Vitamins & Minerals for Healthy Hair

Your hair requires a number of vitamins and minerals in order to remain healthy. You can include in your diet foods that contain hair-helping vitamins and minerals, or you can consume supplements to ensure that you get the right amount of vitamins and minerals to maintain a healthy head of hair.

Vitamin A

• In The Beauty Diet: Looking Great has Never Been So Delicious, author Lisa Drayer says your body needs vitamin A to promote healthy cell growth in your scalp and hair. Vitamin A encourages the production of sebum in your scalp; a deficiency in sebum production can lead to dandruff. Males over the age of 19 need 900 micrograms of vitamin A daily, and females need 700 micrograms of this vitamin a day for healthy hair. Pregnant females need 770 micrograms of vitamin A, and nursing women require 1,200 micrograms of vitamin A daily for healthy hair.

  Food sources for vitamin A include calf, beef, chicken liver, fish liver oils, dairy products, whole milk yogurt, whole-milk cottage cheese and butter. Additional food sources include dark-green vegetables, leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables, orange vegetables, carrots, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots, winter squash and mangoes.

Vitamin B6

• Vitamin B6 helps the body create melanin, which gives your skin and hair their color. Vitamin B6 also encourages red blood cell production, so that your body can better oxygenate hair cells and hair follicles. Adults need 1.3 milligrams of vitamin B6 each day for healthy hair growth. As you age, you require a bit more of this vitamin daily; if you are over the age of 51 you will need 1.5 to 1.7 milligrams of vitamin B6 daily. Food sources for vitamin B6 include wheat germ, whole-grain flour, sunflower seeds, bran, spinach, brown rice, carrots, soybeans, lentils, milk, cheese, beef liver, milk, shrimp, chicken, tuna, turkey and salmon.

Vitamin C

• Vitamin C promotes healthy circulation in your scalp and body, and helps to maintain capillaries that support hair follicle growth. A deficiency of vitamin C can lead to hair breakage. Men over the age of 18 need 90 milligrams of vitamin C every day and women require 75 milligrams. Breastfeeding women require 120 milligrams of vitamin C on a daily basis. Food sources for vitamin C include watermelon, grapefruit, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes, green peppers, oranges, cantaloupe, strawberries, cauliflower, citrus juices, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, spinach, turnip greens, red peppers, potatoes, winter squash, cranberries, blueberries, raspberries and pineapple.

Vitamin E

• Vitamin E helps to improve circulation in your scalp. Adults over the age of 18 years old require 22.5 international units (IU) of Vitamin E daily, and breastfeeding women require 28.5 IU daily. Food sources of vitamin E include wheat germ, liver, eggs, corn oil margarine, olive oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, vegetable oil, and canola oil. Kale, spinach, sweet potatoes, yams, asparagus, avocados, beet greens, turnip greens, mustard greens and collard greens are vegetables sources of vitamin E.

Iron

• Your body requires iron to create red blood cells that oxygenate your cells and hair follicles. A deficiency in iron can lead to dry, brittle hair and hair loss. Adult males need 8 milligrams of iron a day and adult women need 18 milligrams daily. Food sources for iron include lean red meats, poultry, shellfish, oysters, fish, dark molasses, bran, liver and dark-green vegetables.

Zinc

• Your hair needs zinc; a deficiency in this mineral can lead to hair loss and a dry, flaky scalp. Men require 11 grams of zinc daily, and adult women need 8 milligrams. Pregnant women need 11 milligrams of zinc a day, and nursing women require 13 milligrams. Food sources for zinc include sunflower seeds, cooked greens, mushrooms, tofu, whole grains, soybeans, peanuts, lima beans, black-eyed peas, pinto beans, crab, shrimp, shellfish, and ricotta, Swiss, and Gouda cheeses.