Best Vitamins for Hair Loss

Please know that it’s completely normal to lose some hair every day. In fact, it would be strange not to! According to the American Academy of Dermatology, we lose between 50 and 100 hairs each day. This hair loss is part of your hair’s normal growth cycle—plus, practically all of those hair follicles will grow a new strand of hair each time one is lost. Bottom line – a few stray hairs down the drain is no biggie.

At about the age of 50, most of us may start to experience thinning hair at a higher rate. If you’re under the age of 50, however, and lose an excessive amount of hair each day—it could be a sign of more serious hair loss. So, what are the reasons for hair loss, and what can be done to prevent or reverse it?

Our research found that there are many reasons for hair loss. There are fewer ways to help slow or prevent hair loss—including taking vitamins for hair loss in women and men. These specially formulated supplements for hair loss get to the (ahem) root of the problem—and help promote healthy hair growth.

To better understand hair loss and how it can be prevented, we’ll take a closer look at two things. First, we’ll review some of the reasons for hair loss, and second, we’ll give you the breakdown of some of the vitamins to help hair loss that can be found in all of the best supplements for hair loss.

Not every person who is experiencing hair loss or thinning hair does so in the same exact way. There are many different reasons for hair loss, and discovering the root cause of your thinning hair can help you determine what approach—whether it’s making a change in diet, working to reduce the amount of stress from your life, or taking hair loss vitamins — is most likely to be successful at reversing the effects of hair loss. Here are some common reasons for hair loss...

1. Genetics. If hair loss runs in your family, you may be experiencing male-pattern baldness or female-pattern baldness – conditions where thinning hair can actually progress to complete hair loss in some areas of the scalp. Men, for instance, experience a horseshoe-shaped pattern that leaves the crown of the head exposed. This type of hair loss, if untreated, can become permanent.
2. Stress. If you experience chronic anxiety-induced stress or emotional or physical stress, you may notice your hair is thinning, falling out while you are shampooing, or starting to display bald spots when you comb your hair.
3. Medications. Certain medications such as anti-cancer drugs, thyroid medications, birth control pills, antidepressants, and even some acne treatments can cause hair loss. People undergoing chemotherapy to experience hair loss on their eyebrows, eyelashes and other parts of the body, as well as their head. Some medications can lead to a person losing between 100 and 150 extra hairs per day. Unfortunately, it can take a while to realize that a medication is causing your hair to fall out, as hair loss might not be noticeable until two to four months after you begin the medication.
4. Overstyling. All types of hair are susceptible to damage by being overworked. Pulling your hair too tightly in a ponytail, wearing braids, or excessive styling techniques can cause damage. So too, can over-treatment by heat such as flat irons and curling irons. Over-brushing and over-combing can also damage your hair. Same with chemicals like dyes, relaxers, etc. How can you tell if your hair is becoming damaged due to over-styling? You may notice your hair is lackluster, brittle, dry, thin, breaking or falling out at an unusually high rate.
5. Aging. If you are 50 years of age or older, you may experience slower hair growth, or your hair getting thinner or breaking very easily. This is because as we grow older, our hair follicles eventually shrink and are not replaced.
6. Diet. As with the health of other parts of our body such as our skin and fingernails, the health of our hair can be affected by what we eat. Having a poor diet- one that doesn’t include enough protein; zinc; iron; or vitamin B, C or E, can cause your hair to thin, get dull and dry, become brittle and break, or even fall out.

While there are multiple causes of hair loss, the good news is that many types of hair loss are temporary. In many instances, addressing the root cause of the hair loss can cause accelerated hair loss to stop. For example, if you have stress or anxiety-related hair loss, your hair should stop shedding when the stressful experience or event is over, or as you learn to better manage your stress. Similarly, if you are experiencing hair loss due to vitamin deficiencies, the best treatment is to start improving your diet and correct the deficiency by adding the necessary minerals and vitamins for hair growth back into your diet.

As we explained in the above section, hair loss can often result from poor diet, including a lack of vitamins for thinning hair. So, what vitamins are good for hair loss? Check out the list of hair loss vitamins below to find out. Some vitamin supplements for healthier hair include...

• B-Complex Vitamins: Vitamin B7 is also known as biotin. One of the benefits of biotin is that it can help strengthen hair follicles.
• Zinc and Iron: These minerals protect hair from shedding, getting dry and becoming brittle.
• Vitamin A: Vitamin A helps produce scalp oil, known as sebum. Without sebum, hair gets dry and brittle, and the scalp becomes dry, flaky and thick.
• Vitamins C and E: These two antioxidants can protect hair from thinning and the effects of damaging free radicals.
• Folic Acid: Folic acid can help prevent thinning.
• Vitamin D: This vitamin plays a role in promoting healthy hair follicles.
• Amino Acids: Methionine, cysteine, and tyrosine are all amino acids that can increase hair growth and support thinning hair.
• Essential Fatty Acids: Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are important for healthy hair growth; a deficiency can lead to hair loss.

A great way to incorporate these hair loss vitamins and minerals into your diet to promote healthy hair is to take a supplement aimed at supporting healthy hair. If you decide to take vitamins for thinning hair or a supplement to support healthier hair, it’s important to consider whether the supplement simply provides nutrition to your currently healthy follicles, or if it’s designed to help your body treat and replenish your compromised follicles.

Hair loss is a normal part of life—and of a healthy hair cycle. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t help prevent or slow the rate at which your hair breaks and falls out. Understanding the various causes of hair loss, whether it’s genetics, over-styling, environmental factors or a deficiency in your diet, can help you understand how help prevent or reverse it—with things like supplements or vitamins to prevent hair loss.

Remember: Once you get to the root of your hair loss problem, you have a chance to help your hair grow better than ever. Good luck!

References:

1. WebMD:
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/tc/hair-loss-topic-overview
2. Drugs.com: http://www.drugs.com/health-guide/hereditary-patterned-baldness.html
3. National Institutes of Health: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003246.htm
4. Anxiety Center: http://www.anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms/hair-loss-anxiety.shtml
5. WebMD:
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/drug-induced-hair-loss-2
6. Web MD:
http://www.webmd.boots.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/medication-induced-hair-loss
7. Progressive Health: http://www.progressivehealth.com/hair-loss-vitamins.htm