helps to initiate the growth of your hair.

4. Vitamin D for Hair Growth

Nearly 85% of Americans are deficient in Vitamin D. This is the most important element that promotes healthy follicle growth. This makes it one of the essential vitamins for hair growth. The easiest way to boost the levels of vitamin D in your body is to take a sun bath. Spend some time romancing with the sunlight just about 15-20 minutes regularly. Though this is an easy remedy for summers, but during winters the body does not get ample sunlight, which is why supplements are preferred. Vitamin D rich foods include fatty fish, salmon, tuna, eggs, mushrooms and milk.

5. Vitamin E for Hair Growth

Vitamin E is an essential element that proves beneficial for both hair and skin. It acts as a natural antioxidant that helps to develop and repair tissues. When topically applied to the hair it helps to nourish the tresses and boost hair growth by regulating the flow of blood in your scalp and an increased oxygen supply. This eventually repairs the damaged hair follicles on your scalp. All these qualities make it one among the other essential vitamins for hair growth. Other than consuming Vitamin E rich foods, its topical usage is also effective with people raving about the benefits of vitamin E that they reap.

  • Foods like almonds, seeds, avocado, broccoli, etc. are a rich source of vitamin E.
  • Try this mask for healthy hair:
  • Mix two vitamin E capsules with coconut oil.
  • Damp in onto the scalp and massage with soft hands.
  • Leave it to work for 20 minutes to half an hour.
  • Now, rinse it off with warm water and regular shampoo.

6. Biotin for Hair Growth

Biotins are helpful to make your hair longer, healthier, and shinier over time. It is the most popular and widely used supplement used for fast hair growth. Being a B vitamin, Biotin plays a key role in initiating the growth of your hair while keeping it healthy. How does it work? Biotins help to produce glucose and break the proteins into amino acids. The presence of Keratin in your hair is an addition to the benefits of Biotins. This is because keratin is a form of protein that supports hair growth.

Again because they are water-soluble vitamins, they are needed to replenish regularly. Including biotin rich foods in your daily diet is very much important. Biotin-rich foods include, avocados, mushrooms, eggs, salmon, peanut butter are helpful to consume in your daily diet. You can also pair it with biotin rich supplements for better results.

7. Niacin for Hair Growth

Niacin is also one among the other essential vitamins for hair growth. It is also a member of B family but deserves its own recognition due to the benefits. Niacin nourishes the scalp, promoting healthy hair growth. Due to the deficiency of Niacin in your body, the hair becomes brittle, lifeless and even shed over time. This condition is called Pellagra.

Symptoms of a Niacin deficient body:

  • Diarrhea
  • Delusions
  • Nausea
  • Scaly skin.
  • Sores

Foods like chicken breast, tuna, mushrooms, avocados, etc are a rich source of Niacin.

8. Zinc for Hair Growth

You should cover your Vitamins from A to Zinc. This will certainly be a smart choice for your hair growth. Deficiency of Zinc in our body can weaken the immune system, lead to a poor digestive system, and play a key role in lackluster hair growth. It is not that difficult to meet your body’s zinc requirements. This is one among the essential vitamins for hair growth.

Foods that are rich in zinc include chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, garlic, mushrooms, spinach, and yogurt.