Your skin, hair, and nails reveal a lot about your overall health. When they're less strong or shiny, it can indicate deficiencies in important nutrients.
By combining healthy nutrition with the right, natural supplements, you support your body from within.
Why should you use these supplements?
Natural supplements can help support your skin, hair and nails when you are lacking nutrients.
Deficiencies of certain substances can lead to:
- Dry skin or eczema
- Hair loss or thinning hair
- Brittle nails
Supplements can help, but they are never a substitute for a healthy diet.
3 Powerful Natural Ingredients for Your Skin, Hair and Nails
In addition to nutrition, there are several plant extracts that have been proven effective in supporting your skin, hair and nails:
1. Saw Palmetto Extract
Supports hair growth in men. It helps maintain healthy levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone).(1)
Saw palmetto is a natural extract of the berries of the saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ), a plant native to the southeastern United States.
2. Bamboo extract (50% Silicon)
Bamboo is rich in silicon, a mineral that contributes to the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein necessary for the elasticity of your skin and the strength of your hair and nails. (2)
You already get small amounts of silicon through your diet, especially from legumes, vegetables, and fruits (raisins, lentils, beans, and sultanas are good sources). Supplements are made with extracts from the bamboo plant.
3. Collagen
This protein supports the firmness of your skin and contributes to healthy hair and nails. As you age, your body produces less collagen, which can lead to wrinkles and less elastic skin.
A hydrolyzed collagen supplement (where collagen is broken down into smaller pieces for better absorption) can help with your skin's elasticity and hydration. This effect has been shown to be more pronounced after about 90 days of use. (3)
Essential vitamins for your skin, hair and nails
To keep your skin, hair and nails healthy, there are a number of vitamins and minerals you shouldn't miss:
Vitamins for your hair
These nutrients are essential for healthy hair:
- Biotin (vitamin B8): Contributes to hair growth and is good for shiny hair.
- Zinc: For maintaining shiny hair.
- Copper: Contributes to natural hair color.
- Selenium: Keep your hair strong.
Vitamins for your skin
In addition to hydration, your skin needs the following vitamins and minerals:
- Biotin (vitamin B8): Helps care for the skin from within.
- Iodine: Supports the skin's regenerative capacity (color).
- Copper: Contributes to normal skin pigmentation.
- Niacin (vitamin B3): Helps keep skin healthy.
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2): For the maintenance of normal structure and function of skin.
- Vitamin A: Contributes to keeping the skin healthy.
- Vitamin C: Contributes to the formation of collagen, which is important for the skin.
- Zinc: For internal skin care.
Vitamins for your nails
Do you suffer from brittle or easily broken nails? These nutrients are good for your nails:
- Zinc
- Selenium
Tips for radiant skin, healthy hair and strong nails
What you eat and drink affects the condition of your skin, hair and nails.
Here are 4 simple tips to support from within:
1. Add collagen-rich foods to your diet
Eat foods like fish, broth, or gelatin daily, which are rich in collagen. This helps maintain the elasticity of your skin and the strength of your hair and nails.
For support, you can also use a good hydrolyzed collagen supplement.
2. Get enough vitamin C
Eat plenty of citrus fruits, berries, bell peppers, and broccoli. Vitamin C is essential for collagen production.
3. Get enough zinc
Zinc is important for healthy skin, shiny hair, and strong nails. Aim for 7-9 mg of zinc per day. Meat, shellfish, legumes, and nuts are important sources of zinc. You can also take a zinc supplement.
4. Drink enough water
At least 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day helps keep your skin hydrated and prevents dry nails and hair.
Sources used
- Evron, E., Juhasz, M., Babadjouni, A., & Mesinkovska, N.A. (2020). Natural Hair Supplement: Friend or Foe? Saw Palmetto, a Systematic Review in Alopecia. Skin Appendage Disorders , 6 (6), 329–337. https://doi.org/10.1159/000509905
- De Araújo, L.A., Addor, F., & Campos, PMBGM (2016). Use of silicon for skin and hair care: an approach of chemical forms available and efficacy. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia , 91 (3), 331–335. https://doi.org/10.1590/abd1806-4841.20163986
- De Miranda, R.B., Weimer, P., & Rossi, R.C. (2021c). Effects of hydrolyzed collagen supplementation on skin aging: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. International Journal Of Dermatology , 60 (12), 1449–1461. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.15518
