This is an archived article and the information in the story may be outdated. Please check the time stamp on the story to see when it was updated last.
If you are worried about thinning hair, you probably already know this: not every supplement or product on the market is going to work. Worse: you can feel downright vulnerable about hair loss and willing to try any and everything on shelves, which of course, becomes an expensive and frustrating ordeal.
Vitamins can help — but not necessarily the vitamins that you think you should be taking for hair loss.
When it comes to thinning, this is the one vitamin dermatologists swear by to promote new hair growth.
If there’s one vitamin that has become synonymous with hair loss and hair growth it’s biotin, which is an important B complex vitamin that helps convert food into energy (among its duties).
Biotin is present in most hair growth supplements, both topical and supplements. But its efficacy as a miracle hair growth treatment may have been overstated.
Unless you are already deficient in biotin, taking a huge dose of the vitamin is not going to result in additional hair growth and changes to your hair texture. And the fact remains: a biotin deficiency is actually fairly uncommon and “most people get enough biotin from the foods they eat,” according to studies.
What’s more: all of that biotin you’re spotting on supplement labels, though it may sound impressive, isn’t all that it iscracked up to be.
“For starters, many biotin supplements contain way more biotin than the generally accepted amount you need per day, with many supplements containing anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 micrograms of biotin per pill. If you take too much biotin, it's likely that you'll just pee out what you don't need”, Jessica Cording, a registered dietitian in New York City, told Allure.
So, which vitamins and minerals should you focus on for healthy heart?
Plenty!
“Hair thrives on protein, iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, which support hair structure and growth and moisturize the scalp, among other functions,” Dendy Engelman, MD, board-certified dermatologic surgeon at Medical Dermatology & Cosmetic Surgery in New York City, told Prevention. “If you are not getting enough nutrients from your diet, supplements can increase low levels.”
Other important nutrients include omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, magnesium, and vitamin D.
Instead of taking these vitamins and minerals piecemeal and hoping for the best, a comprehensive hair supplement like Nutrafol is a great option for anyone concerned about hair thinning (they even have a specific supplement designed to address hair changes that occur during menopause).
Nutrafol is made with a blend of 22 botanical ingredients like a potent form of vitamin E called Tocotrienols Complex, ashwagandha that decreases your body’s cortisol stress hormones, cur cumin, saw palmetto, selenium, marine collage — and, yes, biotin (just in case).
