A diet rich in the following 8 vitamins and nutrients will keep your hair follicles healthy and help stimulate new hair growth.
They’ll give you smooth, glowing skin too!
Keep reading for a list of the nutrients that play a vital role in the hair growth cycle. And have a positive impact on the shine, health and coverage of your hair.
Along with the best food sources for each of them…
If you’re becoming anxiously aware of your hair starting to thin, or spotting the early signs of a receding hairline, help is at hand.
While you can’t stop biological aging, or alter your genetics, you can improve the health of your hair and help to prevent hair loss.
By following a balanced, nutrient-dense diet full of the vitamins and minerals that encourage hair growth.
A healthy head of hair
While male pattern baldness tends to be genetic, your diet has a significant impact on the health, shininess and thickness of your hair.
And if you’ve noticed your hair starting to thin, becoming weaker, or breaking at the ends, it could be down to deficiencies in your diet.
Vitamin deficiencies and hair loss
This area is quite controversial because research is so limited. But the studies that are available suggest deficiencies in:
- some B vitamins – biotin and folic acid,
- vitamin D
- vitamin C
- iron
- and zinc
may contribute to hair loss.
These are nutrients that are involved in the hair growth cycle. So deficiencies in these vitamins and minerals can disrupt this cycle leading to hair shedding and hair loss.
Some vitamin deficiencies may also cause your hair to become more brittle, increasing the risk of breaking the hair when you comb or style it.
The best way to guard against deficiencies is to adopt a healthy, balanced diet that prioritizes the vitamins, minerals and nutrients below.
Sweet potatoes and tomatoes are rich sources of Vitamin A
8 Best Vitamins and Nutrients for Hair Growth
Here are the vitamins and nutrients that help stimulate more rapid hair growth and promote thicker, healthier hair.
VITAMIN A
Fat-soluble Vitamin A is commonly found in the form of beta-carotene in foods.
How Vitamin A improves your hair:
Beta carotene promotes a healthy scalp and effectively encouraging hair growth too.
It helps your body to make sebum. This provides a natural conditioner for a healthy scalp and protects against dry, dull hair.
Best food sources of Vitamin A:
- Blueberries
- Sweet Potatoes
- Leafy Green Vegetables – Spinach, Kale, Broccoli
- Tomatoes
- Eggs
- Red Pepper
B-COMPLEX VITAMINS
Several of the B-complex vitamins improve your skin and hair, producing healthy new skin cells and stimulating keratin production in hair.
How the B-complex Vitamins improve your hair:
Biotin and Niacin (two of the B vitamins) stimulate hair growth and help keep hair healthy and nourished.
With Biotin playing a key role in the production of keratin, which is the major protein found in hair.
In fact, Biotin seems to be so closely associated with hair growth that several studies have found a deficiency in biotin can cause hair shedding and hair loss.
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid) has also been shown to help against hair thinning and hair loss.
Best food sources of B vitamins:
- Avocado
- Salmon
- Eggs
- Legumes (Lentils and Chickpeas)
- Brown Rice
- Nuts and Seeds
- Bananas
- Wholegrains
VITAMIN C
Vitamin C helps build collagen and, in turn, plays a key role in scalp health and hair growth.
How Vitamin C improves your hair:
Vitamin C plays an important role in the production of collagen, which is used to create keratin, an essential part of hair structure.
It also strengthens the capillaries that supply the hair shaft, making it especially helpful for hair growth.
A powerful antioxidant Vitamin C protects hair from oxidative stress, which is linked to hair loss.
Best food sources of Vitamin C:
- Citrus fruits – Oranges, lemons, kiwi fruit, Grapefruit
- Beets
- Blueberries
- Pomegranates
- Leafy Green Vegetables – Spinach, Kale, Broccoli
- Tomatoes
Pomegranates are a great source of antioxidants
VITAMIN D
If you’re noticing some hair shedding you could be experiencing a deficiency in Vitamin D.
With several studies showing that a lack of vitamin D in your body can lead to hair loss.
How Vitamin D improves your hair:
Vitamin D encourages cell growth, helping to create new hair follicles and stimulate old follicles.
In fact, hair loss can occur when your body lacks the recommended amount of vitamin D.
And when there isn’t enough vitamin D in your body, new hair growth can be stunted.
Best food sources of Vitamin D:
- Fortified Orange Juice
- Fortified Dairy and Plant milk
- Egg Yolk
- Salmon
- Tuna Fish
- Fortified Breakfast Cereals
As well as these food sources, Vitamin D can be synthesized by your body when your skin is exposed to direct sunshine for just a few minutes each day.
VITAMIN E
This fat-soluble vitamin has excellent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
How Vitamin E improves your hair:
Vitamin E helps to nourish both the hair and scalp, ensuring your hair always looks thick and shiny.
And the potent antioxidant properties of Vitamin E help to reduce oxidative stress in the scalp - and so encourage hair growth and thickness.
Best food sources of Vitamin E:
- Almonds and Almond Milk
- Ghee (Clarified Butter)
- Wheatgerm Oil
- Avocado
- Sunflower Seeds
- Peanuts and Peanut Butter
- Sunflower, Safflower and Soybean Oil
- Leafy Green Vegetables – Spinach, Kale, Broccoli
- Eggs
We’ve got more on the benefits of Vitamin E here:
IRON
Iron performs many important functions in your body, but primarily carrying oxygen to tissues.
How Iron improves your hair:
A healthy oxygen supply is essential to keeping your hair healthy and strong so that it can grow.
Iron deficiency can also lead to hair loss.
Best food sources of Iron:
- Beef
- Chicken
- Oysters
- Eggs
- Liver
- Spinach
- Dark Chocolate
ZINC
Zinc is an important trace mineral which helps in the growth of cells and the healing of damaged tissue.
How Zinc improves your hair:
Zinc plays an important role in normal hair follicle development.
On the other hand, a zinc deficiency can lead to hair loss.
It can also give you a dry, flaky scalp showing up as dandruff in your hair and your beard.
Best food sources of Zinc:
- Shellfish – Crab, Oysters, Lobster
- Beef
- Chicken
- Pork
- Legumes (Lentils and Chickpeas)
- Nuts
- Flax Seeds
- Wholegrains
- Eggs
COLLAGEN
Collagen contains amino acids that are used to build keratin, an important part of hair structure.
So collagen is crucial for hair that is strong and healthy – as well as for smooth, firm skin.
Unfortunately, the production of your natural collagen begins to decline as you age.
How Collagen improves your hair:
Collagen gives hair it’s strength and shine - and if you’re not consuming enough, your hair is likely to become dry, brittle and weak.
Adding a collagen-rich dietary source to your diet is a sure way to stimulate more collagen production.
Best food sources of Collagen:
- Bone Broth
- Nuts (especially walnuts)
- Egg Whites
- Berries
- Leafy Green Vegetables – Spinach, Kale, Broccoli
You can read more about what collagen does here:
- How Collagen Improves Your Skin (and What You Can Do to Boost It)
- Collagen-Boosting Power of Peptides
FAQ's
Can certain foods prevent hair loss?
Male pattern baldness tends to be either genetic or hormonal, but your diet does have an impact on the health, shininess and thickness of your hair.
A healthy, nutrient-dense diet (like the Mediterranean Diet) including foods rich in:
- Vitamin A
- B-complex vitamins
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Iron
- Zinc
- And Collagen
is the best way to keep hair follicles healthy and stimulate new hair growth.
What vitamin deficiency causes hair to stop growing?
The research isn’t conclusive but the studies that are available suggest deficiencies in:
- some B vitamins – biotin and folic acid
- vitamin D
- vitamin C
- iron
- and zinc
may contribute to stopping your hair from growing.
These are the vitamins and nutrients that are involved in the hair growth cycle. Deficiencies can disrupt this cycle leading to hair shedding and hair loss.
You can read more here:
The Takeaway
A healthy, nutrient-dense diet will keep your hair follicles healthy and stimulate new hair growth.
So to maintain a healthy head of hair stick to a diet packed with foods rich in these essential nutrients to encourage hair growth:
- Vitamin A
- B-complex vitamins
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Iron
- Zinc
- Collagen
A diet rich in these 8 vitamins and nutrients is not only the best way to stay in the peak of good health — it also gives you stronger, healthier hair (and smooth, glowing skin too!)
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