Prenatal vitamins are essential for a healthy pregnancy, but is it true that hair health can also be influenced by taking prenatals? Let’s find out!
By Dr. Kenosha Gleaton, Chief Medical Advisor, Natalist
The word on the street is that prenatals can give you glossy, vibrant, and strong hair, but do prenatal vitamins even have anything to do with hair health? Don’t fret; we’re here to break down the science behind these claims.
Who can benefit from taking prenatal vitamins
While prenatal vitamins are typically reserved for pregnant women or those trying to conceive, other people may be able to benefit from taking prenatal vitamins as well. More specifically, anyone in need of larger doses of vitamins due to various deficiencies.
Can prenatal vitamins support hair health?
The short answer is yes, but that’s not what they’re intended to do. Prenatal vitamins are multivitamins with added ingredients to support a growing baby. Prenatal vitamins are specifically formulated to support a healthy pregnancy, not hair health. That being said, hair health — including hair thickness, color, and strength is somewhat impacted by diet and nutrition overall. Micronutrients play an important, but not entirely clear, role in normal hair follicle development and immune cell function. Certain vitamins and minerals are beneficial for maintaining different properties in the body, including hair, skin and nails.
How do vitamins support hair growth
Different vitamins and minerals can help regulate or support the body’s production and maintenance of proteins, AKA the building blocks of hair. When you consistently provide your body with the appropriate nutrients, it keeps many different processes working efficiently, resulting in healthier organs, and in return, healthy skin and hair.
Ingredients in vitamins that are good for hair growth
- Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to female pattern hair loss as well as alopecia and premature hair greying.
- Folic acid (folate) has been shown to moderately impact the progression of hair loss and prevent premature greying.
- B12 has been shown to moderately impact the progression of hair loss and help prevent premature greying.
- Selenium, a common mineral in multivitamins, has been linked to preventing premature greying.
When can you expect to see results?
Most multivitamins contain both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins, which means the rate of absorption can vary. Within a full 24 hours, you will have broken down most of the vitamins and minerals found in a multivitamin.
Vitamins, hair, and health (oh my!)
Prenatal vitamins are an essential part of a pregnancy routine that provide many key health benefits to a growing baby. While some claim that prenatal vitamins can help with hair health and growth, it can actually be toxic to consume prenatal vitamins when you’re not pregnant or trying to conceive. Excess amounts of vitamins can in fact be damaging to the body, so we recommend sticking to a regular multivitamin which may actually help with hair health. Some vitamins and minerals have been linked to fuller, more pigmented hair, but you don’t need to take a prenatal vitamin in order to get these nutrients.
To learn more about Natalist, head to natalist.com.
