Hair Growth Vitamins/ "Supplements"

[ChristyLaurenPoole]

Well, I've decided that I'm going to let my hair grow out to its pure NATURAL color. . . .I've accepted the fact that its going to look like a total MESS until I can cut it to a reasonable length, but I've been dying it since I was 14 and feel like seeing what my real hair color is! LOL.

So, that being said, are there any vitamins or 'supplements' that can help speed up the process that you gals have actually tried? I know there are a lot out there, but I'm sure a bunch is just crap, so rather buy one thats been tried and proved awesome!

THANKS !!!!

[sassy69]

If you want to get into the chemistry, GH would help in general.

Otherwise, OTC - B-complex:

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-a...loss-naturally

Treating Hair Loss Naturally

Experts say vitamins, herbs, even diet can help women cope with hair loss

WebMD Feature
Reviewed by Charlotte E. Grayson Mathis, MD



It's been called the "ultimate bad hair day" -- the moment a woman realizes that her sink contains a lot more than just the few strands she's used to seeing following a shampoo or even a vigorous brushing. The problem is hair loss, and whether the result of the aging process or a true medical or genetic condition, the number of women affected appears to be on the rise.
While there are certainly a number of specific medical treatments that offer great results, depending on the cause of the hair loss, and the extent, experts say there are a variety of natural treatments that can yield important benefits for anyone concerned about the health of their hair. Among the first natural lines of defense: Eating a healthy, nutritious diet.


What Your Hair Says About Your Health


Eating for Hair Health

"The same foods that are good for your body and your health overall are good for your hair, including foods that are high in protein, low in carbohydrates and have a reduced fat content," says dermatologist Michael Reed, MD, an expert in female hair loss at New York University Medical Center in New York City. Reed says that what you put on your plate may not put hair on your head, but it can help the hair you do have remain healthier longer.
Another important dietary need are essential fatty acids, found in foods like walnuts, canola oil, fish, and soy.
"This is just an observation, but I believe there are many people who may have a sub-clinical lack of omega 3 fatty acids -- these are 'good' fats, which have anti-inflammatory properties and may actually play a role in healthy hair," says Samantha Heller, MS, RD, a nutritionist at NYU Medical Center.
Heller also warns women that another potential deficiency -- a lack of iron that often occurs during the reproductive years -- can lead to anemia, a reduction of red blood cells that is often an undiagnosed cause of hair loss in women.
"The deficiency may be so slight you barely notice it, but it can play a role in female hair loss," says Heller. Adding more iron-rich foods to your diet -- like broccoli or brewer's yeast -- may actually help reverse some forms of hair loss, she says.
Also important to healthy hair growth are foods containing vitamin B12 -- including eggs, meat, and poultry. According to dermatologist and hair loss expert Ted Daly, MD, it's a nutrient hair just can't live without, and women can easily develop a deficiency.
"In my office it's not uncommon to find a B12 deficiency in women who come in seeking treatment for hair loss," says Daly, a clinical professor of dermatology at Nassau University Medical Center. Often, he says, supplements are necessary to restore levels, which in turn, can sometimes improve hair loss.
Eating for Hair Health continued...

And while you're reaching for that bottle of B12, don't shortchange yourself on the other B vitamins, particularly biotin. According to experts, this nutrient is also essential for hair growth. It's so important that biotin supplements are often prescribed right alongside medical hair loss treatments such as Propecia, Proscar, or minoxidil (Rogaine, Ronoxidil).
"Biotin is a major component in the natural hair manufacturing process -- it is essential to not only grow new hair, but it also plays a major role in the overall health of skin and nails," says Andrew Lessman, clinical researcher and creator of Your Vitamins, an all-natural supplement line manufactured in Henderson, Nevada.
While Lessman says we can get biotin from our diet -- it's present in foods like liver and egg yolks -- we would have to consume thousands of calories daily to get what our hair needs. That's one reason why he and so many dermatologists suggest biotin supplements.
Indeed, Daly says he routinely recommends up to 3 mg of biotin daily for his hair loss patients, while Lessman developed a healthy hair, skin, and nails product containing 2 mg of biotin per daily dosage, which he believes is the minimum for healthy hair.
The recommended daily intake (RDI) of biotin is a scant 300 mcg -- and even the healthiest diets usually contain no more than 30 to 50 mcg, says Lessman.
Both Daly and Reed also recommend zinc supplements -- normally about 80 mg daily -- because studies show this nutrient may affect the levels of androgens, the hormones involved in some forms of genetic hair loss.
Lessman and Heller, however, are more cautious, advising against the use of zinc supplementation in levels any higher than what might be in a multivitamin.
"It's imperative that zinc and copper remain in the proper ratio. And unless you also supplement copper you don't want to dramatically increase zinc intake," says Lessman. What's more, since both metals are pro-oxidants (meaning they contribute to unhealthy free radical formation) Lessman says supplementation in any significant amount would require careful health monitoring by a doctor.
Heller adds that taking too much zinc can also cause a copper deficiency, which in turn can actually cause hair loss -- another reason she believes supplementation of these minerals is unnecessary.
What may be important for women to take, however, is the nutrient known as methylsulfonylmethane or MSM -- a substance vital to the life of hair and skin.
"The same way that biotin is a component of the manufacturing process of hair, the sulphur found in MSM can be intrinsic to the structural development of hair -- particularly because it is so well-absorbed," says Lessman. He recommends 700 mg of MSM daily.
The Buzz on Herbs For Hair Loss

Among the herbs making medical headlines is saw palmetto, shown in clinical trials to have some impact on benign prostatic hyperplasia -- or enlarged prostate. Because this condition has been linked to an increase in the same hormones related to hair loss -- androgens, including testosterone -- at least some experts believe that saw palmetto may work much like the hair loss drug finasteride (Propecia or Proscar), which was originally developed to treat prostate enlargement.
The Buzz on Herbs For Hair Loss continued...

While there are no clinical trials attesting to saw palmetto's usefulness as a treatment for hair loss, there is at least some reliable research showing that it can stop or at least reduce androgen activity within the hair follicle. Whether or not this can stop hair loss in women is completely unknown -- a fact that causes Heller some concern.
"If the herb is strong enough to effect androgen pathways, then women should not be taking it without their doctor's approval -- particularly if they are using any form of female hormones, including HRT [menopausal hormone replacement therapy], birth control pills, or even phytoestrogens [such as soy]," says Heller.
What may be a bit safer for women to take is green tea, which some studies have shown may influence blood concentrations of hormones linked to at least one form of genetic hair loss known as androgenic alopecia. In one study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer in 1998, Japanese researchers found that drinking green tea could increase levels of the sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) in women. Since this biochemical binds testosterone, the more SHBG present in a woman's body, at least theoretically, the less testosterone will be in her bloodstream. And that, say some experts, may block the chain of hormonal activity that initiates some forms of hair loss
"I don't think we have solid evidence that green tea can help, but it is certainly a good source of antioxidants and may have some anti-cancer properties, so it certainly would not hurt a woman to include it in her diet," says Heller.
Other folklore treatments involving herbs and plants include licorice extract (thought to prevent hair loss, but can also increase blood pressure); horsetail (which is a source of silica, a component in healthy hair); apple cider vinegar and sage tea applied directly to the scalp (thought to stimulate hair growth); psoralea seeds (a Chinese herb applied to the scalp) and ginger (either taken as a tea or applied to the scalp).
Hair Loss and Hair Care: What You Should Know

The idea that hair care products -- including shampoos, dyes, bleaches, perms, and even blow dryers -- can damage your tresses should come as no surprise. However, what you may not realize is that hair damage from products or procedures is not the same as hair loss caused by genetic or even medical problems. Surprisingly, this means that hair care products generally don't figure into the hair loss equation.
"Damage from hair care products or procedures generally causes breakage -- which is not the same as hair loss that occurs at the level of the hair follicle -- so it's rare that anything you can put on your hair is going to increase the risk of hair loss," Daly tells WebMD. In this respect, he says, women suffering from hair loss don't have to be afraid of grooming, or even color treating or perming their hair.
Hair Loss and Hair Care: What You Should Know continued...

"It's possible that a perming solution or a dye might inflame the scalp and cause problems related to hair loss, but that is very, very rare and not likely to happen," says Daly.
At the same time, Reed says it's also not a good idea to "punish" the hair you do have by over processing -- or by overusing a hot blow dryer.
"You should certainly observe the same common sense rules you would if you didn't suffer from hair loss, and take care of the hair you do have," says Reed.
Top Picks

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• Slideshow: What Your Hair and Scalp Say About Your Health

View Article Sources
SOURCES: Michael Reed, MD, associate clinical professor, dermatology, NYU School of Medicine, New York City, New York; Samantha Heller, MS, RD, nutritionist, NYU Medical Center, New York City, NY; Ted Daly, MD, Garden City Dermatology and Nassau University Medical Center , East Meadow, New York; Andrew Lessman, clinical researcher, director and founder of "Your Vitamins", Henderson, Nv; Nutrition and Cancer, 1998;30(1):21-4.


Reviewed on December 16, 2003
© 2003 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.



http://www.vitamins-nutrition.org/vi...mins-hair.html

Vitamins for Your Hair
Vitamins for your Hair
By: Dr. George Obikoya

Healthy hair is not only a pleasure to behold, it is pleasing to the person that has it. A single follicle on the human scalp produces approximately .35 millimeters of hair shaft per day. The cycles of growth of each follicle consist of the building up and tearing down of the structure. After a period of rest the follicle is built anew from raw materials and each hair follicle goes through this identical processes as it grows longer and stronger. A high-quality liquid multivitamin supplies the body with the proper amino acids, vitamins and minerals that you may not be receiving in your diet to help create beautiful hair.

It is important to point out at this point that many of the metabolic requirements of the cells of the hair follicle must be met at this time or adequate and optimal hair growth will not occur. This means that certain vitamins and minerals must be present in adequate proportions or there will be faulty or nonexistent hair growth. Research has shown that in our hurry up world of fast food, and extreme work schedules we have developed extraordinarily poor eating habits. This extremely poor diet affecting our general health and energy levels and makes our fingernails weaker and our hair thinner and far less healthier.

Along with stress, toxins in the environment, exposure to the sun, cigarette smoke (actively or passively inhaled), excess alcohol consumption and lack of sleep sometimes makes our bodies work overtime to maintain a standard of marginal health - not optimal.

These factors may lead to a decline in our cosmetic appearance, including our hair, being compromised and weakened. Because we consider our hair to be expendable and not needed to maintain your health, at least our physical health, it tends to be the last part of us to receive attention.

The result of this is dull, lifeless hair, or even retarded (slowed) hair growth. What should enhance our best features has become a deterrent to our beauty as individuals and the way others possibly perceive our health and how attractive we appear to them. This does not have to be so. Remember, people subconsciously use triggers like how healthy your face or hair is to make a subconscious judgment about your overall health.

Taking proper, daily vitamins and minerals plays a huge role in keeping your hair healthy. Any nutritional deficiencies can lead to thinning hair or even total baldness. It is a well-known fact that an under-active thyroid can result in frizzy or brittle hair while an overactive thyroid turns hair greasy and limp. The goal is proper supplementation and proper nutritional balance.

In an older person the total number of the capillary loops (blood source) supplying the hair follicles is considerably diminished. This diminution (reduction) of blood supplied to the hair follicle would require either greater blood flow through these follicles or an increased amount of nutrients of various types such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids in order to supple the hair follicle with the same amount of these materials. Since the former is unlikely, as blood vessels are decreasing instead of increasing, it appears that the latter course, mainly supplying more nutrients, would be the most logical way to keep the hair follicle in its "younger" state.

Your hair ultimately reflects the overall condition of your body. If your body is healthy and well-nourished, your hair will be your shining glory. If you are having any health problems or suffering from any nutritional deficiencies, your hair may stop growing or show damage or become brittle. If your body is in good health, you can maximize your genetic growth cycle through taking the proper blend of amino acids and B-vitamins.

It is also important to include B-6, biotin, inositol and folic acid in the supplemental program. It has been found that certain minerals including magnesium, sulfur, silica and zinc are also very important toward maintaining healthy hair.

Beta-carotene is also important to hair growth. This is so because beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A as the body needs it, helps maintain normal growth and bone development, protective sheathing around nerve fibers, as well as promoting healthy skin, hair and nails.

Besides making lifestyle changes, taking the following supplements every day is recommended to boost your hair growth:

Vitamin B-complex - 50 mg. of the major B-vitamins (including folate, biotin and inositol)
Vitamin B-6 - 50 mg. of vitamin B-6

Vitamin C with bioflavonoids - one to two grams daily Vitamin E - 400 to 800 IU daily

Beta-Carotene - 10,000 to 15,000 IU of beta-carotene daily

One recommended daily dose of magnesium, sulfur, zinc

Flaxseed oil - one tbsp daily or one tablet
Beta-Carotene - 10,000 to 15,000 IU of beta-carotene daily

Certain vitamins, minerals and amino-acids are crucial to the metabolic pathways involved in keratin protein (hair) metabolism. Without the nutrients cited, it is well known that the hair growth process will slow or cease, leading to a potential loss of hair and substantial degradation of hair health. There is a rather adequate research basis to justify product effectiveness claims for a vitamin, mineral and amino-acid complex designed to supply the nutrients needed by healthy growing hair. Think about it. How many sick people do you know with a full head of healthy hair?
A good multivitamin is the foundation of health and nutrition. Take a look at our scientific reviews of many of the popular brands for factors such as ingredients, areas of improvement, quality level, and overall value. If you are looking for a high quality liquid multivitamin, we suggest that you take a look at the Multivitamin Product Comparisons.

[musclemilf]

5000 mcgs of biotin daily works like a charm.

[ChristyLaurenPoole]

Thanks MuscleMilf, I think you posted that before and that was what I was looking for! AND Jill, thats a good read! Thanks girl.......I'm not sure if taking growth to increase hair growth would be a good idea? I mean, wouldn't it 'grow' all over??

[sassy69]

I don't think its really going to produce more hair growth, e.g. Rogaine or Latisse - both of those require that you continue to use them or the hair falls out. But rather Biotin is a standard supplement for "strong hair & nails" - so it would be making your hair stronger, dunno about making it grow faster tho.

[ChristyLaurenPoole]

Ok so I finally got around to reading the article. I got some Biotin, but the article says up to 3mg/day so I'm going to do that. I'm going to pick up some B-12/B-6 and some MSM. I think thats really all I can do herb wise. Not thinking I'm gonna jump to GH just ...............yet

[Mr.Dedication]

caffeine has been proven to make your hair grow faster. NTBM is about to come out with a caffeine shampoo.

[ChristyLaurenPoole]

Huh, thats interesting. . . .

[musclemilf]

caffeine has been proven to make your hair grow faster. NTBM is about to come out with a caffeine shampoo.

Uh huh, if that were true there would be a lot of bald men pouring pots of coffee over their heads.

[Medium Extreme]

folic acid

[TheGent]

Uh huh, if that were true there would be a lot of bald men pouring pots of coffee over their heads.

Not me. Double espresso all the way!

[Mr.Dedication]

Uh huh, if that were true there would be a lot of bald men pouring pots of coffee over their heads.

that's due to thinning not uber slow growth.

Russianstar: HAIR REGROWTH.. IS IT POSSIBLE, INGREDIENTS THAT WORK! For the last 9 years or so, ever since my first visits to gyms and sports halls, i couldn't help but notice that 70 percent of muscular guys who were in these gyms were either bald, balding, or very receding. This spiked my interest at an early age to find out what preventions there were , and what could be done to help cause regrowth of lost hair.

Enter the famous DHT blockers, with an astounding array of nasty sides, I know there has to be something better!!

Well through my studies i came across a few surprising alternitive therapies.

The main reason why lots of people get receeding hair lines, thinning hair and baldness is actualy caused by a lack of blood flow to the scalp..add that to the reduced size of the follicles caused by the conversion of DHT and then it binding to the skin and you have a recipe for hair loss.

So what can be done?

Well firstly i looked at vasolidators not prostaglandins, i wanted to look at products that contained the NO chemical analog.. Nitric oxide.reason being is that NO causes blood vessels to relax then It opens them up, promoting easy blood flow. Accordingly, NO is also referred to as endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). NO is a ubiquitous messenger with far-reaching effects in the body, Suprisingly minoxidil contains the NO chemical group, Just look at its name! miNOxidil. Now NO is involved in opening potassium channels, also known as the K-channels, so more blood flow to the follicles =more nutrients delivered and more stimulation of the follicle.. so this is a great start.

So the product ive been looking at is the amino acid L-arginine, its got great potential as a toplical blood flow enhancer, its just 174.2 daltons, thats its molecular weight so making it a transdermal is very possible. And its a very active precursor to NO!

The next ingredient i looked at was caffeine, its been used topicaly for hundreds of years in some cultures to stimulate healing... well if we look at balding as a wound, caused by a lack of circulation then it looks like caffeine might help, but how?

Well firstly here is a study conducted by the University of jena in germany.

Research carried out at the Department of Dermatology and Allergology, at the Univeristy of Jena, in Germany, studied the effects of both caffeineand testosterone on in vitro hair follicle samples.The research aimed to determine the affect of both these substances on androgenetic alopecia and (AGA), a form of hereditary hair loss. This condition affects 50 per cent of men aged 50 years old and currently feeds a huge industry that includes topical, oral and surgical treatments.

The research found that caffeine application spurred growth, while testosterone clearly impeded growth.

Hair follicles from 14 biopsies were taken from the top of the scull of male patients and the samples were cultivated for 120hrs to 192hrs, with hair shaft elongation measured on a daily basis and at the end of the test period.

The results showed significant growth suppression in hair follicles treated with 5 micro grams per milliliter. This was countered by caffeine tested in concentrations of 0.0001 per cent and 0.005 per cent.

The researchers said that, on the contrary, caffeine significantly boosted growth of the hair follicles, leading the team to conclude that caffeine is a stimulator of hair growth and 'may have important clinical impact in the management of AGA'

It seems that caffeine actualy stimulates blood flow to the follicles and impedes the effects that Testosterone has on downsizing the follicle, causing the hair shaft to become thinner, as Caffeine regultes testosterone so well, its future looks bright, but topicaly not oraly is the way to go.

Next i looked at alternative DHT blockers.. no not saw palmetto.. something better.

Banana peel extract, no im not joking though it could be why monkeys are so hairy!

A methanol extract of banana peel (BPEx, 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly suppressed the regrowth of ventral prostates and seminal vesicles induced by testosterone in castrated mice. Further studies in the androgen-responsive LNCaP human prostate cancer cell line showed that BPEx inhibited dose-dependently testosterone-induced cell growth, while the inhibitory activities of BPEx did not appear against dehydrotestosterone-induced cell growth. These results indicate that methanol extract of banana peel can inhibit 5alpha-reductase and might be useful in the treatment of benign prostate hyperlasia.. Whats interesting is that it seems its more effective than saw palmetto at this.

The other one i looked at was Equol (7-hydroxy-3[4'hydroxyphenyl]-chroman) is the major metabolite of the phytoestrogen daidzein, one of the main isoflavones found abundantly in soybeans and soy foods.. The reason this is interesting is because of its unique action on DHT.

This is the magic part.

equol specifically binds 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT), but not testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, or estrogen with high affinity. Equol does not bind the prostatic androgen receptor, and has a modest affinity for recombinant estrogen receptor (ER) beta, and no affinity for ERalpha. In castrated male rats treated with DHT, concomitant treatment with equol blocked DHT's trophic effects on the ventral prostate gland growth and inhibitory feedback effects on plasma LH levels without changes in circulating DHT. Therefore, equol can bind circulating DHT and sequester it from the androgen receptor, thus altering growth and physiological hormone responses that are regulated by androgens. So You still recieve the benefits of DHT but not in the androgen receptor of the skin primarily.

Now the exciting part is that i combined these ingredients.. and i found something very interesting, One person who recently lost hair after using Masteron Tren and Test, regained 80 percent of his hair on the hair line, Now in the process of carrying out a study on somone with MPB that he has had exert its affects since he was 17, now at the age of 37 he is nearly completely bald... My anticipation is building to see the results.

In the meantime, look for shampoos containing caffeine... And keep positive, this a a hugely under invested, and under studied area, breakthroughs are coming... combining the above ingredients and the positive effects of GHRH analogs like CJC-1295, and GHRP's like ipamorelin seems to be the way to go, as both of these increase blood flow, and your healing hormone GH.. as GH opens the potassium channels.

My research will continue, if you enjoy reading please post a comment, any donations are accepted.

Kind regards RS

His a PRODUCT INNOVATOR, GAUSE INSTITUTE.
AKA PROFFESOR FILIMANOV

[Mr.Dedication]

I didn't want to post all the stuff about the shampoo but here's the link to it
http://www.needtobuildmuscle.com/sto...nted--p85.html

Also there is a lot of other shampoos with caffeine in it but I'm going to try this next month and they do have money back guarantee but this is not a over night thing.

Also fina helps preventing test to DHT.

[ChristyLaurenPoole]

Honestly, I think you just won me over on the fact that its CHOCOLATE scented shampoo.........

[Cdimeo]

Ive found biotin works wonders--on nails too--but unfortunately it exacerbated hair growth everywhere lol i had only tried it bc I lost a lot of hair immediately postpregnancy. Pregnancy works wonders for hair too though Im by no means advocating that lol. Ive also heard prenatal vits are good and you could prob have them prescribed without he obvious warrant.