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When wintertime arrives, our hair can get a bit dry and we end up with lots of frizz, static, dry ends, scalp irritation and more. It’s super annoying, and something that many long hair gals and guys have to put up with – although there are a few fixes and various products which can help, including taking a DHA and EPA supplement for your hair. Using an omega 3 supplement for your hair will help reduce dry skin on your scalp, reduce irritation and inflammation, and improve hair moisture and silkiness by increasing oil production and altering the oils that are produced by the sebaceous glands in the scalp.
Your hair needs moisture: the natural oils that are produced in the scalp helps to soften the hair and make your hair very silky and soft. Using harsh shampoos which contain strong chemicals that strip the oils out, tends to leave many people with hair that is drier than a desert and really irritate the scalp causing all kinds of problems.
So where do DHA and EPA come in?
Well, DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid, and is an essential component of our cells in our body and helps improve the health of your heart, skin, joints, and brain.
Did you know the 60% of your brain is made up of fat?
EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid and has benefits ranging from protecting the heart, to supporting joint health, and also skin health by increasing lipids in the skin. Omega 3 also alters the lipid composition and augments production of them in the epidermis – which in turns helps coat the hair with good oils and relieving itchy scalp, dandruff, and dry hair.
One of the problems in getting adequate amounts of DHA as a vegan is that the body is generally poor at converting plant sources of ALA to DHA, although it does a decent job at converting ALA to EPA.
So in that case, in order to get enough DHA, we have to look for sources which contain high amounts of it or we can simply use supplements to replace it in our diet.
It’s probably not a surprise to you that most people in the west are deficient in omega 3 even on a regular diet which includes meat and fish.
Omega 3 will improve hair growth and health
We need to keep hair follicles properly nourished with adequate blood flow to them and a constant supply of nutrients. The hair follicles spend much of their time in the growth phase (unless you suffer from some kind of alopecia) and therefore keeping them happy will allow your hair to grow better and look a lot healthier in the long run.
DHA and EPA will help your hair in several ways:
- DHA will help nourish the hair follicles
- DHA will help lower inflammation in the scalp
- DHA thins the blood so that blood can flow more easily to the hair follicles through the tiny capillaries to transport nutrients and oxygen
- EPA helps improve and augmented lipid production in the skin, helping it stay soft and have a nice silky feeling
- EPA will help reduce hair dryness, reduce split ends and may help reduce frizz and static by keeping hair moisturized and hydrated
- Both of these are important for a healthy brain and mental well being. They help reduce anxiety, stress, and depression, and therefore could indirectly help you in keeping your hair (all these are a cause of hair loss).
Depending on your current diet, you may want to consider taking just a pure DHA supplement if you’ve already got a lot of ALA in your diet.
However, if you’re not consuming foods such as walnuts, flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds in your diet on a frequent basis, then I would say to pick up an EPA and DHA supplement instead.
If you want to see how fast your hair can grow, read my article here.
Which is the best vegan EPA + DHA supplement?
Fortunately for vegans, there are many different choices and sources of EPA and DHA without obtaining them from fish. Below is a list of some popular omega 3 supplements used by vegans.
You can find out more information about these vegan omega 3 supplements and also see the reviews for each by going to the links below.
Testa GMO-Free DHA and EPA Supplement
This omega 3 supplement contains a healthy dose of DHA (250 mg) and EPA (125 mg) without any of the various toxins that you could possibly find in fish and fish oil supplements which have not been processed and purified well.
Another benefit, of course, is the taste and smell: No fishy taste here!
Where is Testa omega 3 sourced from?
Omega 3 is taken from Algae that has not been processed or modified genetically in any way and has been tested to ensure the best quality.
The supplement also contains other antioxidants such as d-alpha tocopherol, rosemary extract, and ascorbyl palmitate.
See more details and reviews here
OVEGA plant-based Omega 3
Another popular choice for vegetarians and vegans alike is an algal oil based omega 3 supplement from OVEGA.
It contains 500 mg of EPA and DHA, which is higher than the previous supplement.
Where is Ovega Omega 3 sourced from?
This supplement is also sourced from Algal oil and also contains a few different antioxidants such as rosemary extract, tocopherol, ascorbyl palmitate, as well as beta-carotene.
See more details and reviews here
Garden of Life Vegan DHA
This supplement is a pure DHA rather than EPA + DHA. If you’re already getting plenty of EPA from your diet from sources like flaxseeds, soybeans, walnuts etc, then this DHA supplement might be more suitable for you
You get 60 soft gels, so it will last you one to two months depending on your needs. And you get a high dose of DHA compared to the previous supplements I mentioned above.
Where is Garden of Life Vegan DHA sourced from?
Minami omega 3 supplement is 100% vegan and is sourced from algae oil. They extract the omega 3 (DHA) by using dual supercritical CO2 extraction method. The supplement also contains a powerful carotenoid called Astaxanthin, which is great for eye health.
The taste of the supplement is orange, so no fishy taste here either!
This vegan DHA supplement is a high-quality product and one that I recommend.
See more details and reviews here
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