Hair Growth
Supplements for hair growth: biotin, zinc and selenium, complete hair formulas, collagen powders and gummies. Below we explain which claims are actually approved, which form fits you and how long to give it.Read more →
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What hair growth supplements can and cannot do for your hair
What these supplements are allowed to claim
Hair is mostly keratin, a protein your body builds from amino acids, and the follicle needs vitamins and minerals to keep doing that work. European food law is strict about the wording. Biotin and zinc contribute to the maintenance of normal hair. Selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and nails. Copper contributes to normal hair and skin pigmentation. No nutrient is approved to claim faster or thicker growth. We stick to that wording, so you can judge what a product realistically does for your hair, skin and nails.
The formats differ more than the labels suggest
This collection holds four types of product:
- Single nutrients, such as biotin, zinc or iron, for when you know which gap you are filling.
- Complete hair formulas, which combine those nutrients with amino acids such as L-lysine or MSM.
- Gummies, easy to remember daily, usually with lower doses and some sugar or sweetener.
- Powders, often built around collagen powders and capsules with added vitamin C.
Two practical details matter here. Marine collagen comes from fish, so it is not vegan and not for you if you avoid seafood. And many capsule shells are gelatine, so check the vegan mark rather than the ingredient list alone.
How we choose what goes on this page
We look at three things: the form, the dose and whether the combination makes sense. We prefer zinc as bisglycinate or citrate over zinc oxide, because these dissolve more easily in the gut. We want doses that actually reach the level a claim requires, not a token dusting of twenty ingredients for the label. We buy directly from the brands, so what you get is authentic, and our compliance team checks every product before it goes live. We test products ourselves and independent labs spot-check batches. You can read how we select brands and products.
Who gains the most, and who probably will not
Nutrients help when something is genuinely missing. A low iron intake, a restricted or vegan diet, heavy periods or the months after childbirth are the situations where people most often notice a difference. If you already eat varied and your blood values are fine, extra biotin has little left to do. Hair loss with a hormonal or genetic cause does not respond to nutrition, and a GP or trichologist is the better first step.
Give any product a full three months, and preferably longer. Hair grows roughly one centimetre a month, and each follicle spends years in a growth phase before it rests, so a change in your intake only shows up in the new hair near the scalp. One caution worth knowing before you start: high-dose biotin supplements can distort blood test results, including thyroid tests, so mention them when you have blood taken.
Frequently asked questions
They are food supplements that supply nutrients your body uses to keep hair normal, mainly biotin, zinc, selenium, copper, iron and vitamin C, sometimes with collagen, keratin or amino acids such as L-lysine. They work from the inside, so they are different from a shampoo or a scalp serum. They are food, not medicine, and they are meant to fill a gap in your intake rather than to replace a varied diet.
It depends on whether you were short of something. The clearest link is with iron: a low iron status is the most common nutritional reason for shedding, especially in women with heavy periods, so iron supplements can matter. If your intake is already adequate, extra nutrients have little left to do. Approved wording is also limited to maintaining normal hair, not growing new hair, and that is the honest expectation to work with.
Choose on dose first and on daily habit second. A form you actually take every day beats a stronger one you forget.
| Format | What it offers | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Tablet or capsule | Full doses, no sugar | Most people, daily use |
| Gummy | Lower doses, sweetened | Anyone who dislikes pills |
| Powder | Collagen in grams | Adding to a drink |
| Single nutrient | One known gap | After a blood test |
| Complete formula | Several nutrients | General hair support |
Marine collagen powders are not vegan, so check the source if that matters to you.
Plan on three months minimum, and six months for a fair judgement. Hair grows about one centimetre a month and the follicle works in cycles, so anything you change today appears in hair that has not left the scalp yet. Shedding usually settles before length or density looks different. Take your product at the same moment each day, with a meal, and take a photo at the start so you compare like with like.
These are the UK reference intakes for adults aged 19 to 64. They are reference figures, not a dosing recommendation, and they include what you already get from food.
| Nutrient | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Zinc | 9.5 mg | 7 mg |
| Selenium | 75 mcg | 60 mcg |
| Iron (19 to 49) | 8.7 mg | 14.8 mg |
The NHS notes that most people get enough zinc from a varied diet, and that high doses of zinc reduce copper absorption.
Source: NHS and NHSYes, and there are two things to check. Collagen is usually marine or bovine, so vegan formulas use vitamin C plus amino acids instead. The capsule shell also matters, because many are gelatine rather than plant cellulose. We list the vegan products separately for that reason. If you eat plant-based, zinc and iron deserve attention anyway: plant sources contain phytates, which lower absorption, so intake and status are worth checking with your GP.
Ask your midwife or GP first, and read the label for vitamin A. The NHS advises pregnant women to avoid supplements containing vitamin A as retinol, and to avoid liver and liver products, because too much can harm the baby. Beauty formulas sometimes include retinol, so this is worth a check rather than an assumption. Postpartum shedding is common and usually settles on its own; iron status is the more useful thing to have measured.
Yes, and this is the part marketing rarely mentions. Too much selenium over a long period is associated with hair loss and brittle nails, which is why the NHS gives an amount for supplements that is unlikely to cause harm rather than encouraging more. Excess preformed vitamin A can have the same effect. High-dose biotin does not appear toxic, but it can skew blood test results. More is not better here: match the dose to the gap.
