How long does it take for supplements to affect your hair?

[pelicano]

Wasn't sure which section to put this thread in, as it is related to body health, but also hair.

I just wondered for those who have taken certain supplements (of any kind) and noticed improved hair condition as a result, how long did it take before you noticed?

The reason I ask is because I have started taken lactoferrin for my iron levels, which I think have probably been low for years and years, and I would love my brittle hair to improve as a result. I'm imagining it would take months and months to notice though, and I've only been taking it a month!

[Flynn]

Internally taken supplements will only affect your hair as it comes out of your head, not the hair that has already grown. So, the answer to your question may be another question: what's your growth rate? Now you've got your iron levels up, though, you might find your growth rate increases as well as your hair quality.

[Monsterkitti]

I'd imagine it'd take a while till your iron levels get back to a normal range so untill then there wouldnt be much of a change to your hair. Then it would be till you could see the new growth and the change in condition of it in comparison to the pre iron supplement hair.

With MSM I noticed pretty quickly the shed rate dropped pretty dramatically for me but all the others I take which improve the condition are much more gradual as I can only see the change as it grows out.

Good luck with it, hope it makes a difference for you :)

[pelicano]

Thanks for that. :)

Yes, I think it's going to take a while... I don't even think my iron levels are very high yet, let alone any difference noted in my hair. Ah well, my hair is of lesser importance than my general health anyway.

[StephanieB]

Pelicano - taking iron supplements isn't going to directly affect your hair, like (say) protein or biotin do/might ... your hair isn't made of iron. (ie - hair isn't comprised of iron... iron isn't one of heir' components)

OTOH, if you yourself are healthier of body, then your hair might very well also become healthier.

In general, supplements take months (at least) to make a noticeable difference. Iron might take a little less, but not much less.


Biotin made a difference to my hair (very noticeably less shedding + 'livelier' ... with more elasticity and shine, and I think a bit more thickness) in 5 months. I had to take it regularly for that long before I saw/noticed much difference. MSM, on the other hand, takes only a few days to make a difference to my joints, and it only took about a month to make a noticeable difference to my hair. (a lot less shedding)

Please note that I have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome - and, as such, my body lacks MSM, chondroitin and glucosamine (as well as other things that make for good connective tissue - skin and hair and joints); 'Normal', healthy people might notice results sooner than I ever will.

[TXbarbie]

I started taking 3000mcg of biotin daily along with a multivitamin. I haven't seen any difference in my hair but in the last month my nails have become hard and strong - one of my friends asked if my french mani were acrylics last week! :)

[GoddesJourney]

It takes as long as your hair takes to grow to a noticeable length. So if you were to start from zero, you probably wouldn't notice much difference for a few inches, which could be months. That said, I would give supplements six months to have given it a fair chance. Average person would get three inches by then, so there would be enough hair to compare to the rest of it, and compare it to how your new hair usually grows out. If your new hair usually grows out beautifully, then it may not be a nutritional issue, but a damage issue. If it grows out somewhat weak and brittle, then supplements may do you some good. However, something like iron won't do as much as the type of supplement that hair is made of. Iron helps with oxygen and circulation if I remember right, so that does make a difference in the long run with healthy growth of everything, as does staying active.

[pelicano]

The reason I thought it might affect my hair was because a sign of iron deficiency is brittle hair (which I very much have, from the root). My hair is less brittle than it was years ago before I started taking iron supplements, but I'm now trying this lactoferrin, which is supposed to make the iron more absorbable from your food.

I know that hair isn't made from iron and all that, but I do think that being iron deficient may have affected my hair. Ah well, time (lots of it! ;)) will tell!