Do you dream of a long, flowing mane that rivals Ariel from The Little Mermaid? Have you had trouble growing your hair or believe the only solution for you is to wear a wig or get extensions?
Luckily, there are a myriad of ways you can get excellent hair growth just by using easily obtainable vitamins, minerals and supplements. We’ll even throw in a few tips and tricks for getting longer hair that can aid with hair growth, in addition to the use of the products and supplements.
Want to know the secret to a gorgeous head of hair even Rapunzel would be envious of? Read on for more!
Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements Necessary to Get Longer Hair
Nothing that’s worthy of having comes for free, and if you want longer hair, you’ll need to work for it. That means, you’ll need to make sure you’re putting the proper things in your body to help ensure that you get the results you want.
While hair is necessary in order to keep us warm, and looking great, it is isn’t an essential bodily function. When the body is starved and goes into crisis mode, it begins to shut down functions that are not necessary for survival. Hair is one of those things that the body doesn’t need to survive, so if you don’t get the correct vitamins and minerals, your body may begin to ignore your hair.
We’re not suggesting that if you don’t absorb a steady diet of vitamins and supplements needed for healthy hair that you’ll go bald, of course. This simply illustrates how important vitamins, minerals and supplements are for lustrous hair. Your body needs enough nutrients to keep it going, and then enough of that something extra to give to you beautiful hair.
So what exactly do you need for coveted beautiful hair? Let’s explore which vitamins are necessary to keep your hair looking as good as is naturally possible.
Drink Water
Water isn’t exactly a supplement or vitamin, but it is important for your overall health. Drinking water is essential for life, and becoming dehydrated can cause all sorts of health issues. And to put it bluntly, your body cannot survive without it.
While you don’t need to get your water somewhere fancy, you do need to task yourself to drink as much as possible. This will hydrate your body, and your hair, to ensure it stays looking as beautiful as possible.
Water also helps flush out toxins and helps your body retain what it needs. So, when you take your vitamins and supplements for hair growth, you’ll want to swallow it with a big glass of water.
Aim for at least eight glasses of water each day to keep yourself in tip-top shape.
Biotin (Vitamin B7)
From biotin-laden oils to shampoo to supplements rich with the vitamin, biotin the one thing any haircare specialist will tell you to take in order to prompt hair growth.
Biotin itself is just a fancy word for a type of B-vitamin, vitamin B-7 to be exact. This vitamin is linked with healthy hair, nails, and nerves. Doctors have even found that a lack of biotin is what can lead to hair loss in many individuals; therefore it is necessary to get your maximum daily allowance for healthy hair.
B7 isn’t just for healthy nails and hair; your body also needs it to help your body process glucose. Additionally, you need biotin to help metabolize carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
Biotin naturally occurs in foods like bananas, eggs and milk. But you can also get it in in certain algae, molds and yeasts.
The vitamin is water soluble, meaning if you take too much of it, your body will expel it through your urine. But, this is also means that your body needs it continually.
Because the human body cannot create biotin, you need it in your diet. And because it is water soluble, your body doesn’t store it. You need to have some of it every single day in order for your body to function properly.
And of course, if you want healthy hair and nails, you’ll need to ensure that you consume the recommended amount at least once per day.
As this vitamin is so necessary for maintaining healthy hair, it’s sometimes nicknamed “vitamin H.”
Almost supplement that helps you achieve long, luscious hair, will have biotin in it.
Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid)
Vitamin B is sometimes called folic acid. If you’ve ever been pregnant, or gone on a journey to conceive a baby, you’ve more than likely taken folic acid. But it isn’t just for moms to be or women hoping to be mothers, it’s a crucial vitamin that’s in the majority of multi-vitamins.
Not only that, but the vitamin itself is necessary in order to function, not to mention have a luscious head of hair.
Folic acid works to help the body produce red blood cells. But, that’s not all it does. It can also help your body create DNA and RNA, as well as encourage cells to divide and grow. That means it can help your hair’s growth process moving a long faster.
You can get folic acid through vegetables and leafy greens, but it never hurts to have a little bit of extra through a vitamin supplement. As a bonus, if you become pregnant while taking folic acid, or a multi-vitamin with folic acid in it, you’re actively helping promote your unborn child’s health. The vitamin helps protect against spinal deformities and other congenital issues relating to the brain and spine specifically.
If you’re on the mature side and trying to get your hair to grow as an older adult, taking folic acid can help cut down on age-related hearing loss. Losing hearing as an older adult is very common, so taking vitamins to help mitigate it is a great way to ensure you have healthy golden years.
Vitamin A (Retinol)
If you’ve ever even casually looked at anti-aging products, it’s likely you’ve heard the word retinol. Like biotin is to haircare, retinol is in almost every single item that helps reduce the signs of aging. This is partially because retinoids can help increase collagen and reduce the signs of fine lines and wrinkles.
But how does this help your hair, you might ask? Well, it turns out, it’s got some great benefits for your mane as well.
Vitamin A keeps skin healthy, which in turn helps keep your hair healthy. It also helps your immune system work to its highest potential, and a healthy immune system means healthy and gorgeous hair. With a healthy body, your system won’t be working to eliminate the illness, but instead to help you radiate health.
As an added bonus, vitamin A works to keep your vision in its tip top shape, especially in dim lighting. As you age, your vision also begins to deteriorate, so it is important to ensure you get the right amount of vitamin A.
You can also thank vitamin A for helping keep the lining of your nose healthy–and keeping it moist when it needs to be.
You can find vitamin A in many meat and dairy products, which can make it tricky for vegans to get their full amount of it. Most people get their daily allowance via milk, yogurt, oily fish, cheese and eggs. If you’re vegan or aren’t a dairy and fish fan, it’s important that you get a good supplement to keep your hair looking fly.
Beta Carotene
Beta carotene is often discussed in conjunction with vitamin A, which can be confusing to some people. They function identically, but you don’t always ingest them in the same way.
Beta carotene converts into vitamin A once your body ingests it, so if you take a supplement with the mineral beta carotene, you’re also getting a supplement of the vitamin. Beta carotene is often found in leafy greens, but you can also get it in carrots and red peppers.
It’s also rife in yellow fruits, especially papaya and mangoes. If you love your exotic fruit, you’re on your way to getting the correct amount of beta carotene in your diet.
Essentially, beta carotene functions the same way as vitamin A, so once you’ve ingested it (either via food or supplementation), it works the same way. It will support your hair and your skin, keeping you looking glowing and with hair to-die-for.
Vitamin C
When you think of vitamin C, orange juice and other citrus drinks might immediately come to mind. You may also recall from grade school that a lack of vitamin C caused outbreaks of scurvy amongst olden day pirates who spent too long at sea without it.
In western society, a lack of vitamin C is rare, as most food is fortified with it to prevent mass scurvy outbreaks. But eating fortified food in itself doesn’t always mean that you’re getting the correct amount of vitamin C–and as you’ve probably guessed, it is crucial to maintaining a healthy head of hair.
Vitamin C not only helps with healing wounds and maintaining healthy skin, but it also protects cells. This means that it helps to protect the cells everywhere in your body: even in your hair.
As a bonus, it helps with healthy bones, cartilage and blood vessels, all of which are necessary to keep your body in as healthy and strong as it can possibly be.
You can get vitamin C from broccoli, strawberries, potatoes and peppers in addition to the obvious: orange juice. Supplementation can also ensure you get enough of the vitamin to keep your body in working order.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is most closely associated with sunlight, and you’ve likely heard at some point that in order to get vitamin D, you need to get out in the sun. While that is one way of absorbing the vitamin, you can also get it through red meat, eggs and fish in addition to taking a supplement.
Not getting enough vitamin D can lead to serious complications, including a disease known as rickets. Most commonly a problem for children who are still developing, it can cause pain as well as soft bones.
It goes without saying that vitamin D is necessary for adequate bone health, as it works to help keep the proper amount of calcium and phosphate in your body.
Vitamin D also works to keep your teeth and muscles healthy, meaning it works on a variety of bodily systems. As such, it can also keep your crowning glory as healthy as possible, as well as ensure it grows.
Patch MD’s Biotin Plus Topical Patch for Gorgeous Hair
While you can get most of these vitamins through food and supplementation, the Biotin Plus Topical Patch gives you everything you need for healthy hair without the extra fuss. Without the patch, there’s no need to sort through endless vitamins to try and find the right combination for a beautiful head of hair.
You also won’t need to lug around a pharmacy any time you’re out for the day or if you decide to travel. Instead, you’ll have your patch or patches, which won’t take up much room at all.
If you hate swallowing pills, you won’t need to worry about it. And, PatchMD is so simple, and doesn’t involve taking vitamin injections as an alternative.
It’s so simple to use that your kid could do it (and it sure beats fighting them to take their daily supplements and vitamins). You receive 6 patches in in each pack, which look a little bit like Band-Aids. Peel them back, and place on an area of your body with little or no hair.
As a bonus, they’re latex free, meaning you won’t have to worry about waking up with any rashes or surprises.
Leave each patch on for about eight hours and peel off and dispose. Repeat the cycle the next day for hair so gorgeous, everyone will be asking you what salon you’ve been going to.
Tips and Tricks for Longer Hair That You Can Employ While Taking Your Vitamins and Supplements
In this section, we’ll go over some of the natural ways to keep your hair longer and thicker. These tricks and tips should be performed in tandem with taking vitamins and supplements for the maximum benefit.
Implement regime of using the proper vitamins and supplements listed above and some of the tips below. You’ll be blown away by your princess-worthy mane in no time!
First Tip for Hair Growth: Keep Your Hair Trimmed
While this tip doesn’t involve vitamins and supplements, it’s still a time-honored tip that we had to include here. You can’t write a guide for ways to get long, thick hair without including it.
The myth persists that if you cut your hair often enough, your hair will grow faster. Kind of like the myth that if you shave off your body hair, it’ll grow back with a vengeance.
In reality, cutting and trimming your hair isn’t going to make a difference to overall hair growth, so you can skip your monthly trim every once in a while. However, it works by creating the illusion of longer, more luscious hair.
Trimming away the flyaways and dead ends will instantly give your hair a lift and make you look run-way ready.
Cool It on the Lightening Hair Dye
Every lady needs a secret, and for many, that’s her natural hair color. While dying your hair is a fun way to express yourself, it can also make your hair more prone to breakage and fragility. Going blonde over a long period of time over and over leads to hair that won’t grow past a certain length.
If you’re doing everything possible to get your hair to grow and the last possible issue is your hair color, switch it up. Going with a darker color can make your hair healthier and longer.
Give Your Hair a Break
Avoid over-styling your hair with heat. In fact, only use heat when absolutely necessary. If you’re not going anywhere, try letting your hair air dry. If you want straight hair or beachy waves, you can easily find ways to create them without using heat.
Additionally, you shouldn’t pull your hair too tightly too often. Wearing your hair in severe buns, braids and other similar hairstyles can lead to breakage at the root. This means your hair might go thinner more quickly than usual, and you may even develop a bald spot where your hair has been tugged too often.
Don’t Wash Your Hair Everyday
The oil-phobes reading this article might freak out by these words, but it’s actually better to not try and wash your hair every single day. Doing so strips your hair of its natural oils, making it drier, prone to breakage and harder to grow. Instead, you want to keep the natural oils in your hair as much as possible, even if it doesn’t sound particularly glam.
If you have trouble controlling oil in your hair, you can use dry shampoo or baby powder on your roots to soak up some of the excess oil. This way, your hair gets everything it needs without you looking like a T-Bird from Grease.
Rinse Your Hair with Cold Water
While a hot shower is a great way to relax, it isn’t always the kindest to your hair. Luxuriate in a hot shower or bath only when you’re not washing your hair and have a shower cap on. Or, switch the tap to cooler to finish off your bathing process.
Cool water not only helps wake you up and get you ready for your day, but it also helps you keep your hair strong. It’s also said to help seal your hair cuticles, keeping your hair from breaking off at the root.
Ultimately, Be Careful with Your Locks
If your hair is tangled, don’t brush through it until it makes you cry. Not only is this an exercise in pain tolerance that’s thoroughly unnecessary, but it can also cause you to make your hair become weak. You can also inadvertently pull off a chunk of hair while trying to get your comb or brush through it.
Instead, be very careful with how you comb or brush your hair, especially when your hair is wet. Brush your hair from the bottom and work your way up. If you brush your hair starting from the top and pulling to the bottom, the knots you have in your hair will just become bigger. After a while, you might need a pair of scissors to rid yourself of them!
You should also try to brush your hair sparingly. This doesn’t mean turn up at your Monday morning meeting with a rat’s nest on your head, but you don’t need to brush your hair as often as you think you do. Better yet, choose styles that you can go comb-free with or that will allow you to skip combing it throughout the day for maintenance.
Massage Your Scalp
There’s a reason people pay extra at the salon to get a scalp massage: it feels really good. But beyond that, there are health benefits to it too. Having your scalp massaged can help increase circulation to your scalp, prompting your hair to grow even longer than it was before.
If you want a truly luxe experience, try putting a tiny bit of coconut oil into your fingers before massaging your scalp. Or, have your significant other do it as a way to bond and get intimate.
Balance is Key to Hair Growth
Eating a healthy diet and taking the proper vitamins and minerals are absolutely crucial to getting a long, luscious head of hair.
Remember, hair growth takes time. You won’t wake up tomorrow looking like you’ve grown a new weave overnight, but with persistence and patience, you’ll find that vitamins, supplements and treating your hair right works.
If you’re interested in using our patches in order to get some of the vitamins needed for long, thick, luxurious hair, give PatchMD a try. We’ve got something for nearly everybody no matter their needs. Browse our extensive products to find the perfect patch for you or your family.