Top 5 Vitamins to Prevent Hair Loss
Hair loss is a natural process which can be controlled by medications and supplements. To combat hair loss the safest remedy is to fortify the body with vitamins. Losing 100 hair strands a day is normal but becomes a cause for worry when it exceeds this number. A healthy diet will do wonders to the hair.
Causes of Hair loss
Hair loss is no longer for malnourished and old people. It can affect the young and affluent also, thanks to hectic lifestyles, improper food habits and excessive use of hair styling chemicals and techniques.
Illnesses, medication, chemotherapy; beauty treatments and styling products; heredity and hormonal imbalance are the main causes of hair loss.
Vitamins to the Rescue
Vitamin A
An
important requirement for good eye sight and general health, this
vitamin helps in the secretion of sebum in the scalp which prevents
dryness of hair and scalp. Vitamin A regulates retinoic acid production
in the hair follicles. It is important for the growth and development of
the body, skin and hair.
This vitamin fights free radicals arising out
of pollution that makes hair dull and weighed down. It is a main
ingredient in all hair care products. Intake of Vitamin A is as good as
massaging it gently on the hair shaft.
It is an antioxidant found in meat, fish liver oil, cantaloupe and dairy products. Vegetables like carrots, cabbage, spinach, other dark green leafy vegetables and fruits like peaches, apricots etc. are rich in vitamin A.
Vitamin B
Deficiency
of B vitamins in our diet causes rapid hair fall. These water soluble
vitamins promote hair growth as it helps the body tide over stress. B
vitamins are best taken together and are available together as B complex
vitamin tablets. B vitamins also support vital bodily functions and are
more effective as they are easily absorbed in the body.
Vitamin B2 or riboflavin is required for fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Deficiency of riboflavin causes severe or gradual hair loss.
Niacin or Vitamin B3 helps maintain blood circulation in
the scalp. Less of it will leave the scalp undernourished making the
hair follicles weak. Adding wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, meat and poultry
products in food will provide the essential vitamins.
Vitamin B5
otherwise called Pantothenic acid or Calcium Pantothenate present in
food like egg yolk, milk, liver, kidney and potatoes is required for
fortifying the hair. This is also an active ingredient in many hair care
products like shampoos and conditioners. Vitamin B5 deficiency causes
hair loss and scalp irritation and can be applied externally on hair
shaft to make it strong.
Vitamin B6 helps produce melanin which keeps hair beautiful and healthy if not consumed in excess. This vitamin is found in whole grain cereals, egg yolk and organ meats.
Although not responsible for good hair health directly it is known to keep skin and scalp healthy thereby helping in hair growth. Deficiency of vitamin B6 causes dermatitis a skin condition which affects the skin on scalp and slows down hair growth resulting in thinning of hair.
Vitamin B7 or Biotin is also called vitamin H. It is present in hair and skin care products and is known to make hair and nails strong. Biotin helps produce fatty acids which promotes cell growth. Deficiencies do not arise commonly but when it occurs it makes hair brittle, causes hair fall and thinning.
B7 is present in beans, breads, brewer’s yeast, cauliflower, chocolate, egg yolks, fish, kidney, legumes, liver, meat, molasses, dairy products, nuts, oatmeal, oysters, peanut and peanut butter, poultry, wheat germ, and whole grains.
Vitamin B12 may not be linked to hair growth directly but since it is linked to proper functioning of metabolic functions, hair growth and general health gets affected due to deficiencies. It is present in fish, milk, eggs and chicken. As a constituent of hair already, it can be further enriched by eating non-vegetarian food. Deficiency also causes premature graying of hair.
It is difficult to detect Vitamin B deficiency as the signs are subtle till it becomes acute. Sometimes vitamin B12 deficiency leads to vitamin B6 thereby compounding the problem.
Signs
of vitamin B deficiency are headache and fatigue, dry and itchy skin
around the mouth ; cracked lips at the edges; rash on the face or
genitals; brittle nails; dandruff; nervousness and irritability and
depression.
As these vitamins help in procuring energy from food their
deficiency makes the body weak. Even hormonal imbalance is linked to
vitamin B deficiency which is a direct cause for hair loss. Unhealthy
foods like potato chips, barbecued foods, fat processed foods, use of
birth control pills and environmental factors hinder vitamin absorption
by the body leading to hair loss.
Vitamin C
Also called Ascorbic acid is integral for healthy hair. It is found in plenty in
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons and strawberries besides also in
potatoes, green peppers and green vegetables. Vitamin C helps in
absorption of iron in our body and 250 mg of this vitamin is needed on
an average daily by the body.
Free radicals are formed naturally when the body converts food to glucose which makes hair weak, brittle and thin. Vitamin C’s antioxidant properties control radicals formation. Vitamin C fights the bacteria on the scalp preventing dandruff and removing follicles debris. Dry and itchy scalps are prevented by its anti-viral properties too. Vitamin C reverses Adrenal gland fatigue keeping hormonal imbalance at bay and thus avoiding hair loss.
It repairs capillaries increasing blood circulation on scalp leading to thick and healthy hair besides preventing hair damage and damage to hair follicles. Vitamin C rich diet can prevent alopecia, and baldness in men and premature graying.
Vitamin D
Consumption of vitamin D also called sunshine vitamin prevents hair thinning effectively. It actually fortifies the cells along the hair shaft making it firm. A minimum of 600 IU of vitamin D per day is essential which increases to 800 over 70 years of age. Salmon, fortified milk, dark leafy vegetables, oil-rich seafood and orange juice provide vitamin D, which is important to prevent heart disease, cancer, and bone fractures besides making hair healthy.
Vitamin E
This vitamin is vital to improve blood circulation in the scalp which induces hair growth stimulating the hair follicles and producing more blood capillaries. Raw seeds and cold-pressed vegetable oils besides wheat germ oil contain this vitamin. Also nuts and green leafy vegetables are rich sources of vitamin E.
Vitamin E enhances body oxygen
absorption hence increasing the blood circulation flow in the scalp
also. Amount of vitamin E required per day in 400 IU.
Besides vitamins,
the food we take should be rich in minerals, folic acid and other
essential nutrients to ensure optimum hair health.
Hairfear - 7-15-2013
