Refer a Friend and Earn Offers! - Beli Prenatals are HSA/FSA eligible!

Yes, Prenatal Vitamins Help with Hair Growth — Sort Of

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before — prenatal vitamins are the secret to stronger, thicker, better hair. While it’s true that pregnant women have truly enviable strands — ultra shiny and positively brimming with health — can we really chalk it up to their prenatal vitamins? We looked at the research and double checked with a fertility dietitian for the real deal on prenatal vitamins for hair growth.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

    • Longer, stronger, healthier hair is a common side effect of pregnancy, and it’s largely related to higher hormone levels.
    • Many of the vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy hair can be found in prenatal vitamins, which may play a role in the idea that prenatals are the reason for great hair during pregnancy.
    • There are benefits to taking prenatal vitamins if you aren’t currently pregnant or hoping to become pregnant, but thicker, healthier hair isn’t one of them.
    • For women of reproductive age, it's a good idea to take a high-quality prenatal vitamin in preparation for a future pregnancy.

Prenatal Vitamins for Hair Growth?

beli-prenatals-vitamins-for-hair-growth

The human body is one impressive machine, and never more so than during pregnancy. While that forty-week rollercoaster has its ups and downs, thick, full, shiny hair (not to mention fab nails) seems to be a perk for many. You can largely credit hormones, and specifically higher levels of estrogen, for ten months of good hair days. More estrogen means increased blood flow to the baby and your scalp, which promotes hair growth and, importantly, prolongs the growth phase of your hair. The upshot? Fewer strands lost, less breakage, and longer, lusher hair. “Deficiencies in nutrients, especially zinc and b-vitamins, are linked to hair loss and hair thinning, as are hormone imbalances, so pregnancy is often a time where women see more growth,” adds Carly Hartwig, holistic reproductive health advocate and fertility awareness educator.

So if hormones are the secret sauce, why do so many people (celebrities in particular, we’re looking at you) rave about prenatal vitamins for better hair, pregnant or no? Well, it’s almost a case of mistaken identity. There are a few vitamins and minerals that may be key to healthy hair:

    • Vitamin A, which is critical for cellular growth (did you know hair is the fastest growing tissue in the human body?!) and helps sebum production. Vitamin A deficiencies are linked to hair loss.
    • B vitamins, and particularly biotin, which is great for hair growth. Biotin deficiencies are directly tied to hair loss. Other B vitamins help create red blood cells, which ferry nutrients and oxygen to the scalp for effective hair growth.
    • Folic acid, which is technically a B vitamin and key for healthy cell growth.
    • Vitamin C, an important antioxidant that can help protect against oxidative stress that prematurely ages the hair. Plus, vitamin C is used to create collagen, which makes up hair structure, and helps the body absorb iron, a key mineral for hair growth.
    • Vitamin D, which isn’t well understood in the production of hair growth. However, low levels are linked to hair loss.
    • Vitamin E, another antioxidant that wards off oxidative stress and is linked to hair growth.

Now, all of these nutrients are found in many prenatal vitamins. But correlation doesn’t mean causation, which is an alliterative way of saying that things may be related but one doesn’t necessarily cause the other. And that brings us to the idea of taking prenatal vitamins for hair growth if you aren’t pregnant or planning to become pregnant.

Are Prenatal Vitamins Effective for Hair Growth if you aren’t Pregnant?

Many prenatal vitamins aren’t designed with non-pregnant people in mind, which makes complete sense. Prenatal vitamins are for the thinking-or-actively-trying-to-get-pregnant crowd, the already-with-child folks, and the our-baby-is-here-now-what people. That means that taking prenatal vitamins solely for better hair probably isn’t going to work like you hope it will. In some cases, it will mean you’re getting higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than your body actually needs. And if you’re also taking things like vitamin D or calcium separately along with a prenatal for better hair, you’re also running the risk of over-supplementing.

Still, some fertility dietitians recommend taking prenatal vitamins if a baby isn’t the plan today, but maybe sometime in the next five or ten years.

“Starting a high-quality prenatal during your reproductive years is great insurance if you do end up becoming pregnant sooner than planned,” says Hartwig. “Most women don't get adequate nutrients from their diets, especially with our soil being depleted, and the chronic stress of today's lifestyle can easily contribute to nutrient and hormone imbalances. Instead of taking a poor-quality multivitamin that contains the bare minimum levels of nutrients, I recommend that women in their reproductive years take a high-quality prenatal like Beli to optimize their reproductive and physical health.”

In other words, women should be going for optimal health during those reproductive years, so that they’re primed for pregnancy at any time. Remember, that baby starts developing before you even know you’re pregnant, which is why starting prenatals well before you hope to conceive is the standard recommendation. This will ensure that your nutrient stores are well-established, which is critical to the developmental of a healthy embryo and fetus. And that’s true even — and especially — if you’re on the Pill. “If you're taking hormonal birth control to prevent unplanned pregnancy, there's tremendous benefit in taking a robust prenatal like Beli, as hormonal birth control depletes your nutrient levels,” says Hartwig. “Beli will counteract this depletion, keeping your body, skin, and hair healthier while you're on hormonal birth control.” 

Eyes on the Prize

Of course, the most important thing a prenatal vitamin can do is fill any nutritional gaps in your diet to improve your chances of conception, a healthy pregnancy, and a healthy little bundle of joy. But let’s be honest — great hair is a happy side benefit! If a baby isn’t ever the plan, you’ll likely be better off focusing on a healthy lifestyle to support healthier, shinier, stronger hair. Drink plenty of water, get lots of quality sleep, manage your stress levels, and make a point of eating fresh produce, lean proteins, fiber, and healthy fats. The benefits of that will go well beyond a good hair day.

Additional Resources

Egg quantity and quality are critical aspect of our reproductive well-being. By understanding the ideal number of eggs at various ages, why egg quality and quantity matter, and how to nurture and improve egg health, we can make informed decisions about our fertility and overall health.

Read More

The long, lazy days of summer aren’t just prime vacation days. Summer could actually be an especially fertile season, which may be of interest to couples who are interested in starting a family. If you’re angling for parenthood this summer, here’s what to know about the season of fertility.

Read More

If you’re no stranger to the telltale signs of seasonal allergies—sneezing, itching, nasal congestion, irritated eyes, the works—you’re likely familiar with antihistamines. When you’re actively trying to conceive, there’s more to understand about histamines, seasonal allergies and how it affects your fertility.

Read More

Choline is an overlooked essential nutrient in many prenatal vitamin formulas, and it's a major oversight. Here at Beli, we've been sounding the alarm for years and it's gratifying to see that the market is beginning to catch up. That's thanks in part to articles like "The 7 Best Choline Supplements for Pregnancy, According to a Prenatal Dietitian" from Parents. Spoiler: Beli for Women made the list.

Read More

While PCOS can be a challenging condition to manage, natural supplements like inositol that are included in Beli Preconception Boost offer a beacon of hope. Inositol's ability to improve insulin sensitivity, hormone balance, and ovulatory function makes it a valuable tool in the PCOS management toolkit. 

Read More

The concern that hormonal contraception affects future fertility is making the rounds on social media again. But research continues to show that all that worry is for naught. While birth control doesn’t cause long-term fertility issues, it can mask them by creating an artificial cycle—something that’s important to understand.

Read More

For many of us, our twenties and even thirties are a time when the focus is on pregnancy prevention. And that’s okay! But even when the idea of motherhood is miles away there is tremendous value in understanding your fertility health and what you can do to support it during these young, carefree days.

Read More

We’re thrilled to introduce Beli Women Preconception, a complementary fertility supplement designed to support fertility health by promoting egg quality, supporting ovulation, balancing hormones, regulating your cycle and helping to manage symptoms of both PCOS and PMS.

Read More

Once a month, PMS symptoms make their unpleasant presence known. And while knowing what’s happening won’t make PMS magically disappear, it can help you manage symptoms by balancing hormones and supporting your reproductive health. Let’s review.

Read More

It’s an easy assumption, but you’re much better off thinking that every prenatal vitamin is wildly different in terms of composition, nutrient quality and, importantly, nutrient amount. Not only is that actually true, it puts you in the smart consumer mindset of understanding what matters in a prenatal vitamin—and why.

Read More

If you have endometriosis, you can already recite its lengthy list of pretty terrible symptoms. And the standard options for managing those symptoms — medications, hormone therapy, hormonal birth control, estrogen blockers, surgery —  aren’t always great. But there is evidence that a so-called “endometriosis diet” can help.

Read More
×

Change Shipping Country

Cancel