We all crave strong nails, shining hair, and clear skin. Not only are they beautiful, but they’re strong indicators of overall good health.
And that makes it frustrating when these beauty goals always seem just out of reach. No matter how many spa days, salon trips, or hair treatments we invest in, it just seems like something is missing.
Well, it could be that you’re only addressing surface-level issues. Without proper nutrition, you’ll only be able to do so much.
The benefits of hair, skin, and nails vitamins, then, is that they work beneath the surface level, improving health and beauty from within.
And some of their benefits may surprise you. Here’s how wellness vitamins can help you both look and feel your best.
Table of Contents
1. They Make Getting Your Daily Nutrients Simple and Easy
There are two main types of nutrients: macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. They’re the basic building blocks that make up your body.
Micronutrients are things like vitamins and minerals and serve more specialized roles in building and maintaining your body. They’re needed to promote good eye health, immune response, and yes, the health of our hair, skin, and nails.
Unfortunately, a significant portion of Americans is deficient in at least one major vitamin or mineral. And the problem spreads across all demographics. Rich, poor, young, or old, most Americans are missing something major from their diet.
There’s are many explanations for why this is the case, most notably being the perceived time and expense needed to buy and prepare fresh, nutritious foods when compared to quick, processed meals.
But even if you have an immaculate diet, you could still be at risk.
That’s why vitamin supplements have become so popular. And hair and nail vitamins, in particular, are a quick and convenient way to supplement to fill in any gaps in your nutrition profile.
2. Each Vitamin Yields a Variety of Benefits
Our bodies are networks of interconnected systems that all have to work in tandem with each other. As such, when you feed one part of your body like your skin, you’re often feeding other parts of your body as well.
That’s why the health of our hair, skin, and nails are indicators of how healthy we are overall. If we’re not getting enough of a given nutrient, there tend to be visible signs because our body is having to stretch the few nutrients that it is getting farther.
By contrast, if you’re well-nourished and in good health, you’ll able to tell by not only feeling better but looking better as well.
3. Hair, Nail, and Skin Vitamins Have Nutrients You Won’t Find in an Ordinary Multi-Vitamin
So we know then that multi-vitamins are popular because so many of us don’t get the nutrients that we need from our regular diets. But what sets a common multi-vitamin apart from a dedicated vitamin for hair, nails, and skin?
Well, that depends on the exact vitamin. Often the key difference is that the formula prioritizes certain vitamins and minerals that are known to benefit the hair, skin, and nails.
But some contain added supplements like biotin, a B-vitamin complex that is found in sources like organ meats, egg yolks, and certain vegetables.
Biotin tends to be damaged or destroyed when cooked, reducing its efficacy. And vegans or vegetarians may struggle to get enough from vegetables that can be eaten raw. Taking a specialized supplement allows you to avoid those issues and reap the benefits of this nutrient.
4. You Can Enjoy Stronger, Healthier Nails
Biotin, one of those ingredients not found in standard multi-vitamins, also happens to be one of the best nutrients for promoting strong nails. Preliminary studies show its potential as a treatment for thin, brittle nails.
This is because biotin promotes healthy cell growth, and plays a role in the process of building nails in particular.
5. You Can Say Goodbye to Hair Breakage
Your nails aren’t the only thing that can become brittle from certain vitamin deficiencies. If your hair isn’t fed what it needs, you can expect breakages and even hair loss.
One major nutrient that you need for healthy hair growth is vitamin D.
Hypothetically, many of us would get all of the vitamin D from exposure to the sun. Unfortunately, nearly 42% of Americans are deficient. And in the cold, dark winter months, it can be much harder to get significant sun exposure.
Without vitamin D, hair growth slows, the hair itself begins to weaken, and in extreme cases, you can even see hair loss.
That’s why vitamin D finds its way into the best vitamins for hair and nail growth.
6. They Can Help Your Skin Look Younger and More Radiant
Your skin is your body’s single largest organ. And as such, it’s quality is a good indicator of how well you are overall. And when your skin starts to sag, it’s a sign that your body isn’t getting something that it needs.
For example, already mentioned that more than 40% of Americans don’t get enough vitamin D and the impacts that can have on hair health. But a deficiency in vitamin D can be disastrous for your skin as well.
It’s also a bit of a tricky proposition for skincare as well. Sun exposure is both the primary means of getting vitamin D and one of the leading causes of skin damage and premature aging. So even at the best of times, it can be hard to strike a balance by getting just the right amount of sun exposure.
But a vitamin intended to produce healthy skin can help you look fresh and young while keeping yourself safe from the damaging rays of the sun.
7. They Can Help You Manage and Prevent Breakouts
Keeping your skin full and radiant isn’t the only perk that skin vitamins can yield. No matter how rigorous our skincare routines are, we all have the odd blemish here and there. But getting the right nutrition can help make them fewer and farther between.
Zinc is a common feature in vitamins intended for skincare. This is because this mineral has antimicrobial effects that can help prevent and shorten the bacterial infections that cause certain types of acne.
Zinc also helps reinforce your skin against sun damage, keeping skin looking younger for longer. It’s also necessary for nail and follicle growth, contributing to healthy hair and nails as well.
8. They Can Bring the Shine Back to Your Hair
Even if you don’t have a severe enough deficiency to result in hair loss, you may still notice that your hair just doesn’t look as healthy as you would like. Well, dull, lifeless hair is another common sign that something is missing from your diet.
You probably know that vitamin C is important for promoting a healthy immune response, but it’s also necessary to keep your hair to look shiny and fresh. Not only does vitamin C itself help feed your hair, but it also helps your body absorb iron efficiently. Since iron is another mineral needed to feed your luscious locks, you get a double-dose of healthy hair.
9. They Can Give Your Immune System a Boost
While nutrients like vitamin C and D are great for improving the health of your hair, nails, and skin, they’re critical to keeping you healthy as well.
Vitamin C is an antioxidant, meaning that it helps boost your immune system by protecting cells from harmful molecules called free radicals. When too many free radicals are allowed to accumulate, they can start to cause what’s known as oxidative stress, which has been linked to many chronic diseases.
Vitamin C is also known to help promote the production of white blood cells, which are the body’s primary defense against harmful bacteria and other pathogens. Vitamin C also helps these cells function at their best by protecting them from damage from free radicals.
Vitamin D as well is critical to the body’s immune response. Much like vitamin C, it’s been linked to the prevention of a number of diseases. One study suggests that healthy levels of vitamin D were shown to help prevent infection by the flu, for instance.
Reap the Benefits of Hair, Skin, and Nails Vitamins
To look and feel your best, you need to give your body the raw materials that it needs. Without them, it will never be able to function at it’s best, and the results will start to show.
That’s why hair, nails, and skin are considered good indicators of health. If you’re looking fresh and radiant, it’s a good sign that your body is getting what it needs to work at its best. Brittle nails, thinning hair, sallow skin, on the other hand, are good signs of the opposite.
And that’s how the benefits of hair, skin, and nails vitamins don’t just help make you look better but live better. All of your body’s systems are connected, so helping one tends to help many others.
And to make sure that you’re always working towards living your healthiest life, be sure to keep up with the latest from Consume Healthy Food.