Collagen is a protein that the body naturally manufactures and is essential for maintaining healthy skin and hair. However, your body produces less collagen as you age, which can lead to thinning and hair loss.
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Collagen peptide supplements have therefore gained popularity as a potential treatment for hair loss that can both stop and promote hair growth.
Collagen for hair has these six benefits.
The six benefits of hair collagen
1. Provides amino acids
Most hair is composed of keratin, a protein that maintains hair smooth and promotes the growth of new hair follicles.
It is well known that collagen has a high concentration of amino acids, which your body needs to produce keratin. The body breaks down collagen into amino acids, which are then converted into keratin.
Although glycine and proline (amino acids) are considered unneeded, taking collagen supplements that are high in proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline can provide the body with the building blocks it needs to create new hair follicles.
2. Prevents free radical damage
As you age, your supply of collagen declines, leaving you more vulnerable to factors that accelerate aging, like as damage from free radicals.
Antioxidant qualities of some types of collagen, such as marine collagen, aid in preventing free radical damage, which can result in weak, brittle, or damaged hair.
3. Improves blood flow
Studies have shown that collagen maintains pores and hair follicles close to one another. You can ensure that your hair gets all the nutrients it requires to grow stronger and thicker by doing this.
Collagen makes up a sizable amount of the skin’s dermal layer. Collagen peptide supplements increase the suppleness of the skin, which helps prevent hair loss because the skin is where hair grows.
The structural characteristics of collagen that some studies indicate supplements may enhance include collagen type I, the most common form of collagen in your hair, and dermal matrix precursors, a group of enzymes that cooperate to break down the proteins in collagen. Hair loss may be prevented by these three factors.
4. Strengthens hair strands
Together with the body’s hyaluronic acid, collagen moisturizes, maintains, and heals the follicular environment and dermis structure. Consuming more collagen will strengthen your skin and make your hair thicker, smoother, and healthier.
5. Lowers the graying rate
As people age, less melanin, the pigment that gives hair its distinctive color, is created. Free radicals can speed up this process, which can lead to premature gray hair. Because collagen includes antioxidants that combat free radicals, eating more collagen may help prevent or postpone graying.
6. Could positively impact the hair cycle
Collagen could have an impact on the hair cycle. During the anagen stage of hair development, collagen is robust and dense; but, when the follicle enters the catagen stage, it degrades. Studies have shown that when hair loss is detected early, taking a collagen supplement before the hair cycle enters the catagen stage helps prevent hair loss and preserve healthy, strong hair follicles.
What are the findings of studies demonstrating the benefits of collagen for hair?
While most of the evidence is inconsistent, taking a collagen supplement may help maintain healthy hair. The notion that taking collagen supplements may prevent hair loss or promote hair growth is denied by most experts. To make a definitive conclusion, further thorough investigation is needed.
Which type of collagen is ideal for hair?
Collagen types I, III, and V, hydrolyzed collagen peptide, and marine collagen are considered to be the best collagen for hair.
Marine collagen: Type I collagen makes up the majority of fish collagen. Collagen powder that contains type I collagen from a marine source is among the best collagen supplements available.
Powdered collagen peptide after hydrolysis: This process involves a chemical breakdown of the collagen’s amino acid chains. This facilitates the body’s absorption of collagen.
Types I, III, and V of collagen: Type I and III comprise 80–90% of the body’s naturally produced collagen, whereas type V is essential for its manufacture and operation. You must utilize all three types of collagen for optimal effects.