The Benefits of Vitamin B

When it comes to supporting hair health, we have a few tried and true tenets:

Stay consistent: One day of healthy hair habits won’t lead to the hair of your dreams. Our bodies respond to consistency.
Be patient: It’s no secret that hair growth is a slow process. Trying to reach the length you want is a lot like watching grass grow. Don’t let that discourage you.
Aim for balance: Our biggest piece of advice for helping to maintain hair health is to give your body everything it needs to thrive, in moderation.

On that last point — what does balance actually look like? Well it comes in many forms. Balance means getting rest after exercise. It means getting a full night of sleep after a day of socializing. And it also means giving your body the full range of essential vitamins and minerals it needs.

Vitamins are a spectrum. They all have unique benefits but it’s key that you don’t overdo it or under do it (aka develop nutritional deficiencies). Balance is essential. In this post, we’ll discuss the benefits of one particular vitamin, namely B, when it comes to hair growth and hair health.

What Are The Many B Vitamins?

It’s not necessarily simple to define what vitamin B does for the body, because there are actually twelve B vitamins, all of which have their own unique benefits. When we think about vitamins in general, it’s helpful to think of them as worker bees around the body. Water soluble vitamin worker bees, that is.

All of the processes required to keep your organs running and functioning, are aided by vitamins and minerals. When we have vitamin deficiencies, we have less help, and those processes can suffer as a result. Without getting too technical, let’s break down vitamin B complex benefits.

Helping Enzymes Do Their Jobs

Enzymes are proteins that help speed up bodily functions. From digestion to liver function to energy production, they’re essentially responsible for some of the most major chemical reactions at the cellular level.

B vitamins act as coenzymes and it’s been proven that a deficiency in B vitamins can result in negative impacts on these reactions.

Breaking Down Amino Acids

One of those key functions is the breaking down of amino acids. You’ve probably heard of amino acids before, they’re the molecules that make up protein in the body. As protein is so essential when it comes to building muscle and hair — don’t forget, hair is mostly protein! — it’s important that your body is operating at its peak to improve hair health when it comes to amino acid metabolism.

B vitamins are an essential vitamin when it comes to speeding up and supporting that process.

Carrying Oxygen Around the Body

As we said there are twelve B vitamins and one of the most important ones is vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 helps the body produce red blood cells which transport oxygen around the body. A nutritional deficiency in B12 can have huge ramifications on the production of new, healthy cells, particularly when it comes to supporting healthy hair.

What Can B Vitamins Do For Your Hair, Skin, and Nails?

On that note, let’s talk about some of the ways in which any B vitamin supports healthy hair growth.

Building Proteins

Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, helps promote hair growth and supports overall hair health. As one of the essential water-soluble vitamins, riboflavin plays a dynamic part in maintaining the vitality of your locks.

By assisting in the conversion of nutrients from food into energy, riboflavin ensures that your hair follicles receive the nourishment they need to flourish. Embracing riboflavin as part of your daily regimen not only helps to add a vibrant boost to your hair's resilience and strength but also reflects the radiant energy you exude. It’s a winner, inside and out.

Repairing Tissues

Biotin or vitamin B7 is often (for better and for worse) referred to as the "hair growth vitamin." It’s a pivotal player in maintaining hair strength and radiance, known for helping skin tissue repair itself.

A deficiency in biotin can have implications for your hair's well-being. A severe biotin deficiency can even lead to hair loss and hair weakening, which is why it’s often recommended in biotin supplements for people experiencing those symptoms.

That said, it's worth noting that while biotin's benefits are substantial, like any good thing, moderation is key. Overloading on any vitamin, including biotin, is not advisable, as too much vitamin B7 can potentially lead to imbalances and breakouts.

Bringing Oxygen to the Scalp

We talked before about how B vitamins help in red blood cell formation. How does that factor into hair health? Glad you asked.

Picture Vitamin B12 as a dedicated mailman, ensuring that oxygen is delivered directly to your scalp's doorstep, and handed straight to a hair follicle. A healthy scalp, well-nourished by this oxygen-rich circulation, lays the foundation for stronger, thicker hair.

This process to support hair growth is aided by the harmonious partnership of vitamin B12 with its fellow B-vitamin, folate (also known as folic acid). A folate deficiency can have serious ramifications, not just on hair growth, but on overall health.

Make Sure You’re Getting Your Daily Vitamin B Intake

These are just three examples of how certain B vitamins boost hair growth, but vitamin B6, B1, and B3 are quite helpful as well! Long story short, when it comes to hair growth vitamin B is a key player.

Now, let’s talk about how you can avoid nutritional deficiencies in vitamin B. The simplest answer is a well balanced diet. All of the vitamin B we need can be found in a healthy diet of whole foods. That said, it’s not always easy to ensure we’re getting enough nutrients. That’s where a dietary supplement can help.

If you’re dealing with hair loss, it’s possible that you’re also dealing with a vitamin B, vitamin C, or vitamin D deficiency, which have been tied to hair loss. When the body isn’t getting enough of these essential nutrients, its processes break down. That can look like brittle nails, hair thinning, skin rashes, and in some cases, severe hair loss.

To support healthy hair, make sure you’re getting plenty of vitamin B in your diet. We include a safe dosage of biotin in our supplements, to help keep hair healthy, and avoid overdoing it — unlike the high doses found in many other hair growth supplements and dietary supplements.

Remember, balance and patience are everything. You can read more about how Wellbel’s ingredients support hair growth naturally here.