What are the Best Oral Vitamins and Minerals for Your Skin and Hair?

Vitamins and minerals are crucial to maintain healthy skin and hair. Whether consumed through supplements, food, or drink, vitamins and minerals provide your body with the essential nutrients it needs to work properly.

Sadly, though, many adults in Canada are missing out on a healthy amount of key vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin A and D. And this can lead to serious effects over time.

If you’re concerned about the condition of your skin and hair, increasing the amount of vitamins and minerals you put into your body can help. But which should you focus on?

The best vitamins for your skin and hair

The skin plays a critical role in protecting your body and vital organs from external harm. Keeping it as strong and healthy as possible is paramount to help it do its job.

And while hair loss is often caused by genetics, illness, or medications, poor nutrition can be a major contributing factor too.

Here are the best vitamins for your skin and hair health:

Vitamin A

Vitamin A promotes good health in the skin and helps to defend the body against infection or illness. Your immune system can’t function at its best without an adequate amount of vitamin A.

If you’re prone to acne or occasional breakouts, consuming a healthy amount of vitamin A can help.

Vitamin A also aids the skin glands’ production of sebum, the oily substance that keeps the scalp moisturized and healthy. Hair loss is a potential symptom of vitamin A deficiency.

How much vitamin A do you need per day?

• Men: 900 micrograms (mcg)

• Women: 700 mcg

How can I get vitamin A?

You’ll find vitamin A in oral supplements (e.g. multivitamin tablets) or the following foods:

• Eggs
• Dairy milk
• Yogurts
• Cheese

The following foods contain beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A:

• Carrots
• Sweet potatoes
• Spinach
• Red peppers
• Apricots
• Papaya
• Mango

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is helpful for maintaining skin health and strengthening the immune system. It can also absorb energy from ultraviolet (UV) light, which may help to reduce the severity of sun damage and common signs of aging (e.g. wrinkles).

Another benefit of vitamin E is that it may help to prevent hair loss, as it’s an antioxidant. One study found that taking tocotrienol (part of the vitamin E family) supplements led to increased hair growth.

How much vitamin E do you need per day?

• Men: 4 mcg
• Women: 3mcg

How can I get vitamin E?

Aside from supplements, you can find vitamin E in:

• Nuts
• Mango
• Kiwi
• Broccoli
• Avocado
• Tomato
• Plant oil
• Cereals
• Tofu

Vitamin C

The human body needs vitamin C to keep cells healthy and protected. It also cultivates strong skin, bones, cartilage, and blood vessels, so it’s crucial for healing wounds.

Vitamin C also contributes to proper collagen production and function. That keeps the skin firm and youthful, reducing the likelihood of developing sagging skin.

And collagen is a key part of the hair’s structure: the hair is mainly composed of keratin (a protein) and amino acids found in collagen help to build keratin. More vitamin C should mean healthy collagen production and, hopefully, healthy hair.

It also helps to defend hair follicles against damage and could reduce the risk of hair thinning.

How much vitamin C do you need per day?

• All adults should get 40mcg of vitamin C

How can I get vitamin C?

You can get more vitamin C from oral supplements and the following foods:

• Strawberries
• Broccoli
• Potatoes
• Brussels sprouts
• Peppers
• Oranges

Vitamin D

Vitamin D aids the formation of new hair follicles, and hair loss/thinning is one potential symptom of a deficiency — a study found that one group of female participants affected by hair loss had lower levels of vitamin D.

It can also help the skin by reducing inflammation and decreasing harmful environmental oxidants.

How much vitamin D do you need per day?

• All adults require 10 mcg of vitamin D

How can I get vitamin D?

You can get vitamin D from oral supplements and a number of foods and drinks:

• Cereals
• Egg yolks
• Shiitake mushrooms
• Almond milk
• Liver
• Dairy milk

The best minerals for skin and hair

Here are a few of the best minerals for skin and hair health:

Zinc

Zinc regulates the skin’s oil production and can defend against premature aging. It also increases the speed with which the skin heals from an injury.

Zinc may inhibit hair follicle regression and aid follicular recovery too.

You can get zinc from:

• Hazelnuts
• Barley
• Sunflower seeds
• Legumes
• Brazil nuts
• Rice

Calcium

Calcium is well known for building strong bones and teeth, but it’s also essential for maintaining the skin’s elasticity and firmness.

On top of this, upping your calcium intake can help the body absorb iron, which is necessary for healthy hair growth.

You can get calcium from:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Milk
• Cheese
• Soya drinks (fortified with calcium)

Potassium

Potassium can combat dry skin by keeping it hydrated and moisturized. Hair loss is one potential sign of a potassium deficiency, as cells may not function properly and the hair growth cycle can become disrupted.

You can find potassium in:

• Oranges
• Lentils
• Bananas
• Dairy milk

Conclusion

Increasing your vitamin and mineral consumption should improve your skin, hair, and overall health overall. Adjusting your diet can take time, so you may decide to start with oral supplements instead.

Faster solutions are available, though. For example, one of the quickest and simplest ways to up your vitamin C intake is to try a vitamin C IV treatment.

This introduces vitamin C directly into the bloodstream for better absorption, whereas vitamin C-rich foods must pass through the digestive system first.

This can promote healthier collagen production, fight against damaging free radicals, and decrease toxicity levels.

Our Glutathione IV treatment is also designed to improve the skin’s health and appearance. It can achieve a more even skin tone, reduced visibility of hyperpigmentation, and less noticeable freckles/blemishes.

Contact our team now to learn more about both of these treatments at Astra Medicare!

Why you need more Vitamin C in your Life

Have you ever been told to add more vitamin C to your diet if you’re feeling a little run down?

If so, it’s good advice: vitamin C is known for helping to support a healthy immune system. You need to get it ingest it through food, drink, and supplements as our bodies don’t produce it naturally.

Still, vitamin C does more than boost your body’s ability to heal from the inside — it actually has a great impact on your skin too!

Below, we take a look at vitamin C’s power to give your skin a beautiful, healthy glow (and show you how to get more of it).

Why vitamin C helps you shine

As an antioxidant, vitamin C helps to combat the signs of ageing through various means:

Boosting collagen:

Vitamin C can increase collagen production in your body, which minimizes your likelihood of developing wrinkles and larger pores. Enhanced collagen production will give your skin a plumper, tighter appearance.

Protection against UV rays:

Vitamin C is ideal for helping your skin stay protected against UVA and UVB rays (alongside other potentially harmful elements). When you get more vitamin C and use strong sunscreen, your skin will look younger for longer over time.

To reiterate: continue to use sunscreen. Vitamin C does help to defend your skin against UV rays but is not a substitute.

Revitalising your pigmentation:

One of vitamin C’s most impressive traits is its ability to help create a smoother skin tone and lighten discolouration caused by UV-related damage.

All of these showcase the power of vitamin C — but how can you actually apply it to your skin?

How to apply vitamin C to your skin

Vitamin C derivatives are found in various skincare products containing Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Ascorbyl Palmitate. Applying these creams or lotions onto your skin can help to achieve the benefits discussed above.

However, actually producing skincare products rich in vitamin C is difficult for cosmetics companies, as it has a pretty complex chemistry. It’s water-soluble, which makes vitamin C unstable when contained in water solutions.

Furthermore, vitamin C can struggle to penetrate skin too, especially as it begins to degrade with exposure to oxygen..

Aside from vitamin C supplements, you can introduce more into your daily diet through the following foods:

• Broccoli

• Green and red peppers

• Spinach

• Cabbage

• Sweet potatoes

• White potatoes

• Tomatoes

• Cauliflower

• Leafy greens

All of these are affordable and easy to incorporate into meals. Many of them happen to be delicious too! And when you are deficient, we also offer many IV treatments performed by top expert nurses. You can schedule a free consultationand realise all the great benefits vitamin C has to offer.

Giving your skin regular TLC is key to keeping it at its best. Astra Medi Spa, in downtown Brampton, is an upscale cosmetic spa dedicated to providing you with luxurious treatments that rejuvenate your skin. Our experts offer facials for all skin types and tones, with revitalising deep cleansing and massages.

If you want to learn more about our skincare treatments, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!