Vitamins, Minerals and Herbs that Promote Healthy Skin and Hair Care

Every woman desires beautiful skin and hair. The key to good looking skin and hair is to take a healthy approach. It is true that what we put inside of our body is mirrored in the way that our skin and hair looks. Therefore, healthy skin care and hair care has to begin internally. Before we go out and spend a lot of money on skin care products and hair care products we must first make the commitment to monitor everything that we eat. It is obvious that eating greasy, fried foods and foods with high sugar and fat content will do little to promote healthy hair growth or healthy skincare, so it is best to cut down on these types of foods. Listed below are some of the foods that contain the vitamins and minerals that have been documented to promote healthy skin and hair

It is important to remember that anything that is good for the hair is probably good for the skin, and vice versa.

Vitamin A helps with the formation and maintenance of healthy hair and healthy skin; this is why vitamin A supplements are routinely given to people who have been severely burned. You can get vitamin A into your diet by eating foods high in beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is found in edible plants, and it gets converted into vitamin A. Some foods that are naturally high in Vitamin A are Tomatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Eggs, Spinach, and Broccoli.

Vitamin H (Biotin) is legendary for its positive effects on healthy hair growth and skin care. Most people who take biotin usually do so in the form of dietary supplements. However, biotin can be found in nuts such as peanuts, cashews, and almonds, as well as in soybeans, oatmeal, mushrooms, and bananas.

Vitamin B-2 (Riboflavin) is commonly known for its positive promotion of healthy skin. Because all of the vitamins in the B family all tend to work best when combined with each other, it is probably best to make sure that you are getting the proper amount of each.

Iodine is a mineral that is known mostly for the promotion of a normally functioning thyroid. However, many people are not aware of the fact that iodine is also good for the promotion of healthy hair and healthy skin. Natural sources of iodine include seafood such as shrimp, lobster and oysters, and salty snacks like nuts and seeds. Also, any kind of saltwater fish, such as haddock and herring are iodine rich.

As you can see, the list of vitamins and minerals that have been absolutely documented to promote healthy hair and healthy skin is rather short. The best way to incorporate these vitamins and mineral into your diet is to eat the foods that contain them. One of the most convenient ways to get these vitamins and mineral into your daily diet is to take a multi-vitamin. If you are embarking on a healthy hair and/or healthy skin regimen, when choosing a multi-vitamin, you should make sure to look on the back to see if the recommended daily allowance for each of the aforementioned vitamins and mineral is included. If anything is less than 100%, you should find some other way to make up for the loss.

One final note: do not be fooled by hair care products that tout their effectiveness based on the fact that they are "vitamin" enriched. Normally, vitamins have to be taken internally in order for them to work to enrich healthy hair growth. Vitamin, mineral and herb enriched skin care products have been shown to be effective at promoting healthy skin care. Following is a short list of nutrients that are known to promote healthy skin care when applied topically instead of taken internally:

People have long used vitamin E, topically, to aid in the healing process of skin injuries such as burns, cuts, and scrapes.

People have long used Aloe, topically, to aid in the healing process of skin injuries like cuts and scrapes.

People have long used Flaxseed oil, topically to soften skin.

Griffith, Winter, MD. The Complete Guide to Vitamins Herbs, Minerals & Supplements. Tucson: Fisher Books, 1998.