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.

In Conversation with Sommer Ray: Founder of IMARAÏS BEAUTY

With all this in mind about hair supplements, Grazia's Commercial Content Writer, Caitlin Casey, spoke to Sommer Ray, model and founder of wellness brand IMARAЇS BEAUTY, which is now launching in the UK. With two varieties of beauty supplements - GLOW for skin and NOURISH for hair - the brand focuses on keeping skin healthy from the inside, out.

Imaraïs Beauty is a really exciting new supplement brand in the UK. What inspired you to start Imaraïs and work in the industry?

I didn’t want to enter the beauty space with another 12-step skincare line or makeup products. I’ve always wanted to be a pioneer and I felt like I could be a real innovator in the space with a whole new concept of plant-based ingestible beauty. I had a goal of simplifying people's daily routines and focusing on developing skincare, haircare & wellness that works from the inside out. Self-care can and should be simple!

So, then how does Imaraïs differ from other supplement brands?

We are completely sugar-free, gluten-free, gelatin-free, non-GMO (and vegan!). And our packaging is eco-friendly because we use paper tubes. We are also the only ingestible company to be conducting our own in-house clinical studies - we have partnered with Princeton Consumer Research which is the world leader in beauty testing and clinical trials for claims.

You’re a massive advocate of female empowerment and self-love. How does Imaraïs align with those ethics?

I’ve always been a huge advocate for the importance of self-love, and Imaraïs is right there with me. We don’t want to promote ‘masking’ problems but actually take the time to address something from the inside to create long-lasting solutions. And keep everything natural, of course.

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

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.”