“Vitamins are essential for healthy hair growth and may help in preventing hair shedding and thinning,” says Michele Green, M.D., a cosmetic dermatologist in New York. “The best vitamins for hair growth include B vitamins, vitamin D, vitamin E, zinc, biotin and iron.
Vitamin D stimulates hair follicles to grow, and so when the body does not have enough, the hair may be affected. A vitamin D deficiency may also be linked to alopecia areata, an autoimmune condition that causes patchy hair loss.
Biotin or B vitamin is one of the best vitamins when it comes to your tresses. When you lack biotin, your body is unable to create enough red blood cells because of which less oxygen travels through your scalp. Due to this, your scalp is not properly nourished and you experience hair fall.
One of those vital nutrients is B12, also known as cobalamin. B12 promotes healthy hair growth by assisting in the production of oxygen-rich red blood cells, which feed hair follicles.
Biotin – Vitamin B7. The Nutrition Source. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Biotin (vitamin B7)
Biotin is needed in very small amounts to help the body make fatty acids.
The B vitamins are: Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Pyridoxine (B6), Biotin (B7), Folate/Folic acid (B9) and Cobalamin (B12).
Can vitamin B12 help with hair loss? First, vitamin B12 supplementation cannot stop hair loss and hair thinning from happening. Therefore, adding more B12 to your diet won't prevent you from losing your hair [4]. However, one of the B12 deficiency signs is that hair loss becomes apparent faster.
Vitamin B12
Oxygen stimulates the hair follicles, which use the oxygen to grow new hair. If your diet is lacking in vitamin B12, your hair follicles might not be getting the oxygen needed to grow thicker hair, so make sure to have plenty in both your diet and hair regimen.
Only riboflavin, biotin, folate, and vitamin B12 deficiencies have been associated with hair loss. Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is a component of two important coenzymes: flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) [22].
Foods that contain the most biotin include organ meats, eggs, fish, meat, seeds, nuts, and certain vegetables (such as sweet potatoes) [2,12].
Zinc is also an essential nutrient for hair growth, and a severe zinc deficiency could lead to hair loss.
Vitamin C is one of the most effective nutrients to help grow and strengthen hair, says Guy Parsons. “Vitamin C helps build collagen, which is highly important for hair growth, but maintaining the strength of hair is just as crucial,” Guy says.
According to Dr Chaturvedi, folic acid helps to promote hair growth, add volume and even reduce the rate of premature greying—it does so by amping up the body's cell production processes. “If you're deficient in folate, taking supplements may result in the growth of new hair in some patients,” Dr Gupta agrees.
Vitamin D can indeed cause hair loss, but it's rare. Although the precise role of vitamin D in hair growth isn't well understood, research shows that vitamin D receptors play an important role in the anagen phase of the hair follicle cycle — the phase in which new hairs grow from the follicle to their full length.
Significantly exceeding this dose, however, can cause illness. In general, the symptoms of vitamin toxicity include nausea, gastrointestinal problems like constipation and diarrhea, hair loss, rashes, and nerve damage.
How Much B12 Should I Take Daily For Hair Growth? The lowest amount recommended that should be traceable in your body is 2.4 mcg. While you are looking for a difference in your hair growth you can increase this dosage to 3 mcg and beyond.
You might be able to reverse hair loss, or at least slow it. With some conditions, such as patchy hair loss (alopecia areata), hair may regrow without treatment within a year. Treatments for hair loss include medications and surgery.
Interactions between your drugs. No interactions were found between Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D3. However, this does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.
Left untreated, a vitamin B-12 deficiency can lead to anemia, fatigue, muscle weakness, intestinal problems, nerve damage and mood disturbances. The recommended daily amount of vitamin B-12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms.
Vitamin B12 is an essential vitamin that influences hair growth and helps in reducing hair fall. It provides the scalp with oxygen and encourages the formation of hair follicles. Several sources of vitamin B12 include milk, Nora, shiitake mushrooms, eggs, shrimps etc.