The 10 Best Hair Growth Vitamins
Special Honors
American Hair Loss Association If you want to learn more about the various causes of hair loss or thinning, the American Hair Loss Association website is a great place to do so. It has sections for both men and women, and may be able to help you identify your particular issue so you know the best way to treat it. americanhairloss.org
Editor's Notes
May 05, 2020:
Anybody who is struggling with thinning hair has probably looked into hair growth vitamins at one point in time. And, if you fall into this category, you have probably been bombarded with outrageous claims of efficacy, before and after photos, and slick marketing pitches. We can't state one way or another whether the supplements on this list will work, as everybody has a different chemical makeup and reasons for experience thinning or hair loss, but we can say that we have examined all the ingredients in the options here to ensure there is at least some science as to why they have the potential to help with your problem.
For men, the biggest factor in hair thinning and loss is the overabundance of DHT in their system. With that in mind, we looked for supplements that contain ingredients that have shown some ability to reduce DHT in the body, either by helping to break it down or inhibiting the 5α-reductase enzyme, which is responsible for converting some of your testosterone into this unwanted endogenous androgen sex hormone. For example, Nutrafol Men's Thinning Supplement and Follicaide Hair & Follicle both contain saw palmetto and horsetail extract, while Klorane Keratin Caps contains pumpkin seed oil. It's important to note that women also have testosterone in their bodies and can experience hair loss or thinning because of DHT, so there is no reason they couldn't try Follicaide Hair & Follicle or Klorane Keratin Caps to see if it works.
Deficiencies in certain vitamins or nutrients is often a cause for thinning or slow growth in women, with one of the major ones being biotin. If you think a lack of this important B vitamin complex may be the root of your problem and want to supplement your body with it, and nothing else, you'll want to look to Thorne Research Biotin 8, Nutricost Biotin, and EZ Melts Biotin. Even if these don't provide that extra growth you are looking for, they should help improve your skin and nails, at the very least.
Since it can be hard to know exactly what chemicals your body needs more of to increase hair growth, the best method can often be to go with a supplement that contains a variety of beneficial nutrients, sort of like taking a multi-vitamin for your hair. Along with the options we mentioned in the section for men above, Zhou Nutrition Hairfluence, Hum Sweet Gummies, Naturenetics HairAnew, and Brock Beauty Hairfinity are all examples of these. They all contain biotin, along with at least a few other nutrients or vitamins that have either proven or anecdotal evidence of improving hair health in some people.
Along with using one of the supplements we have included on this list, you may want to consider using an alcohol-free shampoo, as well. Alcohol can dry the scalp, which can cause dandruff, strip the skin of important essential oils, and it can make hair brittle, which means more of your strands will break, resulting in it looking thinner.