Do Hair Growth Vitamins Actually Work? These Are 9 Of The Best

If you’ve ever got a little chop-happy with the hairdresser scissors or smiled and nodded with regret at the shorter than preferred cut at the salon, you’ll be looking for a way to grow your hair back as quickly as possible. While the quickest fix is hair extensions, you can help strengthen and grow your natural locks with hair growth vitamins.

Val Garland, L’Oreal Paris’ Global Make-up Director, and a judge on BBC Three’s make-up artist talent show Glow Up, gave the Lumity Morning and Night Female Supplements her seal of approval for hair on our Grazia Beauty Life Lessons podcast.

Speaking to our Head of Beauty, Joely Walker, Garland said, “I’ve been taking these Lumity pills which Kate Moss put me on to. They’re very good for your hair, face, and skin. I don’t know what they do, but I’m buying into the magic of it and I’ll take whatever it takes.”

If it’s good enough for Kate Moss, it’s good enough for us. We’ve put together a list of the best hair growth vitamins worth buying to help your hair flourish and explained exactly what they do.

Do hair growth vitamins work?

We’ve seen them being flogged by celebrities on Instagram as the next best thing, but do they actually work? Yes, if, you’re vitamin deficient and they’re packed with the right ingredients.

Healthy hair needs nutrients to help it grow, and the right hair growth vitamins will include a formulation of these to support hair growth, strength, and thickness. The best vitamins to support normal hair include:

• Vitamin A to promote cell growth and help glands make sebum for scalp moisture

• B vitamins and iron helps carry oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles, which aids in hair growth. The B vitamin called biotin also helps to support the production of keratin, a hair protein that helps hair growth in those who are deficient

• Vitamin C to create collagen, an important part of the hair structure, and a powerful antioxidant against free radical damage

• Vitamin E to boost hair growth and another antioxidant

• Zinc to improve hair tissue growth and repair

If you suffer from hair loss or lacklustre locks, you may be deficient in some of these vitamins and minerals, and using hair growth vitamins will help supplement what you might be missing from your diet.

That being said, hair growth vitamins aren’t miracle workers, and if you are struggling with hair loss, you’d do best talking to your doctor for treatment instead. Likewise, if you’re not actually vitamin deficient, these excess vitamins won’t be absorbed into the body.

It’s also worth keeping in mind that there is no regulatory body in the UK that monitors what hair vitamin companies claim to do so you need to be wary when shopping to make sure you pick up vitamins that’ll actually benefit your hair, ignoring other outlandish claims and questionable research.

Here are the best hair growth vitamins to buy, including Val Garland and Kate Moss’ go-to.

SHOP: The Best Hair Growth Vitamins

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With a skin-savvy following including Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie, and Helena Christensen, this two-step supplement (four weeks supply) has a powerful combination of omegas, minerals, and vitamins to improve hair quality, immunity, energy, and sleep. It features Alanine, Lysine and Arginine to prevent the breakdown of collagen, plus vitamins (including A, C, D and E) and minerals (including iodine, magnesium, selenium, zinc) to support overnight repair and renewal.

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Philip Kingsley, a leading authority on hair loss and scalp care with 60 years of Trichological expertise, has produced the Tricho Complex Tablets, a combination of hair vitamins and minerals to help boost and maintain healthy hair. The 90 tablet pack includes biotin, iron, and Methionine and L-Lysine, essential amino acids that form the building blocks of hair.

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Australian company JS Health has nailed the concept of nourishing the body from within through their solution-focused formulas, along with zinc. The Hair and Energy vitamins in particular (which include 60 capsules) promote hair strength, growth and volume. The vitamins also support energy levels and are free from harmful fillers, binders, colours and preservatives.

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An influencer favourite, these vitamins are available in strawberry and blackcurrant flavour (so they taste delicious), but they also accelerate your hair growth, improve hair elasticity and leave your hair with less breakage. The hair growth formula contains collagen, multiple vitamins including biotin and folic acid.

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This full-spectrum antioxidant supplement has been formulated to fight against environmental damage and encourage the strength and integrity of our cells, from the skin to the hair. The one-month supply is packed with vitamin A, C, E as well as Coenzyme Q10 to boost collagen and Taurine to build protein, vital for healthy functioning of the body.

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These passion fruit flavoured collagen shots contain marine collagen, vitamins C and E, biotin, selenium, hyaluronic acid, resveratrol from grape seed extract, and glucosamine. Take one per day and after a couple of months, you’ll find that not only is your hair healthier, but your nails will be stronger and your skin will be glowing, too.

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This bio-fermented probiotic contains grape seed extract, zinc, and vitamin C as well as a hefty dose of certified organic maqui berry, acai, papaya, blueberry, goji berry, and pomegranate to make your hair and nails longer and stronger and your skin feeling refreshed. The ‘drinkable skin care’ will also help supercharge your collagen production – simply mix 15ml in with water or your favourite smoothie.

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With promising reviews, the Viviscal Hair Growth Programme is a series of supplements enriched with nutrients to help take care of your body from the inside. One of the most clinically researched hair growth brands in the world, the complex directly impacts your hair health with ingredients zinc, biotin, AminoMar C (a marine protein), and iron helping to provide real results.

Natural ways to grow your hair

If you’re not too keen on trying hair growth vitamins, you can manage hair growth just through your diet alone. Expert Joanne Dodds at Hairtrade.com explained that eating healthier food can have an effect on your hair.

“Small changes to your diet could make a big difference to your hair and beauty regime and give you the look you’ve been wanting.

“Important vitamins and minerals can all be found in common foods that will make a big impact. In order to up your gloss game, make sure these root-boosting foods make their way onto your plate.”

You can also encourage hair growth by reducing damage to your hair through heat, overdyeing, and pollutants, and avoiding intense stress.

According to Dr Zenon Andreou, Medical Director for Superdrug, “It’s well established that hair loss can be related to emotional stress or anxiety. There’s usually about a three-month delay between the stressful event or time period and your hair falling out.

“During this time, more hairs on your head are in what’s known as the ‘resting stage’. This doesn’t mean your hair follicles are dead or that your hair will stop growing permanently. Your usual hair growth and regrowth pattern should return to normal a few months after your stress levels go back down to normal.”

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