Folic acid, also known as Vitamin B9, is also referred to as folacin or folate and it is one of those vitamins that women cannot do without. Without enough folic acid all of the systems in the body go awry because Vitamin B9 is responsible for DNA synthesis and cell formation and growth.  Without folic acid your body cannot create the amino acids that are the building blocks of protein. Hair is 100% protein so you can see how necessary it is to have plenty of it in your body or there will be no continued or new natural hair growth!

The actual chemical name of this hair friendly is pteroylglutamic acid. This vitamin can be manufactured by the body and be stored in the liver. It is also known as folic acid, folacin and folate.

If your hair seems thin and is breaking a lot and if you also feel nervous and suffer from heartburn it could be an indication that you need more folic acid. People with a deficiency of B9 also often feel irritable nervous and fatigued.  Cracking at the corners of the mouth is a sign you need more Vitamin B9.

Folic acid is most effective when taken in conjunction with B12, B6 and Vitamin C. You need to be careful not to take amounts that are too high because it can mask the symptoms of a Vitamin B12 deficiencies.

Folic acid is in real short supply for women who smoke cigarettes or drink too much alcohol. In fact dull hair and skin, fatigue and low folic acid levels are one of the first symptoms of lung cancer.

Hormone replacement therapy, birth control pills and drinking goat’s milk instead of cow’s milk can also cause depletion like this in the body.  Vegetarians are also likely to be short iron as one of the main sources of it is meat.

The main food sources of Vitamin B9 include meats, liver spinach, broccoli, beans, whole grains and fruit. It is a very unstable nutrient that is easily destroyed by light and heat so eating your broccoli and spinach raw is the best way to get enough if you do not want to supplement with a pill. However the benefits of taking a supplement is that you at least have some sort of control over the dose you are getting.

You can also get nice liquid formulas that contain Vitamin B9 from companies like Salus and Floradix that come in both  vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions.  This liquid form is easier for some people to absorb and digest. One caveat is that you should not take Vitamin C at the same time or you could inhibit the absorption of the folic acid as well.

If you are pregnant please make it a priority to talk to a doctor first, before you supplement with folic acid as plus or minus amounts of it can affect the health of a developing baby. Epileptics should also be careful as taking high amounts of Vitamin B9 can affect the effectiveness of epilepsy medications.  Tests can be done by your doctor to make sure that you are maintaining the proper levels of folic acid in your blood.