What is hair?
Before we dive into vitamins and how they can help with the growth process, let’s take a second to get to the root (pun intended) of what your hair is and how it forms. First, no matter where the hair is——head, leg, arm——it all begins the same way.
The hair growth process begins at the hair root. This is located underneath your skin, where cells bond together and form keratin. You might have heard of keratin before at your hair salon—it’s the protein that your hair is composed of.
The hair root itself is located inside of a follicle, which is essentially a small tube in your skin. Once it starts to grow, the hair pushes up from the root and ultimately out of the follicle through your skin. That’s when you’ll actually be able to see the hair itself.
There are small blood vessels located at the bottom of every hair follicle to feed the hair root and maintain its growth. Yet once the hair reaches your skin’s surface, the cells that constitute the strand of hair aren’t alive. This is why it isn’t painful when someone cuts your hair at a hair appointment. It also means that every hair you see on your body is composed of dead cells.
Almost all the hair follicles are attached to a specific type of gland. These sebaceous glands are sometimes simply referred to as oil glands because of their role in pumping out the oil that allows hair to be shiny and even a little waterproof.
What are the phases of hair growth?
There are four phases of hair growth, and each of them has a different purpose and lasts a unique amount of time. You lose approximately 100 hairs per day, but never fear, because your skin is always working something out in the hair growth process. Here’s what exactly that looks like.
We start out in the anagen phase. Think of this as your hair’s growing phase. During this time, the protein root all the way down in your hair follicle will start accumulating cells. These cells will then form into a rope-esque structure which is—you guessed it—hair.
The scalp’s blood supply feeds the hair follicle and even enables it to divide into more cells. The longer that your hair’s anagen phase lasts, the longer that your hair will grow. This phase typically can last somewhere between two to six years.
After that phase comes the catagen, or transitionary, phase. During this time, the follicle will stop feeding the hair new cells and wither. The hair ultimately gets pushed further up the shaft for a while, so it might seem like it’s getting longer, but there’s no active growth.
The next phase is the telogen phase. Your follicle will be dormant for weeks or even months, which is why it’s referred to as the resting phase. Finally, the exogen phase arrives, which is when hair is shed to make way for new hair. Bear in mind that shedding is normal, but massive amounts of shedding and breakage may indicate a larger problem, and you may need to speak to a doctor or dermatologist.
What vitamin supplements support hair growth?
There are several vitamins that scientists have investigated for their perceived impact on hair growth. Let’s dive right into discussing how exactly those vitamins (or one multivitamin) can be supportive.
First, let’s talk about vitamin D. If you have a lack of vitamin D, you’re not alone. Vitamin D deficiency has even been classified as a global health problem because it is so pervasive. It is believed that having a deficiency may impact the health of your hair, amongst other things.
Getting enough vitamin D through sunlight, supplements, or foods is an excellent way to help ensure that a lack of this vitamin isn’t to blame for having hair difficulties. Vitamin C, found in most citrus fruits, is also believed to help with hair growth, as it supports the creation of collagen, a necessary part of hair structure. Continuing the micronutrient list, your body also needs vitamin A, which helps your body produce enough sebum to keep your hair healthy, as well as vitamin E, as its antioxidant properties may help reduce oxidative stress in the scalp and combat free radicals.
Up next is iron. Iron actually plays a multifaceted role in regards to your hair. Not only is it important to hair growth, but it’s also critical to hair health—and a shockingly large number of people struggle with an iron deficiency. Iron is rich in foods like leafy greens, whole grains, and red meat, but if you’re not getting enough of it in your diet, you might consider a supplement to boost those low levels and fend off anemia.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also known for their impact on hair growth. Foods like shellfish and flaxseed are good sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, but you can also get it in supplements like fish oil. These fatty acids are important to cell health and are largely considered to help make your scalp and hair healthier, which may help your hair grow. Zinc is also a popular supplement for hair and scalp health.
Finally, biotin supplements are popular as hair growth vitamins, too. It’s actually a water-soluble-B-vitamin, which means that if you have any extra, it will exit your body when you urinate. Other honorable mentions include vitamin B7, vitamin B12, which helps your body produce red blood cells, magnesium, which may prevent calcium buildup, folic acid, and selenium. Your body also needs certain amino acids to support healthy hair growth, like cysteine and lysine.
Why pick a custom hair growth supplement?
While these vitamins are all supportive and helpful with hair growth and in supporting nutritional deficiencies, we think it’s important to keep in mind that your hair isn’t like anyone else’s. That’s why you deserve specialized, custom hair products and supplements that will help your hair be as shiny and healthy as it can be. That’s where Prose steps in.
Our supplements aren’t one size fits all—and that’s our difference. Instead, we actually customize our hair supplements to promote healthy hair growth*, specifically for you. With ingredients like millet extract, acerola, and vitamin B, you know you’re getting exactly the right potent vitamins, nutrients, and amino acids to support healthy hair. These vitamins can even help fill nutritional gaps, so they’ll factor into your everyday diet well, too.
In conclusion
While there are vitamins and supplements you can find at a vitamin shop to help support your hair’s growth, at Prose we believe that your hair deserves something more personalized.
Our Root Source™ supplement system is equipped with millet, wheat oil, horsetail extract, and coriander oil to reduce hair shedding, condition the hair, and soothe the scalp—that’s only in our daily softgel for hair growth*. Plus, they’re vegan and gluten-free!
In the daily capsule, you’ll find ingredients like saffron, biotin, zinc, and turmeric. Your hair deserves customized care—and we’re here to help you give it exactly that in an easy, manageable wellness system.
We like to call our Root™ Source products custom, clean, and safe—because that’s exactly what they are. Give your hair the care it needs and that it deserves. Your Root Source™ match is waiting for you!
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
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