Does Collagen Make Your Hair Grow?

According to celebrity stylist Ken Pavés, collagen is an amino acid, and hair follicle cells use amino acids to produce keratin protein which promotes hair growth, strength, and elasticity.

Collagen improves circulation and skin elasticity to prevent thinning hair. According to the Academy of Dermatology, your hair grows from a root in the bottom of the hair follicle. The root is made of cells and protein, and the blood from the blood vessels in your scalp feed the root. This creates more cells and makes the hair grow.

Taking a collagen-rich hair supplement provides essential amino acids such as keratin which are needed to grow strong hair and maintain a healthy scalp. Collagen also has protective effects against free radicals that may damage hair follicles.

Collagen layers regenerate when our body produces more collagen. This helps the hair follicles enter the growth (anagen) phase, supporting the hair growth cycle and encouraging hairs to grow longer. As collagen supplements provide the body with a good amino acid supply, this can make the hair follicles stronger, defending them against oxidation.

Collagen may promote healthy hair in a variety of ways. For one, your body may be able to use the amino acids in collagen to build hair proteins and strengthen the skin that contains your hair roots. It may also prevent hair follicle damage and graying.

As a vitamin, biotin primarily supports hair health by breaking down macronutrients in the body for cell renewal and growth. On the other hand, collagen directly promotes hair follicle growth through amino acids and proteins. Collagen also strengthens the scalp’s dermis and helps antioxidants fight free radicals which damage the hair.

Having healthy hair really comes down to having healthy hair follicles — and these follicles require protein and other compounds to keep hair healthy and growing strong. The greatest benefit of collagen for hair is that it boosts your protein intake. This may help support the hair’s structure — boosting its resilience, shine and strength.

To produce collagen, your body needs:

• Proline: found in egg whites, dairy, cabbage, mushrooms, and asparagus
• Glycine: found in pork skin, chicken skin, and gelatin, and a variety of other protein-rich foods
• Vitamin C: found in citrus fruits and bell peppers
• Zinc: found in beef, lamb, pork, shellfish, chickpeas, lentils, beans, milk, cheese, and various nuts and seeds

• boosting overall hair health for healthier hair and a healthy scalp
• strengthening the hair follicle to give you strong hair
• speeds up hair regrowth and helps to give you thicker hair
• fights age-related hair loss
• protects hair during its growth stage and even after the hair follicle matures
• improves overall muscle mass
• improve skin elasticity

You can get B vitamins from many foods, including:

• whole grains
• almonds
• meat
• fish
• seafood
• dark, leafy greens

Collagen promotes strong hair by supporting the scalp and the hair follicles. Here’s why taking collagen for hair loss might be working. One of the most abundant proteins your body makes is collagen. It’s the element that helps develop your tendons, ligaments, and skin, according to the National Center for Biotechnology.

Why is collagen important for hair growth?

Collagen improves circulation and skin elasticity to prevent thinning hair. According to the Academy of Dermatology, your hair grows from a root in the bottom of the hair follicle. The root is made of cells and protein, and the blood from the blood vessels in your scalp feed the root.

Collagen is known to be extremely beneficial for improving the appearance, texture, and overall health of your hair. Numerous collagen supplements, like SkinnyFit Super Youth, aim to strengthen and nourish hair, maximize hair growth, and even prevent hair loss—all of which sound incredible! But, what does collagen do for hair on a more scientific level? How is it that collagen can achieve such amazing results? Let’s take a closer look at the evidence to better understand how taking collagen for hair might just be the life-changing solution to all our hair needs…

Around our mid-20s and early-30s, our body’s ability to produce collagen declines, and we eventually stop producing it altogether. Over time, whatever collagen we do have in our bodies begin to decline as well. This is typically when the physical signs of aging kick in—fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, achy joints, and even weak and brittle hair. [ 5] If wrinkles and sagging skin weren’t bad enough, what’s worse is that as we continue to age and our collagen supply is dwindles, we become even more susceptible to elements that accelerate the aging process—like free radical damage. Free radicals are compounds that develop in your body as a result of environmental influences like air pollutants, smoking, alcohol, poor dietary choices, and more. Free radical damage can have adverse effects on our health, including damage to our hair follicles. [ 6 ]

You see, your body uses several amino acids to create keratin. Some of these amino acids, like proline and glycine, for example, are also found in collagen. [ 3] Although glycine and proline are considered conditionally non-essential amino acids, consuming proline-, glycine-, and hydroxyproline-rich collagen should provide your body with the building blocks needed to create new hair follicles. [ 4 ]

Each hair follicle consists of three layers: the cuticle, the cortex, and the medulla. The cuticle is the outermost layer of your hair and is made up of hundreds of flattened, overlapping cells that form a protective layer around the other cell layers (the same way that shingles on a roof would protect the interior of a home). [ 1] Keratin is a structural protein found throughout every layer of our hair follicles. Keratin’s primary function (when it comes to hair) is to not only smooth the overlapping cell layers of the cuticle to give your hair a smooth and glossy look, but to also produce new hair follicles that form at the root of the existing follicle. [ 2 ]

Type I and III collagen are present in scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, muscle, skin, teeth, bone, and joints, and Type V supports optimal tissue quality in hair, skin, nails, and vital organs.

Taking 11-20 grams of Type I, III, and V collagen from a marine source every day will provide your body with the right type of collagen it needs to see physical improvements in your hair.

How does collagen help hair?

Regularly consuming collagen can improve hair health by supplying it with the essential amino acids that the body needs to create new strands of hair. Here’s how it works: your hair consists primarily of a protein known as keratin. Collagen is a rich source of the essential amino acids that create keratin in the body, …

When looking for the best collagen to enhance your hair, it’s essential to choose one that’s specifically abundant in type 1 collagen, which is found in both marine and bovine-sourced collagen. Though there are over 16 different types of collagen, type 1 is best suited for maintaining youthful hair, skin, and nails.

Collagen is a rich source of the essential amino acids that create keratin in the body, including the most important amino acid for keratin production, proline. Undoubtedly, healthy hair follicles are the key to thick, strong strands of hair and minimal hair loss.

Supplementing with collagen is a natural solution to thickening your hair because collagen provides your body with nutrients it needs to build healthy hair and hair follicles. Type 1 collagen from marine or bovine sources is the best option for hair and beauty-related needs because it is the richest source of essential amino acids like proline …

Marine collagen, on the other hand, consists of 100% type 1 collagen peptides making it a targeted choice for those specifically seeking collagen’s hair enhancing benefits. ” [I] recently switched to the Marine Collagen after researching it…

Unfortunately, hair follicles commonly suffer damage from free radicals that accumulate due to chronic stress, poor eating habits, sun exposure, or age.

Our Marine Collagen is sourced from wild-caught and highly-sustainable codfish and our Bovine Collagen comes from grass-fed cows.