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Growing long hair can already be a struggle for the average girl or guy, but growing long hair when you’re eating a vegan diet can be an even bigger challenge. The diet may be low in certain vitamins and minerals, so sometimes it’s best to take a vitamin supplement designed for vegans to support hair growth.
Even if you think you’re getting everything you need on the diet, the reality is that you need to be a lot more careful with the food choices you make. And sometimes it’s easier to just take a supplement to deal with those difficult-to-get nutrients on the diet.
When you’re not eating animal products, you will be short on a few nutrients that are important in hair growth. And of course, any time there is a deficiency in the body, your hair is the last part of your body that takes priority.
One of the ways you can get vitamins to support hair growth is by taking a good high-quality hair vitamin supplement.
Having trouble finding vegan supplements?
As a vegan myself, I have been searching for good products to recommend people who are thinking about becoming vegan and are worried about deficiencies.
These supplements cover some of the vital nutrients that you need on a vegan diet to ensure that your hair keeps growing.
Of course, you will always want to eat a healthy and balanced diet as well. When you take of your body, you give it the best chance to repair, regenerate, and grow.
How to choose the right vegan-friendly hair supplements
Gummies – These have become a popular way to take supplements. When choosing a product, make sure that it doesn’t contain any gelatin, which is derived from animals.
Read labels – Don’t just trust that a product is vegan-friendly before reading the product description. If it doesn’t specifically say that it’s suitable for vegans, then read the label for animal-based ingredients.
Vitamin D form – Vitamin D can be created when we expose our skin to the sun, but many of us require supplements to keep our vitamin D level up. Many vegans that I’ve spoken to are absolutely fine taking vitamin D that was derived from Sheep’s wool since the animal was not hurt in any way during the process. However, if you still don’t feel comfortable with that, you can always look for vitamin D2 or a vitamin D3 supplements derived from wild Litchen.
Questions? Please feel free to comment below or send me a message if you’re still unsure.
#1. Hair Anew (contains 11 ingredients to improve hair growth)
Hair Anew contains many different ingredients that will help with hair growth.
A large dose of Biotin (5000 mcg) may significantly improve the rate of hair growth by itself. I believe this is the best vegan biotin supplement.
The supplement contains the following:
Ginko Biloba – is known to improve blood flow to the skin and therefore the scalp. Healthy blood flow can deliver the nutrients your hair needs to grow.
Silica – An element that has been proven in studies to help improve hair growth and strength. A very important addition to any hair supplement. Silica could also help improve your nails and skin, too!
Vitamin C – An important precursor in the synthesis of collagen and proteins. Hair is made up of keratin, which is a protein!
Zinc – I love that they’ve included zinc in their supplement. One of the complaints from many people who take biotin is that it can break them out. With the addition of zinc in HairAnew, it can really help prevent that from happening. Zinc fights inflammation and has proven effects in stopping spots and acne.
HairAnew also has a highly bioavailable form of zinc, because zinc is something that many vegans can be low or even deficient in.
Zinc deficiency also happens to be one factor in hair loss or a condition known as alopecia.
See current price and reviews here.
#2. Hair Gummy Bear Vitamins for Strong Hair and Nail Growth
This is a good supplement for those who don’t like taking capsules or big tablets.
These gummy bears contain over 15 vitamins and other natural ingredients which have been shown to be important for hair growth. They also sugar and gluten-free and only 9 Calories per serving (2 gummies).
I really like this supplement because it contains reasonable amounts of vitamins which is perfect for someone with an otherwise healthy diet.
Of course, it also contains vitamin D3 (400 IU), Vitamin B12 (6 mcg), and a small amount of zinc (2.6 mg). These are vitamins that vegans have trouble getting from diet alone.
If I have one gripe with this supplement, it would be the low amount of zinc they’ve added. For that reason, I have put Gummy Bear Hair Vitamin supplement as my 2nd choice for vegan hair growth supplements.
See current price and reviews here.
#3. DEVA Vegan Vitamins For Hair Growth
Deva Vegan Hair, Nails and Skin is my third recommendation. It’s also one of the cheapest options for vegans who are searching for a hair supplement.
It not only contains many different vitamins and minerals but also includes extracts from various herbs such as aloe vera, horsetail, fenugreek, rosemary and more.
My only gripe with this supplement is that it just gives you 500 mcg of biotin, which is considerably lower than what you get in other popular hair growth supplements.
And the supplement contains vitamin D2 instead of vitamin D3 (and contains a very small amount of 200 IU).
If you were to go with this option instead of HairAnew (which is very popular!), then I’d recommend you also take vitamin D3+B12 supplement as well.
See current price and reviews here.
#4. Vegan Vitamin D3 and B12 Gummies
Two vitamins that many vegetarians and vegans alike tend to be short are vitamin B12 & Vitamin D.
And both are vital for healthy hair growth.
Even people who are living in sunny places in the world can be at risk of vitamin D deficiency if they work indoors or have darker skin. If you live in the northern hemisphere, you are at risk of vitamin D deficiency.
Although many vegetarians and vegans have no problem taking vitamin D3 supplements derived from Lanolin (Sheep’s wool), this supplement provides vitamin D3 from Wild Lichen
Wild Lichen is a plant source of vitamin D3 and is Vegan Society and Vegetarian Society registered.
Two important findings show that vegans are likely to be vitamin B12 deficient.
- In a recent study, it was found that 52% of vegans were deficient in vitamin B12. (study)
- A more sensitive test measuring levels of methylmalonic acid showed that this increased to 92% for vegans. (study)
It’s clear that vegans must supplement vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. Deficiency in either or both is a cause of hair loss in men and women.
These gummies are non-GMO. Totally Vegan-friendly.
Contains:
Vitamin D3 1000 IU
Vitamin B12 250 mcg
See current price and reviews here.
#5. Garden of Life Vegan DHA Supplement
Although not a “vitamin”, it nevertheless is something that many vegans miss out on when they adopt this lifestyle. As a vegan, you will be avoiding one thing that can make your hair silky smooth and beautiful!
The essential fatty acid is abundant in fish like Salmon; but for a vegan who wishes to obtain these fats, you have to look elsewhere. Algae is one great alternative source of omega 3 which will be able to provide you with enough DHA.
For a vegan, it’s not so difficult to get plenty of EPA from a vegan diet by consuming ALA, which is converted mostly to EPA.
The problem many people have is the conversion of ALA to DHA. For males, this is much more difficult without obtaining it directly from fish. Females have a little bit of an easier time with the conversion.
Garden of Life DHA supplement is a good supplement which I recommend for any vegan who wants to include a good DHA source in their diet. It’s not only important for hair but also brain function, eye health, and decreasing inflammation.
Garden of Life DHA also contains a powerful antioxidant known as Astaxanthin, which is great for skin and hair health.
See current price and reviews here.
You’re a Vegan And Have Slow Hair Growth?
One complaint that I’ve heard from vegans over the years is that their hair seems to be thinner since they started eating a vegan diet. But is it the fact that they are vegan, or is it that they are missing out on some vital nutrients that are required for hair growth?
I’ve had personal experience with this issue, and it was fixed by simply correcting for some deficiencies when I was eating a vegan diet.
It’s not just vitamins that vegans can be short on, but minerals also. Here are some of the vitamins and minerals you might be low in when you’re eating a vegan diet:
- Vitamin B12
- Calcium
- Vitamin D
- Iron
- Zinc (check out the best form of zinc for hair growth)
- Iodine
- Protein
- Imbalance of gut bacteria
It’s easy for people who are not informed about the dangers of eating a vegan diet to become deficient in any one of these. Although ethically, being a vegan is a wonderful thing to do for the animals, it can put human health at risk.
We are omnivore’s, but due to our modernized lifestyles and technology, we can live without animal products. For ethical reasons and for health reasons, I chose to be vegan and have been vegan and healthy for five years (vegetarian for 10).
And my hair is very long and healthy!
How long until you see results from hair growth vitamins?
You need to have patience!
No vitamins or pills are miracles by themselves, but they can make a significant difference over the long term in the strength, quality and look of your hair.
Hair still grows at a slower pace than we want it to, but by eating well and taking vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, we can actually make a real difference to how fast your hair grows and how healthy it is.
To have strong and healthy hair, you have to give it the essential micronutrients and proteins that it needs to grow.
Remember to be consistent with what you’re doing to get good results. Taking vitamins and eating well for just a week won’t work, you have to do these things for months and years if you want to grow your hair super long.
And don’t be complacent when you’re on a vegan diet. It’s very easy to fall into deficiencies, and it can happen slowly. Such is the case with vitamin B12. The body can store B12 for long periods of time, and it takes months for levels to decline.
And if you’re in any doubt, see your physician so they can do blood tests on you to make sure that you’re healthy.
Just explain to your doctor that you’re eating a vegan diet and you would like to be tested to check for vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
If you want to spread the word about veganism and attract people to it the cause…
Be a healthy vegan with great hair! 😉
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