Castor Oil for Your Hair / It Works
Are There Vitamins That Can Help You Thicken Your Hair?
I come from a family of five fabulous people but we unfortunately all have very fine, thin hair. My dad even went bald at the young age of twenty-one. Having fine hair has been something I’ve truly hated my whole life.
I’m not proud of this but whenever I’d see other women with thick, smooth and flawless hair, I’d hate them just a little bit. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t get the volume I wanted (minus that stint in the 80s where I used enough hairspray to fully style Chewbacca!).
Fortunately for all of us, the 80s hairstyles are long gone. However, many of us were left with our fine, thin hair exposed. Do you struggle with fine, thin hair like me? Do you get embarrassed when you have to go to a salon and let a hairdresser get up close and personal with your lacklustre strands?
You’re not alone. According to the American Hair Loss Association, forty percent of women struggle with visible hair loss. The great news is that there are plenty of ways to deal with hair thinning. My favourite solution is hair thickening vitamins, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s cover the basics first.
What Causes Hair Thinning?
While almost all men and women will experience hair loss or hair thinning as they age, early hair loss can be caused by a variety of things.
When it comes to losing hair, male pattern baldness is usually the first thing that comes to mind. You may be watching your dad, grandpa or even a young male friend dealing with thinning hair. It’s always been thought of as a male disease and women can be embarrassed to talk about their struggles.
Women deal with thin hair and hair loss too. A major cause of hair loss and thinness in women is hormonal changes. Hormonal changes occur regularly in the life of a woman. When and why do your hormones get out of whack? According to WebMD, hormone fluctuations happen during pregnancy, in the case of thyroid conditions and during menopause.
There are also other factors like disease, genetics, testosterone level s and certain medications that can cause hair loss.
How to Treat Hair Loss & Thinning
To thicken your hair, there are three main tactics:
Treating your hair with tender love and care on a daily basis is going to do wonders for its long term health. Simple things like avoiding harsh soaps and resisting the urge to wash your hair daily will go a long way in fine hair care.
If you currently use harsh treatments like hair dye or regularly blow dry your hair, you might want to take a break for a little while - give your hair some R&R.
Lifestyle ChangesAs with any condition, certain lifestyle changes can really help the quality of your hair. As you’ll see shortly, cleaning up your diet can be a huge help. Incorporating essential vitamins and nutrients into your daily meals will really boost your hair’s potential.
Treatment
Once you understand the importance of consistent maintenance along with creating good lifestyle habits for your hair, you should be ready to move onto the treatment phase.
There are loads of treatment options out there. One plan in particular that comes up most often is hair thickening vitamins. I’m going to go into further detail about vitamins and minerals for your hair below but before I do that I do want to suggest the following YouTube video. It shows how to make a homemade hair growth mask for thinning hair.
There’s no shortage of topical treatments on the market. You can find loads of suggestions on the internet for the best products for fine hair. You’ll want to do deeper research though. Select your products carefully, aiming for all-natural as much as possible.
One of my favourite all-natural products for thin hair is this argan oil shampoo. Let me know what you think if you try it out!
I come from a family of five fabulous people but we unfortunately all have very fine, thin hair. My dad even went bald at the young age of twenty-one. Having fine hair has been something I’ve truly hated my whole life.
I’m not proud of this but whenever I’d see other women with thick, smooth and flawless hair, I’d hate them just a little bit. No matter what I did, I just couldn’t get the volume I wanted (minus that stint in the 80s where I used enough hairspray to fully style Chewbacca!).
Fortunately for all of us, the 80s hairstyles are long gone. However, many of us were left with our fine, thin hair exposed. Do you struggle with fine, thin hair like me? Do you get embarrassed when you have to go to a salon and let a hairdresser get up close and personal with your lacklustre strands?
You’re not alone. According to the American Hair Loss Association, forty percent of women struggle with visible hair loss. The great news is that there are plenty of ways to deal with hair thinning. My favourite solution is hair thickening vitamins, but I’ll get to that in a minute. Let’s cover the basics first.
What Causes Hair Thinning?
While almost all men and women will experience hair loss or hair thinning as they age, early hair loss can be caused by a variety of things.
When it comes to losing hair, male pattern baldness is usually the first thing that comes to mind. You may be watching your dad, grandpa or even a young male friend dealing with thinning hair. It’s always been thought of as a male disease and women can be embarrassed to talk about their struggles.
Women deal with thin hair and hair loss too. A major cause of hair loss and thinness in women is hormonal changes. Hormonal changes occur regularly in the life of a woman. When and why do your hormones get out of whack? According to WebMD, hormone fluctuations happen during pregnancy, in the case of thyroid conditions and during menopause.
There are also other factors like disease, genetics, testosterone level s and certain medications that can cause hair loss.
How to Treat Hair Loss & Thinning
To thicken your hair, there are three main tactics:
- Daily maintenance
- Lifestyle changes
- Treatment
Treating your hair with tender love and care on a daily basis is going to do wonders for its long term health. Simple things like avoiding harsh soaps and resisting the urge to wash your hair daily will go a long way in fine hair care.
If you currently use harsh treatments like hair dye or regularly blow dry your hair, you might want to take a break for a little while - give your hair some R&R.
Lifestyle ChangesAs with any condition, certain lifestyle changes can really help the quality of your hair. As you’ll see shortly, cleaning up your diet can be a huge help. Incorporating essential vitamins and nutrients into your daily meals will really boost your hair’s potential.
Treatment
Once you understand the importance of consistent maintenance along with creating good lifestyle habits for your hair, you should be ready to move onto the treatment phase.
There are loads of treatment options out there. One plan in particular that comes up most often is hair thickening vitamins. I’m going to go into further detail about vitamins and minerals for your hair below but before I do that I do want to suggest the following YouTube video. It shows how to make a homemade hair growth mask for thinning hair.
There’s no shortage of topical treatments on the market. You can find loads of suggestions on the internet for the best products for fine hair. You’ll want to do deeper research though. Select your products carefully, aiming for all-natural as much as possible.
One of my favourite all-natural products for thin hair is this argan oil shampoo. Let me know what you think if you try it out!
What Vitamins and Minerals Can Help Thicken My Hair?
We all know that vitamins and minerals are integral to a healthy body but we often don’t consider them when it comes to hair care. Ingesting vitamins and minerals on a daily basis will improve your health from head to toe, including your hair.
According to Dr George Obikoya from the Vitamin and Nutrition Centre, even the cells of your hair have certain metabolic requirements that must be fulfilled for superb hair growth. If you don’t feed your hair the right kind of vitamins and minerals, the growth, thickness, and quality of your hair can be affected.
While a variety of vitamins can help the health of your hair, the main ones to look out for are:
This Huffington Post article gives us a great explanation of the benefits of certain vitamins and minerals.
Iron
Red meat is source of iron so if your diet is lacking in this area, you can become iron-deficient. Your body can absorb more iron through meats than is possible from other sources. That being said, you might need to increase your iron intake with plant-based foods if you are avoiding meats.
Women of childbearing age or pregnant women can also experience iron-deficiencies.
Why is iron important for hair? According to Huffington Post, iron “carries oxygen to hair and promotes hair growth.” Getting more iron in your diet is a great way to improve the health of your hair. What are some foods that contain iron?
According to the Mayo Clinic, iron is found in the following foods:
If you aren’t a fan of meat you can also get your iron with:
Speak with your physician to understand your recommended intake of iron. Iron overdoses can be severe and fatal, but it is a beneficial nutrient for your hair and body when used properly.
Vitamin DVitamin D is a vital nutrient. In this day and age, we spend a lot less time in the sun and a lot more time indoors; working at desks, playing on electronic devices, sitting in the air conditioning, etc. More time spent indoors equals less time outside getting our daily dose of vitamin D from sunlight.
According to this LiveStrong article, natural vitamin D is “produced when the sun converts a chemical in your skin into a form of vitamin D, which is then further converted into active vitamin D.” Vitamin D plays an important role in the health of our bones, heart disease prevention, diabetes and other conditions.
Are you wondering what vitamin D has to do with hair health?
Well, Cairo University conducted a study in 2015 that found a link between hair loss and vitamin D deficiency. More specifically the study found that deficient levels of vitamin D2 were associated with hair loss in females with chronic telogen effluvium (TE) or female pattern hair loss (FPHL).
According to Dermatologist Rania Mounir Abdel Hay, “This is the first time vitamin D’s possible role in hair loss has been highlighted.” She also mentions its potential role in normal hair follicle growth. This sounds like great news for those of us looking for hair thickening vitamins.
Depending on your age, there are recommended values for intake of vitamin D. WebMD states that people ages 9 through 70 should aim for at least 600 IU/day with the maximum safe upper level of intake being 4,000 IU/day. If you are over 71, you may need up to 800 IU/day, with a max of 4000 IU/day.
However, always speak with your physician no matter what your age. For a full readout of adequate intake for every age, especially for young children, you can reference this list.
According to WebMD, foods that contain vitamin D include:
When it comes to vitamin D, fatty fish is your best bet. Just six ounces of cooked salmon can get an adult up to 600 IU. Medical News today tells us that not only does vitamin D support hair health but it also protects against diseases like cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
ZincZinc is an important mineral when it comes to hair health. According to Men’s Fitness, “dandruff and hair loss are both conditions associated with a zinc deficiency.” This article goes on to explain that zinc positively affects our cells and tissues. Zinc promotes reproduction of your cells along with helping your tissues grow and repair.
An interesting benefit of zinc is that it’s involved in the function of the oil-secreting glands attached to our hair follicles. A study was done in fifteen individuals with alopecia. Participants were giving 50 mg of zinc per day for twelve weeks.
At the end of the study, nine out of fifteen individuals had experienced hair growth. Interestingly, zinc levels had increased more in those who had hair growth than in those who did not respond well to treatment.
According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, some nutritionally robust foods with zinc include:
Another thing to keep in mind is that people who exercise often or sweat excessively lose significantly more zinc from their body. Keep this in mind when considering your intake and while discussing zinc supplementation with your doctor.
B-Complex Vitamins
When it comes to hair thickening vitamins, B-complex vitamins are bee’s knees… or the B’s knees! B-complex vitamins include the eight B vitamins - B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. Perhaps the most popular B vitamin when it comes to hair health is vitamin B7, sometimes called vitamin H and more popularly known as biotin.
Biotin is a super awesome vitamin. Not only does it help regulate carbohydrate metabolism, there are also claims that it helps improve the infrastructure of your hair.
In this Huffington Post article Dermatologist, Dr. Richard Scher explains that while biotin’s role in nail and hair health isn’t clear, he does believe that taking biotin may improve the keratin infrastructure. Keratin is a “basic protein that makes up hair, skin, and nails.”
Dr. Scher goes on to explain that while biotin deficiency is rare, low levels of this vitamin might result in hair loss or brittle nails. There might be other reasons for these issues, but taking biotin supplements could help stall the hair loss process and maybe even reverse it.
According to the Huffington Post, B-complex vitamins are included in these foods:
According to LiveStrong, biotin is well spread throughout our current food supply. Anyone eating a balanced and healthy diet of various foods is unlikely to experience a deficiency.
Final Thoughts
While thinning hair isn’t a fatal condition, it’s one that can spawn feelings of embarrassment, loneliness and sadness, especially in women. I know this from personal experience. I’m quite certain that I noticed my thinning hair than anyone else but I was upset about it anyway.
I was so happy to find that just a few changes to my diet could really make hair stronger, longer, thicker and more lustrous. When I first made my big lifestyle change to healthier eating, I noticed a significant difference in the health of my hair as well.
If you want to add hair thickening vitamins to your regimen and see if you get results, try to especially focus on foods that are rich in:
Making sure you eat a variety of healthy foods will not only help your hair, but also your health in general. If you have any questions or suggestions on how you helped your thinning hair, please share in the comments below!
Sources
http://www.americanhairloss.org/women_hair_loss/introduction.asp
http://www.drugs.com/health-guide/hereditary-patterned-baldness.html
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/hair-loss-causes-women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va0DB35OT88
http://www.refinery29.com/fine-hair-products#slide
http://livingprettynaturally.com/best-natural-shampoos-conditioners-an-lpn-special/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XB280Y?psc=1
http://www.livestrong.com/article/69894-can-thicken-hair-naturally/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/vitamins-minerals-for-hair-health_n_3451747.html
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/iron-deficiency-red-meat-6120.html
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/ida/atrisk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/vitamins-minerals-for-hair-health_n_3451747.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/basics/prevention/con-20019327
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002659.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23428658
https://www.gstatic.com/healthricherkp/pdf/telogen_effluvium.pdf
http://www.prevention.com/beauty/hair/vitamin-d-deficiency-may-cause-hair-loss
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/the-truth-about-vitamin-d-how-much-vitamin-d-do-you-need
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/calcium-vitamin-d-foods
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618.php
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/foods-that-prevent-hair-loss/slide/4
https://healthmasters.com/blog/how-help-stop-hair-loss-men-and-womenplus-get-rid-gray-hair-naturally-all-new
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/tc/alopecia-areata-topic-overview
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=115
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/benefits-vitamin-b-complex/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17506119
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/08/05/biotin-hair-skin-nails_n_4016804.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/22253-foods-high-b-vitamins/
We all know that vitamins and minerals are integral to a healthy body but we often don’t consider them when it comes to hair care. Ingesting vitamins and minerals on a daily basis will improve your health from head to toe, including your hair.
According to Dr George Obikoya from the Vitamin and Nutrition Centre, even the cells of your hair have certain metabolic requirements that must be fulfilled for superb hair growth. If you don’t feed your hair the right kind of vitamins and minerals, the growth, thickness, and quality of your hair can be affected.
While a variety of vitamins can help the health of your hair, the main ones to look out for are:
- Iron
- Zinc
- Vitamin D
- B-complex vitamins
This Huffington Post article gives us a great explanation of the benefits of certain vitamins and minerals.
Iron
Red meat is source of iron so if your diet is lacking in this area, you can become iron-deficient. Your body can absorb more iron through meats than is possible from other sources. That being said, you might need to increase your iron intake with plant-based foods if you are avoiding meats.
Women of childbearing age or pregnant women can also experience iron-deficiencies.
Why is iron important for hair? According to Huffington Post, iron “carries oxygen to hair and promotes hair growth.” Getting more iron in your diet is a great way to improve the health of your hair. What are some foods that contain iron?
According to the Mayo Clinic, iron is found in the following foods:
- Red meat
- Pork
- Poultry
- Seafood
If you aren’t a fan of meat you can also get your iron with:
- Beans
- Dark green leafy vegetables (spinach)
- Raisins, apricots or other dried fruits
- Cereals, breads, pastas that are iron-fortified
- Peas
Speak with your physician to understand your recommended intake of iron. Iron overdoses can be severe and fatal, but it is a beneficial nutrient for your hair and body when used properly.
Vitamin DVitamin D is a vital nutrient. In this day and age, we spend a lot less time in the sun and a lot more time indoors; working at desks, playing on electronic devices, sitting in the air conditioning, etc. More time spent indoors equals less time outside getting our daily dose of vitamin D from sunlight.
According to this LiveStrong article, natural vitamin D is “produced when the sun converts a chemical in your skin into a form of vitamin D, which is then further converted into active vitamin D.” Vitamin D plays an important role in the health of our bones, heart disease prevention, diabetes and other conditions.
Are you wondering what vitamin D has to do with hair health?
Well, Cairo University conducted a study in 2015 that found a link between hair loss and vitamin D deficiency. More specifically the study found that deficient levels of vitamin D2 were associated with hair loss in females with chronic telogen effluvium (TE) or female pattern hair loss (FPHL).
According to Dermatologist Rania Mounir Abdel Hay, “This is the first time vitamin D’s possible role in hair loss has been highlighted.” She also mentions its potential role in normal hair follicle growth. This sounds like great news for those of us looking for hair thickening vitamins.
Depending on your age, there are recommended values for intake of vitamin D. WebMD states that people ages 9 through 70 should aim for at least 600 IU/day with the maximum safe upper level of intake being 4,000 IU/day. If you are over 71, you may need up to 800 IU/day, with a max of 4000 IU/day.
However, always speak with your physician no matter what your age. For a full readout of adequate intake for every age, especially for young children, you can reference this list.
According to WebMD, foods that contain vitamin D include:
- Fatty fish (tuna, mackerel, and salmon)
- Foods fortified with vitamin D (dairy products, orange juice, soy milk, certain cereals)
- Egg yolks
- Beef liver
When it comes to vitamin D, fatty fish is your best bet. Just six ounces of cooked salmon can get an adult up to 600 IU. Medical News today tells us that not only does vitamin D support hair health but it also protects against diseases like cancer, diabetes and multiple sclerosis.
ZincZinc is an important mineral when it comes to hair health. According to Men’s Fitness, “dandruff and hair loss are both conditions associated with a zinc deficiency.” This article goes on to explain that zinc positively affects our cells and tissues. Zinc promotes reproduction of your cells along with helping your tissues grow and repair.
An interesting benefit of zinc is that it’s involved in the function of the oil-secreting glands attached to our hair follicles. A study was done in fifteen individuals with alopecia. Participants were giving 50 mg of zinc per day for twelve weeks.
At the end of the study, nine out of fifteen individuals had experienced hair growth. Interestingly, zinc levels had increased more in those who had hair growth than in those who did not respond well to treatment.
According to The World’s Healthiest Foods, some nutritionally robust foods with zinc include:
- Beef, lamb, turkey
- Shrimp
- Lentils, garbanzo beans
- Quinoa
- Sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds
- Cashews
Another thing to keep in mind is that people who exercise often or sweat excessively lose significantly more zinc from their body. Keep this in mind when considering your intake and while discussing zinc supplementation with your doctor.
B-Complex Vitamins
When it comes to hair thickening vitamins, B-complex vitamins are bee’s knees… or the B’s knees! B-complex vitamins include the eight B vitamins - B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, and B12. Perhaps the most popular B vitamin when it comes to hair health is vitamin B7, sometimes called vitamin H and more popularly known as biotin.
Biotin is a super awesome vitamin. Not only does it help regulate carbohydrate metabolism, there are also claims that it helps improve the infrastructure of your hair.
In this Huffington Post article Dermatologist, Dr. Richard Scher explains that while biotin’s role in nail and hair health isn’t clear, he does believe that taking biotin may improve the keratin infrastructure. Keratin is a “basic protein that makes up hair, skin, and nails.”
Dr. Scher goes on to explain that while biotin deficiency is rare, low levels of this vitamin might result in hair loss or brittle nails. There might be other reasons for these issues, but taking biotin supplements could help stall the hair loss process and maybe even reverse it.
According to the Huffington Post, B-complex vitamins are included in these foods:
- Whole grains
- Eggs
- Avocados
- Legumes
According to LiveStrong, biotin is well spread throughout our current food supply. Anyone eating a balanced and healthy diet of various foods is unlikely to experience a deficiency.
Final Thoughts
While thinning hair isn’t a fatal condition, it’s one that can spawn feelings of embarrassment, loneliness and sadness, especially in women. I know this from personal experience. I’m quite certain that I noticed my thinning hair than anyone else but I was upset about it anyway.
I was so happy to find that just a few changes to my diet could really make hair stronger, longer, thicker and more lustrous. When I first made my big lifestyle change to healthier eating, I noticed a significant difference in the health of my hair as well.
If you want to add hair thickening vitamins to your regimen and see if you get results, try to especially focus on foods that are rich in:
- Iron
- Zinc
- Vitamin D
- B vitamins
Making sure you eat a variety of healthy foods will not only help your hair, but also your health in general. If you have any questions or suggestions on how you helped your thinning hair, please share in the comments below!
Sources
http://www.americanhairloss.org/women_hair_loss/introduction.asp
http://www.drugs.com/health-guide/hereditary-patterned-baldness.html
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/hair-loss-causes-women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va0DB35OT88
http://www.refinery29.com/fine-hair-products#slide
http://livingprettynaturally.com/best-natural-shampoos-conditioners-an-lpn-special/
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016XB280Y?psc=1
http://www.livestrong.com/article/69894-can-thicken-hair-naturally/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/vitamins-minerals-for-hair-health_n_3451747.html
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/iron-deficiency-red-meat-6120.html
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/ida/atrisk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/18/vitamins-minerals-for-hair-health_n_3451747.html
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iron-deficiency-anemia/basics/prevention/con-20019327
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002659.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23428658
https://www.gstatic.com/healthricherkp/pdf/telogen_effluvium.pdf
http://www.prevention.com/beauty/hair/vitamin-d-deficiency-may-cause-hair-loss
http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/the-truth-about-vitamin-d-how-much-vitamin-d-do-you-need
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/guide/calcium-vitamin-d-foods
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618.php
http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/what-to-eat/foods-that-prevent-hair-loss/slide/4
https://healthmasters.com/blog/how-help-stop-hair-loss-men-and-womenplus-get-rid-gray-hair-naturally-all-new
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/tc/alopecia-areata-topic-overview
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=115
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/benefits-vitamin-b-complex/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17506119
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/08/05/biotin-hair-skin-nails_n_4016804.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/22253-foods-high-b-vitamins/
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