Hair Vitamins for Hair Growth- Choose your supplements wisely

                      A comprehensive guide to choosing your supplements. 


Basics

The foundation of all hair supplement regimes are a comprehenive multi-vitamin and mineral. Your multi should contain atleast 100%rda of all of your basic vitamins. If it doesn't you might want to consider taking an additional multi-mineral supplement.

For Growth

Your hair is made of Keratin which is made from sulfur bearing amino acids. For this reason, most supplements that help accelerate your growth rate contain some sort of suphur as well. Vitamins that extend you growth cycle also help your growth rate. Of course there are genetic limits to just how fast you hair grows but these vitamins help push your growth rate to the limit of these contraints. Other vitamins that help growth rate are vitamins that help maintain a healthy immune system and thyriod.

B-Complex vitamin; 50mg taken once or twice a day- B-complex vitamins are actually a group 8 vitamins. Thiamine(B1), Riboflavin(B2), Niacin(B3), Pyridoxine(B6), Folic Acid(B9), Cyanocobalamin(B12), Pantothenic Acid(B5), and Biotin. Biotin is sometimes referred to as Vitamin H.

As a whole, B-complex vitamins are involved breaking down protien, carbohydrates, and fats. B-vitamins help make DNA, bloodcells, maintain nerves and your gastrointestinal tract. When it comes to your hair, they help extend the growth cycle so that you can enjoy a longer period of hair growth.

Biotin is a sulpur bearing B-vitamin. Biotin is one of the most widely known "beauty" vitamins. Biotin helps increase growth by contributing to the overal suphur content in out bodies and in aiding the breakdown of protein. Most people show improvement with a daily intake of atleast 5mg of Biotin. Some have taken up to 15 mg without adverse results. There are no know adverse reactions to large doses of Biotin. Some diabetics are prescribed "super" doses to help insulin issues. When taking Biotin it is usually more benefical to split up doses thoughout the day. Biotin sometimes has to be manipulated to see the growth results. One way to do this is to alternate brands. Pick two brands and alternate between them every other month. Another way to do this is buy your daily dose before bedtime. Sleeping on some water soluble vitamins sometimes helps with absorbtion. You can also do a "loading dose" with biotin. For example, lets say you desire an overall intake of 7mg. For the first four weeks you take 10 mg, then for two weeks you drop down to 5mg, and then stick to 7mg thereafter as your maintance dose.

B5 also helps thicken hair strands. You can also take this separately.

One thing to remember when taking indiviual b vitamins is that your body needs a balance of B-vitamins and just taking one by itself can throw off our balance. So if you are taking biotin or b5 by itself you might want to include a b-complex once a day if your multivitamin doesn't have alot. Also, when taking any sort of B-vitamin it is important to space out your doses and make sure you are consuming enough water. If you are sensitive to supplements, start on low doses and work your way up. Stop if you have any adverse side effects.


MSM, Glucosamine, Sulphur bearing amino acids

MSM
Msm is a Methylsulfonylmethane, which is an organic source of sulphur. Msm is present in many foods such as raw fruits, vegetables, milk, and some grain products. Msm is very fragile and processing and cooking deplete foods of their msm content. This is all the more reason to add it to your supplement regime. Msm is a water soluable mineral and any excess is flushed out your system every 12 hours. Amounts as high as 2000mg/kg have been adminstred for tesing purposes without any signs of toxicity. Msm is sold in powder form either in loose form or enclosed in capsules. Msm is also used to help treat other ailment from joint stiffness to allergies. Msm also has a cleansing effect on your system. Some people experience headaches and skin breakouts when first beginning supplementation. One way to avoid this is to start off with a low dose and slowly build up to higher doses. Some people also experience vivid dreams when taking msm. You also need to consume enough water to make sure that you a fully hydrated. The water usually helps speed up the eliminatation of the toxins msm sweeps out. There are no known harmful long or short term effects of Msm supplementation.

The benefits as for as hair and skin are concerned from msm supplementation are softer skin and hair, improved texture of skin and hair, and improved growth. Since Msm adds sulphur to your body, alot of people notice a softer and smoother texture of hair. Many also experience increased growth and density. When deciding on how to incorparate Msm in your vitamin regime, you first need to consider the brand you want to use. There are many brands out there to choose from and you need to be selective and get the best quality. Optimsm and Lignusil msm are patented forms of msm that many have used with success. These type of msm are packaged under many different brand names. Most brands list which kind of msm they have used on the package. You need to also consider your delievery method. Using the loose powder that comes in jar is the most popular way to use msm. You get better absorbtion this way and it is more economical. All you have to do with the powder is mix a little with water or your favorite juice. I recommend you mix it with something that has a little vitamin c because vitamin c helps absorbtion. When starting Msm supplementation, start at a low dose and slowly build up from there. This will give you time to learn how your body responds so you can adjust your water intake or vitamin c intake as you see fit. After you have gotten used to Msm, you can take as much as you can stand. Some ladies here take as little as 2000mg to 30,000mg with great results.

Glucosamine

We have all heard of glucosamine before in all the ads to help heal tired worn out and joints and such but who would have thought it benefits the hair. Well, glucosamine is also another nutrient that adds sulphur to our bodies. Glucosamine is made up of glucose and glutamine and it helps the body product glycosaminoglycans which aid in the development of bone, connective tissue, skin and hair. Glucosamine is usually dervived from shellfish so if you allergic to shellfish, this is not for you. Glucosamine works very well in tandem with Msm. For glucosamine supplementation, start at 500mg twice a day.

Sulphur bearing amino acids

The major single amino acids that contribute to hair growth are L-Cysteine, L-Methionine, and L

ysine.

L-Cysteine

This sulphur bearing amino acid makes up almost 8%-10% of each hair strand. L-Cysteine helps accelerate hair growth and increase overall diameter of each strand. L-Cysteine is also a known antioxiant. L-Cysteine supplementation also increases elasticity in the skin and added strength to the hair and nails. L-Cysteine also helps aid healing of skin wounds. When taking L-Cysteine as with any other single amino acid, it is important to rotate between single amino acids and amino acid complexes. The reason being is to again regulate your internal levels. Whenever one amino acid level is thrown out of whack for a long period of time, the amino acid starts to lose its theraputic qualites. By rotating between singles and complexes, you assure that your internal levels stay balanced and that you get the best effect of the amino acids. This does not have to be complicated either. Just take your singles for a month or two and then take an amino acid complex or just up of protien intake for the next month or two. I usually just add a extra spoon or so of protien powder in my shakes when I am on a break from the single amino acids. L-Cysteine works very well as a supplement. Vitamin C also helps the absorbtion of single amino acids so take additional Vitamin C when experimenting with single aminos such as this one. Take single amino acids on an empty stomach with water or juice, no milk because it will compete with the supplement. You can start at 500mg a day and increase to as much as 2000mg a day. There has been evidence that excessive L-Cysteine could damage dna but everyones body reacts differently. Excessive is usually described as being 2500mg and over for a long period of time. Most healthy diets contribute 1000mg of L Cysteine daily.

L-Methionine

The benefits of this amino acid are similar to the benefits of L-Cysteine. L-Methionine helps preserve the health of the hair root. It also has antioxiant properties and helps remove toxins from the liver. This amino acid is used when treating acetaminophen (Tylenol) poisoning which damages the liver. This amino acid might raise levels of homocysteine in the body which has been linked with coronary heart disease. This risk is with excessive supplementation which is why it is important to take moderate doses of single amino acids and take breaks. The dosage is the same for L-Cysteine. When taken properly L-Methionine contributes alot to the overall health of your hair.




Liquid and Gel forms

Alot of companies produce gel or liquid forms of silica supplements. These products claim to be one of the best ways to take silica because of their absorbtion properties. They are usually mixed with juice or water. Alot of the formulas are prepared from quartz. Dosage varies from brand to brand. Some brands that make some popular liquid and gel formulas are Jarrow, Natures Way, Cellfood, Natures Works, and Natures Answer.

With silica supplements some have found it benefical to rotate brands and formulations to obtain the best effect. Silica also seems to work well in conjuction with sulphur rich supplements, especially MSM.

Other things to consider


Beet Juice Tablets

Beet juice is naturally high in sulphur and iron. When taken as a supplement, beet juice helps thicken the hair and sometimes helps increase growth.

Grapeseed Extract and CoEnzyme Q10

Grapeseed Extract is a popluar antioxiant that also increases circulation. This increase in circulation helps promote better growing conditions. CoEnzyme Q10also increases circulation. By increasing your circulation, you help maintain a even flow of nutrients to the scalp therefore creating the best growing conditions possible.

Zinc

Zinc is an important mineral that supports the immune system. Make sure you consume adquate zinc. You should aim to consume between 15-30mg of zinc. Too little or too much zinc can cause hair loss. Zinc also helps prevent DHT in the body. DHT can lead to premature hair loss. Zinc also helps maintain the oil producing glands on the scalp and adquate zinc intake can help decrease dandruff and dry scalp conditions.

Iodine

Iodine is vital to growing healthy hair. Sheep farmers long ago discovered that vegetation void of iodine due to iodine-depleted soil will adversely affect the growth of wool in sheep.Iodine is synthetically added to table salt, however in this form it is not assimilated well into the body and can therefore cause iodine overload. An excess of iodine in the body can adversely affect the thyroid. It is best to use non-iodized salt and retrieve your iodine from natural food sources. These include seaweed, salmon, seafood, lima beans, molasses, eggs, potatoes with the skin on, watercress and garlic.

Spirulina and other greenfoods

Spirulina contains all sorts of helpful vitamins and minerals from beta carotene, to protein, to iron. Spirulina also contains GLA, an omega fatty acid. Spirulina is also rich in phytochemicals that help enhance the effects of vitamins and minerals. Alot people add spirulina into their daily diet through pill supplements or in powdered form added to drinks and shakes. Other greenfoods to consider adding to your diet are barley and wheatgrass.


In Closing

Supplementation is not necessary to grow long hair. Many people have grown hair to the lengths they desire without extra supplements. What supplements however do help you enhance your hair growing experience. Your hair is only going to grow but oh so fast but whay not experiment with different supplements and really see what your genetic limits of growth are.

Why not make is stronger, softer or enhance the shine. By adding certain supplements into your diet, you also recieve other health benefits besides just better hair growth. As we have all said before when crying about our trimming set backs, health = length.

The same must be said for our health habits. Hair is one of our bodies waste products and by changing what we put into our bodies, we can help change the appearance and quality of what comes out. So lets reduce our refined sugar intake, increase our protein intake, increase our fruits and veggies and choose a couple of supplements to try.

Lets increase the quality of what we put inside ourselves so we can reap the benefits in how we feel and how we look.