The strength, look and feel of “healthy hair” can define not only your overall look, but also, how you feel. While there are literally thousands of products that market to “healthy black hair” there are only a handful that have the proper ingredients to keep your hair healthy. And just like vitamins help your body, there are certain vitamins that specifically help your hair.
Here is a short list of eight vitamins that you need to look for in your hair products:
1. Amino Acids: These are the building blocks of protein and your hair follicles require a constant stream of amino acids for optimum hair growth. Eight amino acids are essential for humans, as the body cannot produce them by themselves, and they have to be supplied externally. These are: isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.
2. Biotin: Biotin is a crucial vitamin for hair growth. In laboratory studies, people who were low in Biotin experienced slower-than-normal hair and nail growth. Biotin is also water-soluble and supports healthy skin as well.
3. Inositol: This nutrient actually helps strengthen hair by ensuring that your hair follicles retain moisture.
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4. Choline: Your body actually makes choline in very small amounts, but you need more for hair growth because choline works together with inositol to encourage hair growth.
5. Zinc: An essential mineral for proper health and hair growth. It’s quite common for American women to suffer from low mineral levels.
6. Copper: Another essential mineral, copper, aids in the production of collagen and elastin, which are crucial for healthy nails, skin and hair.
7. MSM: MSM is a naturally occurring form of sulfur, which helps the body form keratin – a tough protein that strengthens hair and nails against harmful chemicals.
8. Overall Diet: While it’s not a vitamin per se, a healthy diet plays an important role in how healthy (or not) your hair is. Any product that you use topically on the skin and the scalp won’t achieve it’s best results unless you put good nutrition in your body. Your body is one big organism, and your body’s system works together as an organism.
So, remember whatever you put on your skin and in your hair isn’t going to work unless you can put it in your body too. The main reason anyone would not see ample results combining topical treatments and good nutrition is if they had other medical issues.
