Hair, skin, and nail supplements are a dime a dozen. Everywhere you look, you’ll find them: online, on pharmacy shelves, in influencer videos. There are hair supplement gummies, straight-up pills, serums, elixirs — and there’s limited research that any of them even work. Let’s not even begin talking about how few federal regulations exist to provide oversight when it comes to the ingredients used in these supplements. It’s pretty much the Wild West where oversight is concerned.
Does that mean you should forego supplementation altogether? Not necessarily — thought knowing what to avoid can help you save money and maintain better health (remember: there are vitamins and minerals in these supplements and you can overdo it). Dr. Jenny Liu cuts through market speak to point out a few supplements that she actually recommends (note: there aren’t many).
Always visit your dermatologist first before beginning a supplement routine — and try to get to the root cause of your hair loss before starting a new program.
Supplementing Zinc, Iron, and Vitamin D — IF You’re Deficient
Before you purchase an expensive supplement, asking your doctor to run bloodwork tests can help determine if you are deficient in three key nutrients: zinc, iron, and vitamin D. Having a deficiency in any one of these nutrients can affect your hair, but it’s important to identify this as a cause before taking vitamins. There is a such thing as too much supplementation and an abundance of any one vitamin or mineral can be ineffective, at best, and harmful at worst (iron can actually be toxic to your body if you take too much of it).
Basically: visit your doctor first to rule out any nutrient deficiencies.
Viviscal
Of the many supplements on the market, Dr. Liu says there are two that have some science backing their claims. One is Viviscal, which contains AminoMar Marine Complex, which is derived from shark cartilage grown in a laboratory setting.
You can purchase Viviscal here.
Nutrafol
Nutrafol is another hair supplement with an effective ingredient behind it: synergen complex, which is a blend of hydrolyzed collagen with other ingredients that have been found in clinical studies to help with hair loss in males and females.
You can purchase Nutrafol here.
Address Stress
Most experts, including Dr. Liu, are not automatically suggesting their patients dash off to the pharmacy to pick up a hair supplement. Addressing the root cause of hair loss should be the first plan of attack. In some cases, lifestyle could be affecting your hair — stress is a big cause of hair shedding in both women and men. Finding natural ways of curbing stress — like exercise and meditation — can be very helpful. Talking to your doctor about any medicines or supplements you are currently taking can also help get some answers about your hair loss.
There simply isn’t a lot of research behind hair supplements and whether they work — Viviscal and Nutrafol are exceptions.
