Have you ever chopped off your hair thinking “it’ll grow back!” only to find that it takes forever and a day because your hair just doesn’t seem to be growing? Have you fought with breaking nails while you long for strong, beautiful fingernails?
If you can relate to any of the above, you may be lacking in certain vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. You can potentially reverse these issues and grow longer, stronger, more beautiful hair and nails by finding the best vitamin stack for hair and nails.
How Do Vitamins and Minerals Affect Hair and Nails?
Vitamins and minerals are crucial for the overall health of your body – hair and nails are no exception. If your diet is lacking in any area it will show in the form of brittle nails and lackluster locks.
The nutrients which are particularly relevant to your hair and nails’ appearance are iron, vitamin A, B vitamins, vitamin E, vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium.
Supplements containing these elements can help to reverse any deficiencies and bring your appearance back to its peak.
Ideally, a healthy diet and lifestyle is the perfect way to make improvements to your hair and nails. However, most American diets are lacking in many of these vitamins and minerals, so hair and nails supplements are a perfectly acceptable alternative.
How Can a Vitamin Stack for Hair and Nails Help?
A vitamin stack is simply a set of vitamins grouped together for a single purpose. Vitamin stacks for hair and nails can be helpful for lots of different issues. They are perfect for people with nails that peel, break, crack, or simply don’t grow well. People often use them to help their nails recover after damage from the application of false nails.
Several vitamin stacks are marketed as helping hair grow faster. This is ideal if you’re aiming for long hair or simply thicker hair at your current length. They are also great for thin or dull hair that lacks body and bounce. Though their use in the treatment of hair loss is not necessarily scientifically supported, they may still be used in these cases.
What Can Iron Do for Your Hair and Nails?
Symptoms of iron deficiency include brittle nails that crack and peel, as well as hair loss or lackluster locks. (source) The best way to avoid these symptoms of iron deficiency is to get more of it in your diet, but supplements work as well.
It’s important to be cautious with iron, however. This mineral can cause problems when too much is taken. Iron poisoning can occur, potentially causing stomach issues including vomiting, constipation, or abdominal pain. In serious cases of iron overdose, organ failure and death can occur. (source) A simple blood test from your doctor will tell you whether you could benefit from an iron supplement or if you’re already getting enough from diet.
What Can B Vitamins Do for Hair and Nails?
There are several B vitamins that play a role in the health of hair and nails. One of the most popular is biotin or vitamin B7. Despite the convincing anecdotal evidence, actual scientific proof is very weak when it comes to biotin supplementation and the health of hair and nails.
However, it’s unlikely that taking a biotin supplement will do any harm. Since B vitamins are water-soluble, they are easily flushed from the body. It’s not likely the miracle ingredient that manufacturers claim but if you’re desperate for longer, thicker hair, I think it’s worth a shot.
What Can Zinc Do For Your Hair and Nails?
Zinc deficiency can cause problems with the growth of fingernails. (source) One result is brittle nails. If your nails break easily, the best vitamin stack for hair and nails for you is likely one that contains zinc. Taking zinc supplements won’t help much if you’re not deficient, though.
How to Use Magnesium for Hair and Nails
Magnesium is an oft used supplement for those experiencing hair loss or graying hair. One of the symptoms of magnesium deficiency is also slowed growth of the fingernails. Since most diets in the US are deficient in magnesium, supplementing this mineral is likely to produce results. (source)
What Does Vitamin E Do for Hair and Nails?
Vitamin E may increase blood flow to the hair follicles and nail beds, promoting growth. Vitamin E deficiency may slow the growth of hair and nails, and cause irregularities in the structure of hair or nails.
The antioxidant properties of vitamin E may also help to prevent damage from occurring to the hair and nail structures. (source)
How Can Vitamin D Improve Hair and Nails?
Vitamin D is said to help new hair follicles to form and encourage dormant follicles to begin growing hair again. Evidence to support these claims are slim, however.
It’s important to note that vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, which means it can build up in the body over time and cause toxicity, which can lead to too much calcium in the blood. (source)
Who Should Use Hair and Nails Vitamins?
A vitamin stack for hair and nails can be effective for most any adult, male or female, who wishes to improve the look and growth of hair and nails. Be careful if you’re already taking other supplements as an overlap in ingredients can lead to toxicity. In addition, if you’re taking a prescription medicine or suffer from a long term health condition, it’s best to check with your doctor or pharmacist before starting any new supplement.
Supplement Warnings
Supplements can be a great way to remedy vitamin and mineral deficiencies, or to address certain health problems in a more natural way, but it’s important to remember that they should be used with caution. Take the recommended dosage at the recommended time and follow all product directions.
Be cautious when using supplements that contain vitamin E. This vitamin is poses no issues at the levels found in the foods we eat, but vitamin E supplementation has been known to cause bleeding problems, including bleeding of the brain.
How to Choose the Best Vitamin Stack for Hair and Nails
Look for a supplement made in a facility that is certified to GMP (good manufacturing practice for pharmaceuticals), and also third party tested for purity. Remember that high price doesn’t always mean high quality, and choose a supplement with the hair and nail supporting ingredients listed above.
Check out our picks and opinions on the best vitamin stack for hair and nails below.
Conclusion
My personal choice for the best vitamin stack for hair and nails is FutureBiotic. It wins our pick for the best vitamin stack for hair and nails because for its comprehensive formula and great value for money. Due to the high dosage per capsule, you could easily half the portion and make it into a two month supply at a very reasonable price.
If you have any other questions about vitamins or supplements, drop us a comment or an e-mail. We’d be happy to share our knowledge or find the answer.
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