In addition to special shampoos conditioners and treatments you can now buy hair vitamins The makers of these pills and tablets claim that they will make your hair grow faster look healthier and resist breakage better than before Whats in these products Where can you find them And whats the science behind the claims

Most vitamins simply offer healthier hair while some are targeted at specific hair problems You can find products for

Some preparations are simply multivitamin tablets Others are essentially herbal supplements Some include a secret ingredient usually a scientificsounding formula that the company does not specifically define

There are many different products available on the internet Your hair stylist may also have suggestions

Its hard to say if hair vitamins really do any good Certainly the manufacturers advertising material is full of testimonials from satisfied customers But theres no way to tell how many people tried the product without success or even if the testimonials are real

There is good medical evidence supporting the idea that protein deficiency can damage hair but Americans particularly those who can afford luxuries like hair vitamins rarely experience the severe malnutrition that would lead to problems Vitamin deficiencies can also cause brittle unhealthylooking hair or even hair loss These effects have mostly been studied in people with severe deficiencies related to illness or poor nutrition not in healthy people who eat a balanced diet

On the other hand there is very little scientific evidence concerning slight vitamin deficiencies and the appearance of hair People who dont eat properly may well benefit from supplements So might vegetarians and vegans because some nutrients are obtained more efficiently from animal products than from plants We know that BVitamins including Biotin and Vitamin B12 Vitamin C Copper Zinc and other nutrients are important to the development and growth of hair Will taking extra doses of these vitamins and minerals help your hair It might Theres no good evidence either way

Some pharmaceutical companies claim that anemia causes hair loss Anemia is a decrease in red blood cells often related to iron deficiency Red blood cells carry oxygen throughout your body delivering it to tissues including your scalp and hair follicles

There may be something to the vitamin manufacturers claim Several scientific studies have linked hair loss and iron deficiency The evidence isnt perfect however other studies failed to find a connection But its strong enough that many doctors check patients iron levels when evaluating hair loss

How does iron deficiency cause hair problems Some hair vitamin companies claim that lack of iron actually suffocates your scalp that when youre anemic your blood cant deliver enough oxygen to keep your hair healthy Other researchers think low iron may interfere with DNA production Hair follicle cells reproduce very quickly and they use iron in the process If theres not enough iron the cells may not be able to make healthy hair