Vitamin and Mineral Supplements are very useful in helping to maintain, or to regain, good health. We are fortunate that we can buy these at most supermarkets and health food stores, and we pray that this situation may long continue.
Note: The following ideas are simply suggestions. Check first with your doctor or health practitioner before trying any remedy or suggestion mentioned here. No responsibility will be taken by this author as to whether or not these ideas work, or whether a certain combination has an adverse effect, or you exceed the recommended dose, or whether they make you feel worse in any way.
The best vitamins for hair growth are Iodine, and the health king of minerals, zinc. The importance of magnesium and silica should also be considered.
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Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B is important for good digestion. It is important to have enough of this in the diet for us to be able to deal with stress. If we are deficient in Vitamin B, then stress related conditions like eczema and hypoglycemia can result, with a lowering of normal stress levels. This can, of course, result in the hair falling or thinning.
Falling hair is a sure sign that your diet and your life style need adjustment. While you are working on improving the state of these things, it is a good idea to take a Vitamin B complex supplement to give your health a boost so that you may recover both your health and your hair more quickly.
Vitamin B is a priority for hair growth. Take the maximum dose on a daily basis to improve the health of your hair.
Vitamin C
This is needed especially if you are not eating enough fresh fruit, but Vitamin C is good for overall health as it helps in the assimilation of other vitamins and works as an antioxidant. It also helps in maintaining good skin tone. The scalp is skin, and so it benefits by having an adequate supply of Vitamin C in the diet.
Vitamin C helps enormously in our ability to cope with stress. Take ester C, or calcium ascorbate at night to help you sleep well.
If your health is below par and your hair is showing signs of falling out, then taking 1000 mgs morning and night will help. Start with just 1000 mg in the morning. After a few days, build up the dosage by taking again at night. Cut back to just the evening dose if your bowel motions remain disturbed.
Vitamin C also aids digestion. Good digestion means you will absorb more of the nutrients which you are eating in your food, which, in turn, helps to build up good health and strengthen the immune system.
Vitamin C works as an antiseptic and a healer. It is also a mild sedative, so this should help you to sleep well if you take a dose at night-time. Loose bowel motions can occur initially, but do not worry. This is just your insides clearing themselves of debris. Drink extra water to help with the cleansing process.
Halibut Liver Oil
This contains high amounts of Vitamins A and D. Both these vitamins, taken in the fish oil, help the growth of nice, healthy, shiny hair. Take the maximum dose each day if you are working on hair which is thinning.
I took slightly more than the stated dose when I needed the benefit of Halibut Liver Oil Vitamins, but I cannot recommend this practice to people reading my article. Especially when any of the family had a chest infection, I doubled the dose, but for one or two doses only, as that was all that was needed to beat most infections. After that, I would return to a maintenance dose about twice weekly.
Best to take this in the morning, as Halibut Liver Oil might interfere with your sleep if taken too late in the day.
Zinc and Magnesium
The above list of Vitamins for Hair Growth should be helpful to all those who are building their health in order to have better hair.
But the supplements Zinc and Magnesium must be mentioned in this article. These two minerals are highly important for recovering your health and your hair. It is best if you take the full set of recommended vitamins, rather than just buying these, but if you are on a budget and can only afford ONE vitamin, then get the combination which has both of these.
Zinc helps you cope with stress. A deficiency of zinc and magnesium could result in your having thin hair, or hair which is falling rapidly.
Zinc helps in the digestion of carbohydrates, so it is especially important for anyone with allergies, or anyone who suffers from hypoglycaemia.These conditions can cause the hair to fall out. A diet low in sugar is needed. It is best to avoid wheat and dairy products if you think you might be sensitive to these. Upping your zinc intake is sometimes all that is needed to improve digestion of these foods.
Zinc is low in New Zealand soils, so most N Zers need an extra boost of zinc with magnesium at least once a week. If your hair is thinning, then you should take a daily amount of the recommended dose. Do not ever take more than the stated dose.
Because our food is lacking in these minerals which creates a need for NZers to buy these supplements , it seems a crime that drug companies are driving to get the monopoly on sales.
Zinc with Magnesium should be the first mineral supplement to the diet if one has thinning hair.
Iodine can be used moderately on the scalp – just one or two dabs on one or two parts of the scalp is all that is needed. Massage into the scalp whilst the hair is still damp after washing and drying. Note: Do check with your doctor or health practitioner before using iodine on the hair. |I have never had any trouble with putting small amounts onto my scalp, a small amount being just a touch on the end of a finger. Two dabs is all that is required. But check with a health practitioner to assess your condition of health before trying any home remedy.
Silica is an essential mineral for the health of the hair. You can buy homeopathic silica in what are known as ‘cell salts’. But the easiest way which you can help your hair in its requirements of silica is to eat a bowl of oatmeal porridge every day. OR you can drink oat straw tea, which is especially high in silica. Comfrey tea is also high in silica……….
Comfrey Tea – for internal and external use
A good natural way to get a high count of minerals and vitamins into the body to benefit the hair is to take comfrey tea on a regular basis. Two leaves simmered in a pint of water will give you a tea which is high in silica. This helps the growth of hair, nails, teeth and bones. It helps heal liver and intestines and skin conditions like ezcema. Take a small cupful morning and night. Keep the remainder in the fridge for up to two days, then make a fresh lot if you haven’t finished the first brew.
Comfrey Hair Rinse: The same brew can be used, once it has cooled, to put through the hair after washing. If you are making a special brew for use on the hair, then you could make the mixture slightly stronger by adding a 3rd leaf to the pot. The silica in the sliminess of the leaf really makes the hair shine beautifully. It also helps heal the scalp to prevent dandruff.
Comfrey supplements in tablet form, if you can get them, and shampoos and soaps with added comfrey, are a good idea. But nothing beats the effects of the fresh herb, brewed up for 5 or 10 minutes, taken as a tea and/or applied as a hair rinse.
Apple Cider Vinegar: This is great for promoting hair growth. If you apply it after using soap or shampoo, then the alkaline effect from these products is negated. Apple cider vinegar is rich in potassium and other minerals and vitamins which nourish the scalp. It is best not to use iodine on the scalp right away if you have rubbed apple cider vinegar into it. The two do not combine well. Wait for the following day after the application of cider vinegar to apply any iodine to the scalp.
It is best not to take apple cider vinegar internally on a regular basis if you have falling or thinning hair. This is because candida albicans is a problem with many people, and this condition can contribute to hair loss. Putting the apple cider vinegar onto the hair when it is still wet will feed the hair follicles directly. This shouldn’t cause problems with candida unless you are in the early stages of recovery. Use about a dessertspoonful of apple cider vinegar for one treatment. Don’t wash it off.
If you found this article informative you may also be interested merrilyn’s update: Best Vitamins For Hair Growth. The posts entitled Regrow Hair; and Iodine scalp/Hair Remedy have more ideas for improving hair growth.
Hi, why do you recommend comfrey tea for internal use? I have always heard that comfrey is damaging to the liver and should not be used internally at all.