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While any of the nutrients needed for beautiful hair, skin, and nails can be obtained from your diet, let’s be real, it can be hard to eat clean 24/7. That’s where supplements can come in handy as they can help fill in gaps and offer extra support. With the right combination of diet and supplements, you can get your hair, skin, and nails looking better than ever.
But with so much information floating around on the internet, figuring out how to choose the best supplements can be difficult and overwhelming. This guide aims to make finding the best ingredients in hair, skin, and nail dietary supplements easier.
Key Nutrients for Hair, Skin, and Nails:
Biotin (B7)
Biotin has been shown to contribute to healthy hair and nail growth as it plays a crucial role in keratin production. Keratin is a structural protein in hair, nails, and skin cells that provides strength and flexibility. It helps to protect your hair, nails, and skin from environmental stressors like that weekly hot sauna you love or the damage done by scrubbing the bathroom floor with no gloves.
The recommended daily amount of biotin needed by adults is 30 mcg.
Collagen
A protein found in skin, collagen provides structure and elasticity to not only your skin, but also your organs and other structures throughout your body. Specific to your skin, collagen contributes to a smooth, youthful appearance; however, as we age we naturally lose collagen, and our production volume decreases as well. As a result, we can start to develop fine lines and wrinkles.
Additionally, collagen acts as a supportive layer beneath the skin, and it may enhance hair growth and help to reduce hair loss. Last but definitely not least, collagen is important for nails because it has been shown to improve nail growth and reduce symptoms of brittle nails.
Taking 2.5 - 10 grams per day of collagen can support hair growth, increase hair thickness, and improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Vitamin C
Normal and healthy skin contains high concentrations of vitamin C, an antioxidant (P.S. That’s a molecule that protects the body from free radicals, which are compounds that can cause harm if they build up in the body.) By supplementing with vitamin C, you can help to facilitate sun protection, and you can also help promote collagen formation.
While vitamin C supplementation has benefits all on its own, the byproduct of its impact on collagen production is that it can enhance skin smoothness. As we learned earlier, this means it can also contribute to healthier nails and increased hair volume, thickness, and shine through improved collagen production.
The recommended dietary allowance for vitamin C is 90 mg for adult males and 75 mg for adult females.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is necessary for the maintenance of healthy skin, hair, and nail cells as it is a fat-soluble micronutrient necessary for growth. Proper levels of vitamin A supplementation can help support cell growth and skin regeneration. It also helps to stimulate hair follicle cells, influencing hair growth. Appropriate amounts of vitamin A supports nail strength, smoothness, and shine so you can look and feel your best.
However, supplementation for vitamin A specifically is a delicate balance between taking too much and having too little. Too little and you’ll receive no impact to skin, hair, and nails, but too much can result in vitamin A toxicity, with serious consequences (birth defects, liver damage, etc.). So more does not necessarily mean better.
It’s recommended that adult males should get 900 mcg and adult females should get 700 mcg of vitamin A every day.
Vitamin E
Well known for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, vitamin E is a nutrient that can help protect the skin and promote hair growth. It can help protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals (similar to vitamin C), and it is also known to help alleviate the symptoms of some skin disorders.
Most adults should ingest 15 mg of vitamin E every day.
Zinc
Zinc is important in cell growth and is needed for the formation of keratin, and is used to treat skin diseases (such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, and even certain forms of skin cancer), and a deficiency in zinc has been suggested to be associated with hair loss.
Ensuring adequate zinc intake through diet or supplements is essential for improving and maintaining overall skin and hair health, as a lack of zinc can lead to various other issues, including discoloration and malformation of nails and even impaired wound healing.
However, it’s important to note that too much zinc can also have a negative impact on your health. It’s important to stay within recommended guidelines when supplementing zinc into your diet.
The recommended average daily intake of zinc is 11 mg for males and 8 mg for females.
Omega-3’s
Famous for its anti-inflammatory properties, Omega-3 fatty acids can help with symptoms of many skin conditions, such as skin irritation and dryness. Omega-3’s also have some UV protection properties to help you keep that healthy glow without getting a tan. Studies have also shown supplementing with Omega-3 can also help prevent hair loss, while improving hair thickness in women.
The recommended daily intake of omega-3s is 1.6 grams for males and 1.1 grams for females.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Hair, Skin and Nails Supplement
When choosing the supplements to optimize your supplement stack you should consider the following things:
Dosage: it is important to make sure your supplement has the appropriate daily dose of key nutrients for the best outcomes.
Quality and source: Most supplements are not FDA-regulated. Thus, it is important to find a high-quality supplement from a reputable source. Look for cGMP certified facilities with transparent sourcing and labeling so you know exactly what you’re getting and from where.
Individual needs: You and your healthcare provider should consider your individual health and needs when selecting supplements.
Potential Side Effects and Precautions
It is important to discuss all supplements you are considering taking with your healthcare provider. Below is a general guide for side effects and precautions.
Biotin
High amounts of biotin in your system may cause false results on some lab tests, such as thyroid and troponin levels. Make sure your provider knows about all the supplements you are taking before having lab tests performed.
Collagen
Taking too much collagen can result in mild side effects, which include unpleasant taste, feeling full, or other stomach issues.
Vitamin C
Even at high intakes vitamin C has a very low toxicity. The most common complaints from excessive vitamin C are diarrhea, nausea, and abdominal cramps.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means high intakes can be harmful. Taking too much vitamin A in supplement form can cause severe headaches, blurred vision, nausea, dizziness, muscle aches and problems with coordination. In extreme cases, excessive vitamin A leads to coma and even death.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is not harmful at high doses. However, it should be noted that vitamin E might increase your risk of bleeding by reducing the blood’s ability to form clots.
Zinc
Too much zinc is harmful. Taking very high doses can reduce your body’s ability to absorb magnesium. It can lead to nausea, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Taking high levels of zinc for a long time can lower your immunity, levels of good cholesterol, and copper levels.
Omega-3’s
The FDA recommends consuming a maximum of 5g per day of Omega-3’s from dietary supplements. Side effects are typically mild and may include bad breath, heartburn, nausea, stomach discomfort, diarrhea, headache, and smelly sweat. Omega-3s may interact with medications like warfarin or other anticoagulant medications.
Finding the Right Supplements for Your Needs
Finding the right supplements—and dosages—can be a challenge. That’s why the team at Primal Harvest has carefully crafted balanced, premium supplements like Primal Collagen Powder, Primal Multi-Collagen Capsules, and Primal Multivitamin with clinically studied ingredients shown to hold potential benefits for your hair, skin, and nails.
Remember to always consult your doctor before beginning any new supplement routine, particularly if you have any underlying conditions. But if you’re interested in healthy supplementation, check out Primal Harvest’s wide range of premium formulas that can empower you to look and feel your best!
