Vitamin B6 is a B-complex vitamin that’s found in many foods. It’s essential to brain development and can help the body to maintain a healthy immune system. In addition to these mind and body benefits, it can do a lot to help your hair.
Vitamin B6 provides the hair with amino acids that serve as the building blocks of hair proteins. It helps to circulate oxygen throughout the body, including the hair. This essential nutrient can help to promote hair growth and provide hair with the proteins that it needs to grow and thrive.
What Is Vitamin B6?
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that’s sometimes referred to as pyridoxine. It’s one of eight B vitamins that play an essential role in our health and well-being.
It benefits the immune system and metabolism and helps to convert food into energy.
This vitamin is found in many different foods, including tuna, salmon, chicken, chickpeas, and potatoes. It can also be found in fortified foods as well as in many supplements.
If you’re not getting enough vitamin B6 from your normal diet, supplementing could have a positive impact on your hair’s health.
11 Vitamin B6 Benefits For Hair
1. It Promotes Hair Growth
Vitamin B6 plays a role in the production of new hair. If your body is lacking in B6, it could cause your hair to grow more slowly.
If you feel like your hair isn’t growing quickly enough, a Vitamin B6 supplement could be a way for you to correct that problem.
When your body has the B6 that it needs, it can serve as a catalyst and can help to encourage your hair to grow.
2. It Helps Prevent Hair Loss
Several studies have shown that taking Vitamin B6 can help to slow the rate of hair loss, even in women that suffer from conditions like alopecia. (1)
It can also be very helpful for people dealing with thinning hair.
There are many factors that can lead to hair loss, including hormonal changes, medical conditions, and the aging process.
If hair loss is something that you’re concerned about, taking Vitamin B6 could be a way for you to avoid problems in the future.
3. It Adds Shine
If your hair is looking dull and dry, a Vitamin B6 hair treatment or supplement could help to give it back its shine.
Vitamin B6 provides hair with protein that makes it stronger and healthier.
When your hair is in good shape, it’ll have a lot more shine. If you’ve noticed that your hair is looking a little lifeless, that could be a sign that your hair is lacking in essential nutrients.
4. It Can Restore Damaged Hair
It’s normal for hair to become damaged over time. Thankfully, that damage doesn’t have to be permanent.
Since Vitamin B6 can speed up hair growth, it can help new hair to come in more quickly.
It can also help to balance the production of sebum, a moisturizing oil that’s naturally produced by your scalp.
When your hair is producing the right amount of sebum, it will be easier for your locks to get the moisture that they need.
5. It Can Reduce the Impact of Stress on Hair
Stress can take a real toll on your hair. When your stress levels are high, your hair follicles can enter a resting phase, which means new strands won’t be produced.
High levels of stress can also cause hair to fall out. (2)
Thankfully, research shows that taking Vitamin B6 can make it easier for the body to manage stress, especially when it’s combined with other supplements. (3)
There’s no way to completely remove stress from your life, but you can make sure that stress doesn’t significantly damage your hair.
6. It Helps Make Hair Easier to Manage
When your hair is healthier, it’ll be less prone to frizzing, snagging, and tangling. After you start taking a supplement, you may find that it’s easier to style your hair.
Unruly hair isn’t just about genetics. It can also be a sign of poor hair health. That’s why it’s worthwhile to take supplements that can nourish your hair.
7. It May Add Volume
If you have very thin hair that doesn’t seem to have much volume, a Vitamin B6 supplement could help.
Research has indicated that Vitamin B6 could improve hair density and encourage new hair shafts to form. (4)
It’s unlikely that B6 will completely transform your hair, but it should have a positive impact. If you combine it with the right styling products, you should be able to add a lot more volume.
8. It’s Great for Color or Heat Damaged Hair
Hair dye and heat styling are popular, but they’re also bad for your hair. If your hair is starting to show signs of heat and color damage, B6 could help it to recover.
Not only will you be able to grow new hair, but you’ll be able to ensure that your hair has the protein it needs. This can be a way to minimize damage and achieve amazing-looking hair.
9. It Provides Hair With More Melanin and Keratin
Studies have shown that B6 can increase the production of hair proteins like melanin and keratin. (5)
Having more of these proteins should result in better-looking, more manageable hair.
You can find these proteins in many hair products, but taking supplements could encourage your body to produce what your hair needs naturally. It’s yet another way that B6 can improve hair health.
10. It Prevents Future Damage
Not only can taking Vitamin B6 help to restore your hair, but it can also help you to avoid damage in the future. It improves circulation, helping to send more oxygenated blood to your scalp.
Since it also helps regulate oil production, supplementing with B6 can give your hair an optimal environment to grow in.
Over time, it can have a lasting impact on both the appearance and the health of your hair.
11. It Can Restore Your Hair’s Natural Color
As previously mentioned, Vitamin B6 can increase melanin production. Melanin has a direct impact on the color of your hair.
If you’ve noticed that your hair color is less vibrant than it used to be, a lack of melanin could be the culprit.
Instead of relying on damaging hair dye, you can take a supplement that can help your hair to naturally produce more melanin.
Since melanin production naturally slows down with age, it can be smart to start using a supplement.
How To Take Vitamin B6
One of the most effective ways to give your body the Vitamin B6 it needs is to add foods that are rich in this valuable nutrient to your diet.
It’s found in a wide array of animal and plant-based foods, including poultry, seafood, and dark leafy greens.
If you’re not sure that you’re getting enough Vitamin B6, there are plenty of supplements that will provide your body with everything it needs.
Some supplements exclusively contain Vitamin B6, while others combine it with other hair-nourishing ingredients, like folic acid.
In addition to taking Vitamin B6 orally, you can mix it into your hair products and apply it directly to your hair.
You can do this with Vitamin B6 oil or by breaking open a Vitamin B6 capsule.
Mix the contents into a hair mask, apply it to your hair, and keep it covered with a shower cap for at least 15 minutes for the best results.
Does Vitamin B Make Your Hair Grow?
Experts believe that Vitamin B6 plays an important role in hair growth.
Studies have shown that Vitamin B6 improves the hair’s ability to take in amino acids, which your hair needs to grow. (6)
In addition, researchers have found that women that take B6 supplements see improvements in hair growth. (7)
However, you shouldn’t expect to see immediate results. It usually takes about 90 days to see visible hair growth from supplements. (8) Taking Vitamin B6 may also improve the thickness and quality of hair. (9)
Can Vitamin B6 Cause Hair Loss?
As long as you stay within the daily recommended value for Vitamin B6, you shouldn’t experience any hair loss.
However, overdosing on supplements can harm your hair and your overall health. It could even cause you to lose hair. (10)
Going beyond the recommended dose for Vitamin B6 supplements won’t cause your hair to grow faster and could even have the opposite effect.
If you stick to taking an appropriate dose, you should see positive changes in your hair in time.
Frequently asked questions
In addition to B6, other B complex vitamins like Biotin (Vitamin B7) can encourage your hair to grow. Vitamins A, C, E, zinc, and iron are also great for hair growth.
If you overdose on Vitamin B6, you could experience nausea or sensitivity to sunlight. Taking too much of this supplement could also have a negative impact on the health of your hair.
Sources
- www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-b6/art-20363468
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11344694
- https://share.upmc.com/2018/12/losing-hair-from-stress
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6298677/
- https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/14/4996
- https://www.healthline.com/health/melanin-in-hair
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17374475
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11344694/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509882
- pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30547302/
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6380979/
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