Vitamins for your Hair
By: Dr. Obikoya

A healthy hair is not only a pleasure to behold it is pleasing to the person that has it. A follicle of the human scalp produces approximately .35 millimeters of hair shaft per day. You need nutritional supplement supplies the body with the proper amino acids, vitamins and minerals you may not be receiving in your diet to create beautiful hair. The cycles of growth of each follicle consist of the building up and tearing down of the structure. After a period of rest the follicle is built anew from raw materials and each hair follicle goes through the identical processes.

It is important to point out at this point that many of the metabolic requirements of the cells of the hair follicle must be met at this time or adequate and optimal hair growth will not occur. This means that certain vitamins and minerals must be present in adequate proportions or there will be faulty or nonexistent hair growth. Research has shown that in our hurry up world of fast food, and extreme work schedules we have developed poor eating habits contributing to poor diets affecting our general health and energy levels.

Along with stress, toxins in the environment, sun exposure, cigarette smoke, actively or passively inhaled, excess alcohol consumption and lack of sleep sometimes our bodies work overtime to maintain a standard of marginal health.
These factors may lead to our cosmetic appearance, including our hair, being compromised. Because we consider our hair is expendable and not needed to maintain your health, at least our physical health, it tends to be the last part of us to receive attention, although not in everyone.

The result is dull, lifeless hair. What should enhance our best features has become a deterrent to our beauty as individuals and the way others possibly perceive our health and how attractive we appear to them. This does not have to be so.

Taking daily vitamins and minerals regularly play a major role in keeping your hair healthy. Any nutritional deficiencies can lead to thinning hair or even total baldness. It is a well-known fact that an under-active thyroid can result in frizzy or brittle hair while an overactive thyroid turn hair greasy and limp.

Abundant ribonucleic acid (RNA) is characteristic of those cells of the hair follicle that carry out appreciable protein synthesis. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is found only in the nucleus of the hair follicle cell. Like that of RNA, the content of DNA increases in cells during division.

An increase in DNA content appears to be indirectly related to an increase in protein synthesis. For this reason, those nutritional factors such as folic acid and B12 which are vital for synthesis of some of the building blocks of nucleic acid must be included in and formula for hair growth. Several researchers have concluded that impaired growth or loss of hair is a common and early nonspecific response to many nutritional deficiencies.

In an older person the total number of the capillary loops supplying the hair follicles is considerably diminished. This diminution of blood supplied to the hair follicle would of necessity require either greater blood flow through these follicles or an increased amount of nutrients of various types such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids in order to supple the hair follicle with the same amount of these materials. Since the former is unlikely, it appears that the latter course, mainly supplying more nutrients, would be the most logical way to keep the hair follicle in its “younger” state.
Your hair ultimately reflects the overall condition of your body. If your body is healthy and well- nourished, your hair will be your shining glory. If you are having any health problems or suffering from any nutritional deficiencies, your hair may stop growing or show damage. If your body is in good health, you can maximize your genetic growth cycle through taking the proper blend of amino acids and B-vitamins.

It is also important to include B-6, biotin, inositol and folic acid in the supplemental program. It has been found that certain minerals including magnesium, sulfur, silica and zinc are also very important toward maintaining healthy hair.
Beta-carotene is also important to hair growth. This is so because beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A as the body needs it, helps maintain normal growth and bone development, protective sheathing around nerve fibers, as well as promoting healthy skin, hair and nails.

Besides making lifestyle changes, taking the following supplements every day is recommended to boost your hair growth:
Vitamin B-complex - 50 mg. of the major B-vitamins (including folate, biotin and inositol)
Vitamin B-6 - 50 mg. of vitamin B-6

Vitamin C with bioflavonoids - one to two grams daily Vitamin E - 400 to 800 IU daily

Beta-Carotene - 10,000 to 15,000 IU of beta-carotene daily

One recommended daily dose of magnesium, sulfur, zinc

Silica (horsetail) - 300 mg. daily Nettle - 250 mg. three times daily

Flaxseed oil - one tbsp daily or one tablet Beta-Carotene - 10,000 to 15,000 IU of beta-carotene daily

Certain vitamins, minerals and amino-acids are crucial to the metabolic pathways involved in keratin protein metabolism. Without the nutrients cited, the hair growth process will slow or cease. Therefore, there is an adequate research basis to justify product effectiveness claims for a vitamin, mineral and amino-acid complex designed to supply the nutrients needed by healthy growing hair.