Taking Vitamins Or Supplements For Hair Growth

I’ll admit that taking a vitamin or supplement for hair growth wasn’t something that I’ve given much thought to until recently. I’ve read about women doing so on different websites, blogs, and some YouTube channels, but I never stopped to really look into it. What could it hurt, right? Vitamins are supposed to be good for you, and it’s something that is encouraged that we all do from childhood on. Flintstone vitamins always come to mind when I think of childhood vitamins. When I became pregnant with my first child (who will be 18 soon) I learned about the dreaded prenatal vitamins. I say dreaded because they never agreed with me as they made me so nauseous and very constipated. TMI, I know! To remedy that my doctor at the time told me to take a Flintstone vitamin because it had all the vitamins found in prenatal vitamins. I’ve been doing that ever since because my tummy can tolerate Flintstones better than any other multivitamin.

Before I go any further, let me get this fact about me out there that only my family and close friends know: I detest taking medication of any kind in the pill form. Horse sized pills terrify me, and that’s what most vitamins that you must swallow look like to me. Horse pills. So taking vitamins for hair growth doesn’t appeal to me, however I’m willing to give it a try. I have many phobias, and one day I will share all of them with you in my other blog. In the mean time just pray for me, LOL! 😉

One of the main vitamins that a lot women swear by is Biotin. Biotin is known to promote healthier and longer hair, stronger and longer nails, and even help with your skin such as stretch marks. There are pros and cons with Biotin because you have to be very careful of the dosage you take, which is why I strongly recommend consulting your physician before taking any supplement. Biotin is also known to cause acne breakouts and other side effects if used for a prolonged period of time. If you do decide to use Biotin it is recommended that you start at the lowest dosage first to see how your body reacts to it. Again it is best to consult a physician first.

Vitamin E is something my mother swore by since I a very young child. She always talked about the many benefits of vitamin E, but mostly how it promotes hair growth and how it was good for your skin. From time to time she would open a few capsules to use on me and my sister’s hair and scalp, or to help heal a burn or scar. Vitamin E is also good for the heart. In addition to lowering your blood pressure vitamin E has the ability to prevent cholesterol from clogging up the arteries. The accumulation of bad cholesterol in the arteries is what causes the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood, thereby increasing the risk of a heart attack. Vitamin E oil negates the effects of bad cholesterol and prevents it from lining up the arteries.

Vitamin E also helps heal your skin, make stretch marks fade away or disappear, as well as soften your skin. I don’t think there’s an organ in our body that vitamin E doesn’t help heal in some shape or form. It’s almost impossible to find a beauty product on the shelves that doesn’t have vitamin E as one of its main ingredients. Vitamin E also fights aging. It slows down the graying process, prevents wrinkles, and softens hard cuticles on your nails. What I like most about vitamin E is it can be used topically or orally, and the capsules are small and easy to swallow. Remember my phobia of big horse pills……

Some women still take their prenatal vitamins or other multivitamins with B12 and other B vitamins in them for hair growth. Taking a multivitamin is good for your overall health anyway, especially as you get older. While researching some of these vitamins and supplements, the recommended dosages were alarming to me. Some wanted you to take two pills 3-5 times a day, and these were 1,000 – 5,000 mg pills! I’m no pharmacist or doctor but that just seemed excessive. The price for these pills were also pretty high which would require you to purchase several bottles of them and use them for an extended period of time before you see any real results. Please be careful and cautious before purchasing such products.

Going natural is a huge decision and life style change in itself. You are bombarded with so many products that all claim to be “natural” “organic” or “For Natural Hair” and you simply MUST use them. Not true. Then there are the N.H.P., the Natural Hair Police, who feel you must do this and must not do that with your natural hair, whether if it’s taking a vitamin for hair growth or not combing your hair ever. Not true. The approach I’ve taken from the very beginning of my journey is still the same: Sift through all the information you’ve researched and then figure out what works for your hair type. Otherwise you’ll find yourself unhappy and discouraged because you spent so much money on products you didn’t like and can’t use. Remember – no two heads of hair are alike. What works for curly, fine hair will not necessarily work for coarse, tightly coiled hair. I see nothing wrong with taking vitamins or supplements for hair growth. Just be careful, be informed, and consult with your doctor.

Thank you for reading and please be sure to “like” or comment. I always respond back.

Continuing Forward While Looking Back

I never make new year’s resolutions. I simply don’t believe in them. My goal is always the same every year: To be a better ME in every possible way. Since going natural I want and need to set goals for myself and my girls. I’ve sat and pondered this during the winter/holiday break and all I could come up with is to do a better job at keeping our hair deep conditioned and moisturized, and to do all I can to protect it from this arctic weather we’re having in the midwest.

I’m noticing a lot of breakage/shedding with all of our hair. Between the bitter cold outside (we always have on a hat when outside) and the dry heat inside of our house, our poor hair is just really going through it. Knit hats are not good for our hair, so I need to invest in some silk scarves or find some kind of solution to protect our hair from the knit hats that we wear during the winter months. I’ve got some ideas brewing and I’ll let you know if any of them worked. I have a concoction of oils (Jojoba, Argan, olive, & Jamaican black castor oil with a drop or two or Rosemary oil) in my spray bottle with a little water that I spritz our hair with every other day, and of course my raw African Shea Butter that I use on our hair and scalp. I also give extra attention to our ends and massage their scalps often and deep condition often. I can see that I need to be even more vigilant with this as our hair dries so quickly and sucks oils like a sponge.

*Side note*
I absolutely LOVE how soft the Jojoba oil makes my 12 year old’s hair AND how well it’s keeping her dandruff under control!! It’s good stuff people, please invest in buying some.

At the moment my hair is still in crochet braids and my 12 year old daughter also wants crochet braids. At this point I think that would be a great protective style for her. I keep my 10 year old daughter’s hair in two strand twists and it works out well for her since she’s playing basketball this year for her school, and her hair holds styles very well for a long time. When I take her twists down her hair is gorgeous! Her curl pattern is to die for! (4c hair ROCKS!) 😉

Looking back:

It blows my mind that in a few short months (April) it’ll be one year that I’ve been creamy crack free, and in May it’ll be one year since my big chop. I’m so excited about these milestones! I’m more determined than ever to keep going in this journey, to keep learning, and to keep evolving. I turned 40 in 2013 which also made me look at my health in a different and more serious way. Last Monday I had my first mammogram. Yes it was a bit painful, but that pain only lasted for a few seconds. Whatever pain there is it’s worth saving your life by having a yearly mammogram.

I am grateful for this journey that I finally had the courage to take on. I’m grateful for the courage and confidence that have only come with age because I swear I didn’t have it 10 years ago! I pray, if it’s God’s will, that I’m able to continue on this natural hair journey with my girls and hopefully inspire some along the way. I pray that everyone strives to be better, healthier and happier in 2014 and in the years to come.

THANK YOU to all those that read my blog and comment. Please continue to do so! Be sure to “Like” and/or leave your comments below. I always respond. 🙂

Sonya