Supplements to take for brittle hair (and causes?)

[Mama Soltera]

I swear, you just look at my hair and it breaks off, even near the root sometimes. It is very dry. I wait days between washes. I've tried different ways of washing, conditioning, treating, etc. I know this is an internal issue. Probably hormonal. I have taken a really good cal-mag supplement, superfoods, and ester-C, along with a multi. In the past I've tried fish oils and skin/nail supplements. Nothing has even come close to making a difference. And my nails are fine. It's just my hair. My skin isn't doing so well either, but the hair is a disaster. Thanks for any insights.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Have you tried Evening Primrose Oil and/or Borage oil?  Those are both great for skin and hair.  I take Evening Primrosw Oil for hormonal issues as well.  So maybe that combo would be helpful. 

[Mama Soltera]

I haven't tried that. Thank you for the suggestion. That's a great idea, especially since it does seem to be hormonal.

[Mama Soltera]

Oh, and can I ask, what hormonal issues you take the primrose oil for?

[Mama Soltera]

Originally Posted by Mama Soltera 

Oh, and can I ask, what hormonal issues you take the primrose oil for?

I'm only curious because I'd like to see if I have similar issues going on. For me that will help me to know if all my hair issues are indeed hormone related.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Originally Posted by Mama Soltera 

Oh, and can I ask, what hormonal issues you take the primrose oil for?

Pretty much anything!  It's considered an adaptagen and a women's herb, so basically it will help even out your hormones, dependiing on where they are at the moment.  I take it because I have wicked PMS and periods that can last for 12 days at a time if I don't!  My dh has been known to ask me if I've been taking my EP during particularly brutal PMS months....he's usually spot on that I've run out or forgotten for over a week. 

[Mama Soltera]

Thanks! Wow, I thought I had it bad with eight day periods. I'm sorry you're dealing with that. I'm going to go get some today!

[ssun5]

Just to chime in.

Don't forget Immunologically, one of the most important minerals is selenium. Both animal wise and humans.

It is Absolutely essential for skin and hair among a million other things.

Food sources are brewer's yeast, garlic, liver and eggs. mammal sources are richer than vegetables. All foods lose selenium in processing. Brown rice has 15x the amount of selenium as white rice, and whole wheat bread twice as much selenium as white.

Selenium influences thyroid hormone and iodine metabolism as well as already widely studied antioxidant systems.

Man needs sulfur and its natural contaminant, selenium for skin, hair, fingernails and toenails and to build certain amino acids in the cells and brain, and make sulfonated compounds for the joints.

Sulfur has a key interaction with selenium, and is often referred to as the stepchild of sulfur...

Ohio is very low, Dakota and Nebraska are very high...the wheat and corn grown in Ohio are so low in selenium, that cattle feed was, at one time, shipped from South Dakota in order to supply adequate selenium, before supplemental animals feeds with Selenium was allowed. *They don't do that for us however-do we even know Where our food is coming from!*

What does selenium do? Well, with a deficiency, there is a reduction in the activity of the enzyme gluthathione peroxidase, and this results in reduced immune function, which has its greatest effect on the helper T dependent cells and production of Ig.M is impaired. Which is important since IgM is one of the front line Th1 antibodies which is made in the early stages of an infection.

Without selenium, cysteine and vitamin C are hamstrung.

[Mama Soltera]

I am in CA and eat as much local food as I can. I do eat a lot of eggs and garlic and I always do the brown rice and whole grain bread. I never do liver though. It just grosses me out. I guess I could do some brewer's yeast too, but if I'm already doing all those other things, doesn't that mean I should be getting enough selenium already? Is there an actual selenium supplement?

I do think it's mostly hormonal and I started taking the primrose oil a few days ago. There were two different brands. I got the NOW and have been taking 1,500 mg per day. Queen, what dosage do you take? Also, how long do you think it would be until I would start noticing a difference? I'm a little worried about how expensive this is, but if it's truly working, then it's worth it.

[Mama Soltera]

So, it's been almost four weeks and I don't see any difference yet. How long is long enough to take it to see results? I have also been taking the borage oil along with it for the past three weeks.

[Mama Soltera]

Anyone?

[Mama Soltera]

Well, it's been about six weeks and there is no difference at all. :( I guess it's just a lost cause.

[mamayogibear]

Biotin is supposed to help with hair growth. Also perhaps you could try treating your hair and scalp with coconut oil. Or if you can't find any type of solution maybe consider dreadlocks. Then instead of loosing the hair that breaks it will make the dreadlock grow.