Vitamin C for Hair Growth: 5 Benefits and Uses

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Many people use vitamin C to strengthen their immune systems during flu season or purchase skincare products containing it to take advantage of its brightening effects. But its potential benefits don’t stop there.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is an additive in many natural haircare products, and for a good reason. 

Using these products, or increasing the number of citrus fruits you eat, is an easy way to glean the benefits of this essential vitamin, which we’ll discuss in greater detail below.

5 Benefits of Vitamin C for Hair

Many people underestimate the negative effects a vitamin C deficiency can have on the health of their hair. Increasing your vitamin C intake – or using hair products that contain ascorbic acid – can affect hair growth and provide all of the benefits listed below.

#1 Strengthens the hair

Much like peptides, vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, a protein that helps to keep many tissues in the body, including hair, strong and healthy. The antioxidative properties of vitamin C also prevent free radicals from damaging the proteins of your hair, helping to reduce breakage. 

#2 Improves hair growth

Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that helps to protect hair follicles from free radical damage, which can cause inflammation and premature aging of the hair follicles, eventually leading to decreased hair growth and even hair loss.

It also aids in the production of collagen, which adds to the structural integrity of hair and even improves the body’s ability to absorb iron, an essential mineral for the cells that affect hair growth.

#3 Helps to fight bacteria on the scalp

One of the ways that vitamin C can help fight bacteria on the scalp is by neutralizing free radicals since oxidative stress can contribute to the growth of bacteria on the scalp. 

Vitamin C has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce scalp inflammation. Since inflammation can create an environment that supports bacterial growth, you can help prevent bacteria from growing by reducing inflammation.

#4 Makes the hair shine

In the previous section, we detailed how vitamin C can impact scalp health by reducing inflammation and bacterial growth. Because scalp issues caused by inflammation can cause a lack of shine in hair, using products to increase scalp health is an easy way to instantly improve the appearance of hair.

Another way that vitamin C impacts the appearance of hair is by helping the body absorb iron. Iron is an important mineral for improving the health of your hair since it’s responsible for creating hemoglobin, the protein responsible for nourishing your hair cells.

Finally, vitamin C is a wonderful antioxidant that prevents damage to your cells, including your hair and scalp skin cells. Therefore, using more vitamin C products in your haircare regime can help you grow shiny, thicker hair.

#5 Reduces hair loss

In addition to improving hair growth, there are numerous studies that support using vitamin C to prevent hair loss. In fact, ascorbic acid can help reduce the production of DHT, a hormone that shrinks hair follicles and shortens the hair growth cycle.

Another benefit of vitamin C regarding hair loss is the effect that it can have on preventing iron deficiency, which is extremely common in women who are experiencing hair loss.

When iron is low, the body prioritizes nourishing more vital tissues and organs than the hair follicles. Because of this, the health of the follicles can diminish, leading to increased hair loss and a stalling of hair growth.

What Form of Vitamin C for Hair Supplements Can I Find?

With so many hair products containing vitamin C, deciding on the best option can be difficult. Below, we’ll dive deeper into the different ascorbic acid-containing products and how you can incorporate them into your daily routine.

#1 Shampoos 

Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic acid, and like many acids, it has antibacterial properties and even has a clarifying effect on the scalp. Shampoos containing vitamin C can help reduce scalp buildup, flakiness, and dandruff.

#2 Hair oils

Hair oils that contain vitamin C are another popular option that can provide even more benefits than shampoo since they can be used more frequently and left on the scalp and hair in between washes. 

#3 Conditioners

If you’re looking for a conditioner that contains ascorbic acid, your best bet is to use one that also contains all the B vitamins or vitamin E, which works exceptionally well with vitamin C. This combination can help nourish dry hair and give you healthier hair that shines.

#4 Hair treatments

Hair treatments offer many of the same nourishing benefits as conditioners, and because you leave them in for longer, they can make a bigger impact. You may want to use a leave-in treatment that you can use post-wash or find a hair mask that can be left in your hair for 15–20 minutes before being rinsed out.

#5 Supplements

If you’re not getting enough vitamin C naturally in your diet, supplements are an easy way to increase your daily intake. They generally come in a pill, powder, or liquid form and have a pleasant orangey taste.

Before taking vitamin C supplements, you may want to check with your doctor to ensure you’re not exceeding the 1,000mg daily recommendation.

#5 Foods

Even better than supplements is naturally increasing your vitamin C intake by eating a healthy diet full of foods high in this essential vitamin, like fruits and vegetables.

Although the vitamin C in supplements is absorbed by the body as easily as that found in fruits and vegetables, the latter also contains many macro and micro-nutrients that can help keep you feeling your best.

How to Use Vitamin C for Hair?

There are many ways to use vitamin C to improve hair health, the most common of which include using it topically and orally. 

Increasing your vitamin C intake by eating more citrus fruits like oranges and lemons is an easy and delicious way to naturally boost the amount of vitamin C in your diet. Or you can take vitamin C supplements or vitamin C in a powdered form that can be dissolved in water.

You might also consider using it topically to enhance vitamin C’s benefits regarding hair health. 

There are a number of oils that can be massaged directly onto the scalp, or you can use a shampoo, conditioner, or hair treatment that can be applied from root to tip to enhance the benefits of vitamin C for the hair strands.

FAQs

Conclusion

You can make many different lifestyle changes to help your hair grow faster, and increasing the amount of vitamin C in your beauty regime is one of them. 

There are a variety of products you can use topically, including hair oils, shampoos, and conditioners. Or you can choose to take vitamin C supplements in a liquid, powder, or capsule form.

Whatever you choose, vitamin C can help improve hair growth and contribute to hair that is strong, shiny, and able to withstand free radical damage and everyday wear and tear.