Table of Contents
Introduction
Hair shedding is standard, as it is part of the hair growth process, but there should be cause for alarm when it becomes excessive. There are three stages involved in the hair growth cycle, and they include:
- Anagen (Growth phase): In this stage, hair grows actively and lasts 2-7 years.
- Catagen (Transition phase): Here, hair growth becomes passive (slows down) and lasts between 2-3 weeks
- Telogen (Resting phase) is the final stage in the growth cycle. During this stage, hair stops growing entirely and begins to shed to make way for new strands.
Shedding about 50-100 strands of hair daily is normal, but anything above that is considered unhealthy. But by adding hair growth vitamins into your hair care routine, your hair can get stronger, healthy and lustrous.
Why Hair Shedding Happens
Hair shedding could result from the normal hair growth cycle, but sometimes it could be due to other reasons. You may shed more than is normal if:
- You have a nutrient deficiency.
- You have lost about 10 kg or more in weight.
- You are under a lot of stress.
- Undergoing Chemotherapy.
- You have just given birth.
- You recently stopped taking birth control pills.
- You are ill or recovering from an illness.
- Excessive heat styling and hair chemicals.
How Vitamins Reduce Hair Shedding
While these changes mentioned above cannot be helped sometimes and may cause your hair to shed, it can be well managed with hair vitamins for strong hair by:
- Nourishing hair follicles: Hair growth starts from the follicle, so it needs to be healthy and nourished. Well-nourished follicles produce healthy strands.
- Improving blood circulation to the scalp: When the scalp receives enough circulation, it delivers essential nutrients to the follicles.
- Improving hydration: When the hair scalp is well hydrated, the hair becomes strengthened, preventing hair shedding.
- Boosting keratin and collagen production: keratin and collagen are essential proteins for strong and healthy hair. With the right vitamins, your hair gets these vital proteins and prevents hair shedding.
Understanding The Root Cause of Hair Shedding
Hair shedding is a natural process, but it can indicate underlying health issues or nutritional deficiencies when it becomes excessive. Here are a few root causes of hair shedding.
1. Nutritional Deficiencies
Several vitamins are vital for maintaining healthy hair. A well-balanced diet provides all of them, including vitamin B7, vitamin D, E, iron, and zinc.
Their hair will likely begin shedding when deficient in one or more vitamins.
2. Hormonal Changes
Stress, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause are all physiological factors that can throw hormones off balance, which can cause your hair to shed.
For instance, taking the right vitamins and supplements during menopause can prevent hair shedding and other menopausal symptoms.
3. Compromised Health
When a person’s health is compromised by illness or vigorous treatment, they may begin to shed abnormal amounts of hair daily.
4. Heat Styling and Chemical Treatments
Just as you need a break at times, so does your hair. Frequent use of heat tools, chemical products, and even hairstyles that are too tight for the scalp will eventually weaken the hair, causing breakage.
Best Vitamins For Hair Health
Here are the top vitamins for hair health you should pay attention to.
Biotin (Vitamin B7)
Biotin (vitamin B7) is an essential vitamin needed for healthy hair. It stimulates keratin production, which is necessary for strong and healthy hair. A biotin deficiency will lead to brittle hair and loss.
Best food sources:
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Seeds
- Bananas
- Whole grains
- Sweet Potatoes
Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency can negatively impact hair health. It stimulates growth from new hair follicles and wakes up passive ones. In the absence of vitamin D, hair shedding will occur. It may even result in a condition known as alopecia areata, which is a disease that occurs when the immune system attacks hair follicles, causing the hair to shed.
Best food sources:
- Egg yolks
- Cod liver oil
- Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel)
Vitamin E
Vitamin E protects hair from damage, promotes blood circulation to the scalp, and keeps hair hydrated, all necessary for strong and healthy hair.
Best food sources:
- Seeds
- Spinach
- Almonds
- Avocados
- Sunflower
Iron
Hair arrest compensates for iron deficiency. Iron promotes blood circulation to the scalp, keeping the follicles active and thus promoting hair growth.
Best food sources:
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Seeds
- Beans
- Dried fruits (raisins)
- Whole grains (whole oats, quinoa)
Zinc
Zinc is essential to cell growth and repair, keeping hair follicles nourished and healthy. It also prevents follicle regression and recovers hair from the telogen (resting) phase.
Best food sources:
- Nuts
- Eggs
- Meat
- Oysters
- Dairy product
Finding The Right Supplements for Your Hair
With many hair supplements for women these days, finding the right supplement can be like picking out a needle from a haystack. But with these top-pick supplements, you can be assured of strong, healthy hair.
So here are the top pick supplements for hair thinning:
- Nutrafol women’s hair growth supplements.
- Viviscal Hair Growth Supplements.
- Sugarbear Hair Vitamin.
- Olly heavenly hair supplement.
- Wellbell Women.
- Nature Bounty’s Hair, Skin and Nails.
NB: Always choose supplements based on nutritional requirements and consult your doctor before you begin to take them.
Additional Tips for Strengthening Hair
Beyond vitamins and supplements, maintaining strong, healthy hair requires a holistic approach. Below are a few tips for strengthening hair.
Nutrition and Diet
What you eat plays a massive role in maintaining your hair strength and health. Eat foods rich in:
- All the vitamins mentioned above.
- Protein: chicken, fish, eggs, milk
- Omega-3s: Fatty fishes like salmon, mackerel, etc., nuts and seeds
- Antioxidants: Berries, spinach, dark chocolate.
Lifestyle Adjustments
Sometimes, our hair gets unhealthy as a result of how we treat it. You can maintain a healthy by making simple lifestyle changes like:
- Stress management: This can be achieved by practicing relaxation techniques, such as yoga, meditation. Stress can also be managed by getting enough sleep, at least 8 hours in a day.
- Limiting heat styling: Frequent heat styling damages the hair by ripping off its essential oils. The frequency should depend on your hair type. For fragile or damaged hair, limit heat styling to once in a month or less, for low porous hair type, once in a week or less and for normal hair, 1-2 times in a week.
- Limit chemical treatments: Also, subjecting hair to chemicals damages the hair. Your shampoos should be free of sulfate, and hair relaxation should be done only when necessary, at least 3-4 times in one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Although hair shedding may be due to physiological changes, like pregnancy, childbirth, it can be prevented by actively eating a balanced diet, rich in iron, zinc, vitamins B7, D and E. You can also stop hair shedding naturally by managing stress well and limiting the heat and chemical treatments done to your hair.
Hair growth can be slow but it takes about 3-6 months to start seeing visible results. Hair growth rate will also depend on your environment, lifestyle practices and your diet.
Supplements will help reduce hair shedding but to get the best results, blend it with a healthy diet, stress-free lifestyle and healthy hair-care practices.
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