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If you want healthy hair, you need to make sure that you’re nourishing your hair follicles with all the vitamins and minerals required for healthy and strong growth. A vegan diet that fails to give you all necessary vitamins for hair growth can result in thin hair which is prone to breaking, looks dull, has a poor texture, and has a shorter terminal length.
Since veganism has become more popular, the demand for supplements to ‘fill in the gaps’ in our diet has increased.
In a survey by the ‘vegan society,’ it was found that 63% of vegans identified as female and 37% were male. And there’s been an extraordinary increase in the number of people becoming vegan in just the last few years.
So naturally, the demand for vegan beauty products and supplements to support healthy hair has also grown. Now there are many different vegan vitamins available that can cater to both men and women to help support hair growth!
One of the most popular and highest rated vegan hair supplements is called Hair Anew! You can go here to check it out. I’ve personally used this one and love it! It made a big difference.
I also share some other great options below, so scroll down for those!
Top Vegan hair growth supplement picks and buyer’s guide
Although a healthy plant-based diet can generally support your dietary needs, there are some exceptions that everyone should be aware of. Not meeting the recommended daily intake of vitamins and minerals can lead to poor quality hair growth and even hair loss!
So which nutrients should you think about supplementing?
- Vitamin B12 – Some studies show that up to 52% of vegans are deficient in B12, but with more accurate testing (MMA), 92% of vegans have low levels of B12.
- Vitamin DĀ – Many people are deficient in vitamin D and it can be one of the main reasons for slow hair growth.
- ZincĀ – Some studies suggest that up to 47% of vegans may have low zinc levels which can lead to hair thinning.
- Iodine – Around 25% of vegans and vegetarians have an insufficient intake of iodine and can lead to slow hair growth.
- Calcium – A plant-based diet can be abundant in calcium, but it’s not as bioavailable as the calcium from dairy.
- Vitamin E (tocotrienols) – While vegans get plenty of tocopherols from their diet, they only consume a very small amount of tocotrienols, which is a much more powerful form of Vitamin E.
- SilicaĀ – Helps maintain stronger hair that is less prone to breaking.
- BiotinĀ – One of the most important vitamins in many hair supplements to help boost hair growth.
- Iron (women)Ā – Many women have problems maintaining adequate iron levels and this can lead to hair thinning.
Those are some of the main nutrients that vegans can have a problem with on the diet. But there are also other things which can be beneficial in improving hair growth like omega 3 supplements, pumpkin seed oil, soy isoflavones (women), and probiotics.
Not all supplements listed below will contain the complete list of vitamins and minerals that are mentioned above, so you might need to take additional supplements, depending on which supplement you pick.
Below is a list of the most popular supplements available and are 100% vegan. In addition to nutrients that support hair growth, some of these supplements have also been shown to help slow down or prevent hair loss.
#1. Hair Anew – Hair Growth Vitamins
HairAnew contains 11 active ingredients, some of which are vitamins and minerals, while others are plant extracts that have been scientifically proven to improve hair quality and growth.
It contains a large dose of biotin (5000 mcg), Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic acid, and Zinc Gluconate.
Not many hair growth vitamin supplements include a significant amount of zinc in their formula, but it’s great that Naturenetics has identified this mineral as being important enough to include in their product.
Many vegans develop a zinc deficiency because of the abundance of copper in the diet and elimination of animal products, and when this is combined with high dose biotin supplements, it can be a cause of acne breakouts.
One of the best ways to combat this increased risk of acne breakouts is to take zinc. Many people (including myself) have found zinc highly effective.
The number of reviews for this product has skyrocketed in recent years. I highly recommend checking out the reviews as so many people are seeing success after using Hair Anew.
What I like about this supplement
It’s simple and takes a more targeted approach by providing some of the best nutrients to support hair growth. I really like that it includes kelp, as many vegans can be deficient in iodine. It also contains silica, which has been proven to strengthen hair.
What I don’t like about this supplement
I feel that this supplement should have included vitamin B12 and vitamin D. These are two other vitamins that many vegans lack in their diet and can lead to poor hair growth.
See more information and reviews here.
#2. Vegan Gummy Vitamins For Hair Growth
If you have trouble swallowing big capsules, these supplements are perfect because they are tasty gummies!
Some of the key nutrients to support hair growth included are Biotin, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Zinc, Choline, Spirulina (iodine), and others.
This supplement feels more “complete” compared to Hair Anew, but it falls just short of being the perfect hair supplement.
What I like about this supplement
As someone who doesn’t like swallowing capsules or tablets, I find gummies a great alternative, and I’m sure many people out there also have the same problem with horse-sized pills that you can get with some supplements on the market.
It feels well-rounded for a hair supplement and would be a good choice for most vegans, especially if they aren’t already taking a B12 supplement.
What I don’t like about this supplement
The supplement falls short of being amazing because it doesn’t include enough zinc. One of the most common complaints about high dose biotin supplement is the problem with oily skin. Zinc is very effective at preventing this side effect of biotin that happens when some people take it. I advise people to consider taking a zinc supplement with biotin if they experience this problem. Most people will be perfectly fine, however.
See more information and reviews here.
#3. ST. Tropica Hair Growth Vitamins
Compared with the previous two supplements, this one contains 100% of each vitamin and mineral per serving (1 capsule). These include B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12. It also contains Vitamins C, Vitamin D3, and Zinc.
Of course, no hair supplement would be without biotin! So they’ve put in 300 mcg of Biotin, which is still a relatively high dose, but slightly less than some of the other vegan hair supplements.
Aside from its inclusion of these vitamins, it contains its own St Tropica Proprietary blend of ingredients. These include MSM, Organic Amla, Organic Hibiscus, Organic Acai, Whole bean powder, Organic Spinach, and Bamboo extract for Silica.
Many of these herbs and ingredients have been shown to help strengthen and nourish hair and are a great addition to what is otherwise a solid hair supplement.
What I like about this supplement
I like this supplement as it contains 100% of each ingredient (with the exception of biotin) and that also stands outs amongĀ the crowd with its own unique blend of ingredients that you don’t find in many other hair supplements. To see what each of these ingredients do for your hair, check out the link below.
One of the great things about this supplement also is that it contains 11 mg of zinc. As already mentioned, vegans can be easily deficient in zinc and that’s why there is a risk of developing oily skin from high dose biotin.
What I dislike about this supplement
it doesn’t contain calcium or vitamin E, which I would have expected from a hair supplement. Although, not a knock against the supplement itself, it doesn’t have many reviews yet compared to the previous supplements.
#4. Vitamin E (Tocotrienol) Supplement For Hair Growth
Many hair vitamin supplements contain vitamin E because it’s important for hair growth, but they rarely ever include tocotrienols!
If you’re male and are at risk of hair loss, adding a tocotrienol supplement to your hair growth regimen would be a good idea because it protects the hair follicles from DHT, while it also locally stimulates IGF-1, vascular endothelial factor (VEGF), and keratinocyte growth factor.
In one study using tocotrienol for male pattern baldness, the subjects who took the supplement experienced a 34% increase in hair growth over 8 months while the placebo group stayed at baseline. And 40% of those who had a boost in hair growth saw hair counts rise by 50% [1].
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to get enough tocotrienols from diet alone, so supplementing is the only realistic way.
Who should use this supplement?
Anyone who wants to improve their skin and hair! But it’s especially good to combine with a hair vitamin supplement if you’re a guy and are losing hair due to androgenetic alopecia.
See more information and reviews here.
Frequently asked questions about vegan hair supplements
These are some of the questions that are asked about the effectiveness of vegan supplements and their ingredients
1. How long does it take for supplements to improve hair growth?
Hair grows at approximately half an inch per month, so it will take a few months before you’ll notice any improvements in the quality or growth of your hair. You should wait at least 2-3 months before judging whether or not a supplement is working for you.
If you’ve been suffering from deficiencies for a while, it can take some time to correct these and you may need to wait at least 6 months before seeing good results. This is because the hair grows in cycles, and sometimes weak hair can fall out too early until it grows in strong and healthy, which might be after 2-3 hair growth cycles.
For best results, make sure you are also eating a healthy diet, not smoking, exercising, and protecting your hair from harsh environments and the sun! Also, check out my tips on how I grew my long hair on the diet.
2. Are these supplements effective for hair loss in men and women?
Men and women can suffer hair loss for different reasons. In men, the cause can often be down to a hormone called DHT that attacks hair follicles.
Taking vitamin supplements can support the hair follicle and correct deficiencies (also a cause of hair loss), but you will need something to block DHT like finasteride or natural DHT inhibitors.
Women can experience hair loss due to a variety of reasons and it is usually more diffuse. It can be related to stress, depression, pregnancy, hormone changes, autoimmune disease, and deficiencies.
Vitamin supplements are great for preventing any deficiencies on a vegan diet that may lead to hair loss.
3. Is the Vitamin D included in these supplements from a vegan source?
Vitamin D deficiency is a cause of hair loss in both men and women, so supplementing it can be quite important. Recently, supplement companies’ have been using an alternative vegan source of vitamin D3 fromĀ Lichen.
Some of the cheaper vegan supplements also use Vitamin D2 which is plant-based.
4. Can you take multiple hair supplements together?
It’s not recommended that you take two supplements designed for hair growth at once. You should take one at a time and see which one you find best. Supplements that can be taken with hair growth vitamins can be protein supplements, herbs, polyphenols, and tocotrienols (see above).
If you are combining hair supplements with a general multivitamin, make sure that you are not exceeding the safe dose.
Great selection! I love reading reviews as it really helps me select which one is the best. š