If you want strong hair that does not break easily and has a bit of gloss and flex to it then you must make sure that you are getting enough Vitamin A supplementation. Sometimes food sources of A such as carrots, yams or pumpkin are not enough to give us the high doses we need to repair that is broken from over processing.
Yet another benefit of Vitamin A is that it helps keep the sebum in your scalp healthy. It becomes the right consistency to keep your strands consistently moisturized. It is a clarifying yet strengthening supplement at the same time.
Vitamin A and beta-carotene also assists with promoting healthy, skin and nails and protects the sheathes around your nerves from degrading.
Vitamin A and carotene is made from both animal or vegetable sources so if you are vegan you might want to check the labels to make sure you eating from the right source. Vitamin A is also one of the more complex of vitamins and has many different classifications.
If the Vitamin A is derived from an animal source then it can be classified as either retinol or dehydroretinol. Vegetable carotene is categorized into four groups - – alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, gamma-carotene and crypto-carotene.
What’s the big deal about beta-carotene? With enough beta-carotene available in the body, the body can manufacture its own vitamin A. If not then you need to find that Vitamin A in food sources or in a supplement in a pill. Vitamin A is not really sold in liquid form. Natural food sources of both Vitamin A and beta-carotene include fish liver oil, milk, eggs, meat cheese, cabbage, carrots, peaches and apricots.
Daily dosage should be 5,000 IU. More than 25,000 IU is toxic and can actually cause the reverse of what you want and cause cause hair loss! Take vitamin A with B group vitamins, vitamins C, D and E, choline, essential fatty acids together with calcium, phosphorus and zinc for the best results.
If you have brittle hair that seems dry or breaks easy or a scalp that is dry and flaky then a shortage of Vitamin A could be the problem. If you drink a lot of alcohol, smoke any kind of cigarettes or live in a polluted area you need more Vitamin A. Supplementation s also a good idea if you have an under-active thyroid gland or diabetes.
Sometimes we think we are getting enough Vitamin A but if we do not get the results we want then make sure you are keeping your Vitamin A in a cool dark place. The vitamin is destroyed by light and high temperatures. Cooking food-sources of Vitamin A in copper pots can destroy it and soaking beta-carotene rich vegetables or fruit in water for long periods of time also causes them to lose their nutrients.
One warning: be very careful to not to take Vitamin A if you are pregnant! Check with your doctor to be absolutely certain you are taking an effective but safe dose! Also, please consider that are many hair regrowth products on the market that make extravagant claims. You should always consult a physician prior to dramatically altering your diet or taking hair products or supplements.
