The 8 Must-Use Vitamins for Healthy Hair, Skin, and Nails
In this article, we've curated a list of the best vitamin supplements for healthy hair, skin, and nails. Expert advise comes from consulting our team of dermatologists and nutritionists, giving you the most effective products.
Vitamins A, D, E, biotin, and collagen, are the key nutrients for healthy skin, hair, and nails.
Our best option is Nature's Bounty softgels with biotin. Other good options include Double Wood Supplements collagen peptides, and Olly gummies with keratin and vitamin C.
Keep reading to learn more about the 8 must-use vitamins for healthy hair, skin, and nails, including the best options for hair growth, collagen, the postpartum period, and more.
A quick look at the 8 Vitamins
- Best overall: Nature's Bounty Extra Strength Hair, Skin, and Nails Softgels
- Best for hair growth: Nutrafol Women Capsules
- Best collagen: Double Wood Supplements Collagen Peptide Powder
- Best postpartum: Ritual Postnatal Multivitamin
- Best gummy: OLLY Undeniable Beauty Gummies
- Best create-your-own: Persona Nutrition
- Best vegan: Ora Aloe Gorgeous
- Most affordable: Nature Made Hair Skin and Nails with Biotin Softgels
Nature's Bounty Extra Strength Hair, Skin, and Nails Softgels
- Vitamin A, which aids in collagen production.
- Vitamin D, which is great for acne.
- Collagen, a protein important for skin elasticity and nail health.
- Zinc, an important mineral that aids in collagen production.
- Hyaluronic acid, which helps to boost skin moisture.
- Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), or vitamin B10, which has been shown to help absorb UVB rays that are associated with sunburn and DNA damage.
Nutrafol Women Capsules
- Nutrafol Women for women ages 18 to 44 years.
- Nutrafol Women's Vegan for women ages 18 to 44 following a plant-based lifestyle.
- Nutrafol Women's Balance for women ages 45 and older.
- Nutrafol Men for men older than 18 years.
- Nutrafol Postpartum for postpartum hair loss.
Double Wood Supplements Collagen Peptide Powder
Ritual Postnatal Multivitamin
OLLY Undeniable Beauty Gummies
- Vitamin C, which helps protect your skin from UV damage and stimulates collagen synthesis.
- Vitamin E, which may help treat eczema.
- Keratin, a protein that's the primary structural component of your hair, skin, and nails. However, research on the effectiveness of taking keratin as a supplement is lacking.
Persona Nutrition
Ora Aloe Gorgeous
Nature Made Hair Skin and Nails with Biotin Softgels
We chose this product because it is a great option if you're looking for a multivitamin that provides the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for essential nutrients, along with the specific nutrients required for healthy hair, skin, and nails.
This supplement has:
Nature's Bounty products are made in facilities that are third-party certified by USP and Specialized Technology Resources to ensure high quality manufacturing practices.
Nutrafol is a brand that specializes in hair growth and care products for women and men of all ages.
All their supplements include vitamins A, C, D, and E, along with biotin, iodine, zinc, and selenium. Other ingredients include hyaluronic acid and collagen.
Their vitamin options include:
Collagen supplementation is good for supporting skin, hair, and nail health. It can also support joint health.
Each 12g serving provides 12g of collagen, sourced from grass-fed cows. It also contains 11g of protein and no carbohydrates, making it keto-friendly.
This collagen powder doesn't have any flavor or sweeteners, and is incredibly versatile and easy to incorporate into smoothies and drinks.
Postnatal women need plenty of nutrients to not only support their recovery, but also to produce breast milk for their infant.
Apart from helping you meet your postnatal nutritional needs, Ritual's supplement contains ingredients that are good for your hair, skin, and nails, including zinc, and vitamins C and D.
This postnatal vitamin also includes docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is effective in promoting skin health and hair growth.
It's important to talk to a healthcare professional before adding any new supplements to your routine, especially if you're breastfeeding.
These gummies are bright red and grapefruit-flavored. They are naturally colored using sweet potato, apple, radish, cherry, blueberry, and carrot juices.
Their effective ingredients include:
Persona Nutrition is a vitamin delivery service that allows you to choose which supplements you want to add to your daily routine.
Under the hair, skin, and nails category, you can choose from several options like a hair, skin, and nail blend. Vitamin C and borage are other choices as well.
Persona also offers a specific hair, skin, and nails vitamin that contains biotin, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), zinc, copper, and a proprietary blend of collagen, sodium hyaluronate, and flaxseed.
Before taking multiple products, make sure to check the labels carefully for overlapping ingredients.
This vegan powder contains ingredients that can support collagen production naturally, such as vitamin C.
Aloe vera, for example, protects against inflammation and speeds up wound healing, according to some test-tube and animal studies.
It also includes bamboo extract, which was found to help delay skin aging in a 2022 test-tube and animal study.
This product is also gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and certified organic.
Nature Made Hair Skin and Nails is a great choice if you want to get the most for your bucks.
It contains vitamins A and C, which help boost collagen production and protect your skin from sun damage.
It also contains a high dose of biotin, although there is a lack of research on its effectiveness for hair, skin, and nails.
Frequently Asked Questions about Hair, Skin, and Nail Vitamins
Which Vitamin is the Best for Hair Growth?
Vitamin D and iron are essential for healthy hair growth; Vitamin D supports the development of new hair follicles, while iron ensures those follicles receive adequate oxygen.
What is the Best Supplement to Grow your Hair and Nails?
Since people have different nutritional needs and respond uniquely to supplements, the 'best' choice for hair and nail growth is not the same for everyone.
Ingredients like biotin, which are often used, lack sufficient evidence to support their claims for hair and nail growth, but compounds such as omega-3 DHA, collagen, and hyaluronic acid show greater potential for effectiveness.
Do Hair, Skin, and Nail Vitamins Help with Hair Growth?
Research suggests that ingredients like DHA omega-3s can support hair growth and health. Furthermore, a lack of key nutrients, including B vitamins, iron, and vitamins C and D, is linked to poor hair growth.
The benefits of using supplements of these nutrients specifically to promote hair growth have not yet been sufficiently proven.
Do Hair, Skin, and Nail Vitamins Actually Work?
Unlike some other components, ingredients such as collagen and hyaluronic acid—frequently included in hair, skin, and nail supplements—have stronger research supporting their benefits.
It's crucial to remember that the existing research on these supplements is scarce, meaning more robust studies must be conducted to confidently confirm whether hair, nail, and skin vitamins are truly effective.
Sources
- Biotin: Fact sheet for health professionals. (2022)
- Boo YC. (2022). Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) as a cosmeceutical to increase dermal collagen for skin antiaging purposes: Emerging combination therapies.
- Shenoy, M, et al. (2022). Collagen structure, synthesis, and its applications: A systematic review.
How we reviewed this article:
Our team continually monitors and updates articles whenever new information becomes available.
Written By
The Healtharticles Editorial Team
Medically Reviewed By
Ian Nathan, MBChB
