How Vitamins and Minerals Affect Your Hair

Achieving the daily intake recommendations of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients is an important part of overall physical and mental health. In addition to making us feel better, good nutritional habits can help us to look our best as well. Sufficient levels of vitamins and minerals are essential to having healthy and beautiful hair.

Anti-oxidant vitamins play an important role in the health of the scalp and the hair. The most familiar of the anti-oxidant vitamins are Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Hair loss has long been associated with Vitamin C deficiencies, and when sufficient daily levels are regularly achieved, Vitamin C serves to keep hair looking and feeling healthy. Vitamin A serves to help the scalp produce sebum, essential to its health. Vitamin E promotes the healthy circulation that the scalp needs.

The vitamins that make up the B complex are important to many functions of the body and mind, as well as being essential to the health of the scalp and the hair. In addition to promoting the good circulation that ensures the health of the scalp, these vitamins play a role in preventing hair loss and also help the hair retain its natural color, including the prevention of premature graying.

There are many minerals that are important to healthy hair. Among these are silica, iron, iodine, copper and chromium, all of which help to prevent hair loss. Copper also helps maintain the hairs color and is important to the structure of the hair. Iodine also prevents hair dryness, as does zinc, which partners with Vitamin A for this purpose. Silica also helps to strengthen the hair. Sulfur is one of the prime building blocks of hair, and is essential to its structure. Selenium is important to keeping the scalp elastic and flexible. Potassium helps in circulation in the scalp, encouraging the healthy growth of hair. Calcium, magnesium and manganese are all essential minerals for hair growth.

If you being a dietary supplement program for the specific purpose of improving the rate of growth, the look and the feel of your hair, you can expect that it will take about three or four months before you will actually be able to see the results of your efforts. When using dietary supplements, it is important to follow the recommended dosage guidelines for each supplement you use. In fact, some of the supplements that are specifically good for hair can actually cause hair loss if they are taken in extremely high dosages. If you are unsure as to what the best supplement dosage levels are for your individual dietary needs and health goals, you should consult your health care professional or a licensed nutritionist.

Naturally, paying close attention to the amounts of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that you consume daily and trying to develop good nutritional habits is most important for keeping your body and mind functioning at peak performance levels. However, the side benefit of healthy and beautiful hair that feels as good as it looks is certainly a worthwhile nutritional pursuit. When used properly, dietary supplements can be very useful in achieving these goals.