This is the third article in our Remedies for Hair Thinning series. Hair is a big deal. When we start to lose it, or it starts to just look thinner and less “alive” than it used to, this can really be a source of distress for anyone. We’ve talked about a few remedies so far in our past posts chronicling the following remedies for thinning hair: Iodine for Thyroid Function and Healthier Hair and Cod Liver Oil – Omega 3’s For Thicker Hair.

This one is going to be generalized a bit more and we’ll talk about an “all in one” approach to supplementing for thicker, fuller hair that is less prone to thinning and falling out. That is the plethora of hair, skin and nails vitamins that we now see on the market.

These are often marketed as vitamins because they contain a combination of various vitamins, minerals and compounds that are specifically known to benefit the hair. They also happen to benefit the scalp, skin and nails which is no surprise since these three tissues are all really made of similar building blocks.

Biotin – Also Known as B7, One Form of Vitamin B

Biotin is just another form of vitamin B. Vitamin B is known for breaking down carbohydrates and other nutrients into usable constituents within our bodies. It helps to convert these constituents into energy. It soon gained notoriety for its “side effect” of helping people to grow hair that previously could not. It is even often prescribed as part of a hair regrowth regimen for chemotherapy patients who have lost hair.

Biotin has actually not been proven beyond a doubt to help with hair growth in any clinical studies, however there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it does indeed help people grow hair back. There is a potential drawback though.

Some experience acne when taking this supplement. It’s not everyone, but it is a side effect that gets talked about. So you just may want to consider this when searching for a multi-vitamin approach to help with thinning hair.

Horsetail

Horsetail is one of my favorites. I don’t love the side effect of horsetail, which is that it is a diuretic. However I love everything else about this herb, including the price, which is extremely affordable. Horsetail is rich in a really important mineral for your hair’s structure and integrity – silica.

You can find other sources of silica as a supplement, however to be completely honest, horsetail is by far the most affordable version if you want to get more silica in your diet. Other types that have high silica content like bamboo will run you more.

Silica is a huge building block for much faster, stronger hair growth. It really infuses hair with strength and elasticity and I dare say it seems to make the hair appear shinier and more lustrous as well.

Collagen

Collagen is another favorite you’ll see in quite a few of these hair, skin and nails formulas. Collagen is a building block and foundation to healthy skin. Some people claim this also helps immensely with their hair volume and growth. Collagen is known to lend itself to stronger skin, so it would follow suit that it may also help to build stronger, more resilient hair as well.

Vitamin A & D

Well this is probably going to sound familiar! In our last post in this series, Cod Liver Oil for Hair Thinning we talked about the importance of these two crucial vitamins in the growth and maintenance of healthy, abundant hair.

Cod Liver oil happens to be a great natural source of both of these vitamins. And these two vitamins also incidentally are often included in hair growth and hair thinning formulas to provide a multifaceted approach to growing and re-volumizing hair.

A quick synopsis of these two are that they provide faster and healthier cell turnover, regulation of optimal scalp sebum levels, and strength and integrity to the hair strands by imparting elasticity and integrity to their structure. Together, these two vitamins are a powerhouse for hair growth.