It’s a question pondered by the beauty obsessed everywhere: Are there really vitamins that can improve your hair, skin, nails and your overall beauty?
With a slew of beauty supplements on the market touting benefits from detoxifying skin to giving long, lush hair, sometimes it leaves us wondering if just applying our moisturiser at night isn’t enough — must we ingest it too? While a great facial cleanser and moisturiser are crucial for maintaining the skin’s appearance, a lot of how our skin and hair looks starts with what we put into our bodies, not just on top of it.
Clinical nutritionist Tameka Stephenson enlightened us on what’s on the market and what works. She then created a ‘Beauty Vitamins Cheat Sheet’ as a quick and easy guide to help you discover the various vitamins that can help you achieve the results you desire on your beauty journey.
Vitamin C
When you think of vitamin C, you tend to think about immune defense and beating those pesky colds and flu. Yet, vitamin C is an essential beauty nutrient too. “Its ability to produce collagen, a protein that helps support tendons, ligaments and vessels helps keep skin firm and toned,” says Stephenson. She also explains that vitamin C aids in the strengthening and growing of nails, and protection of hair from split ends and dryness by strengthening hair follicles and stimulating growth. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, so it helps keep wrinkles and skin dryness at bay, and helps protect your skin from harmful ultra violet rays by acting as a mild sunscreen.
Vitamin A
It helps keep skin smooth and rejuvenated. If you have dark spots that need repairing, it is your go-to, as per Stephenson. The key derivatives in vitamin A are known as retinoids which, similarly to vitamin C, are known to boost collagen, reduce fine lines and speed cell turnover for smoother, more even toned skin. Stephenson affirmed that, “Vitamin A intake is highly recommended for preventative purposes for those with acne-prone skin.”
Vitamin E
It’s an antioxidant that repairs and protects your skin, in particular it reduces any sun damage that has occurred on your face. Since your body does not produce vitamin E on its own, it is especially important in adding it to your diet.
Fish Oil
It is sometimes referred to as one of the seven wonders of the cosmeceutical world. Stephenson says, “The dietary fat found in omega-3 fatty acids helps protect and repair skin cells, moisturising the skin from the inside out, which is perfect if you have eczema or extremely dry skin.”
She added that, “It is also a natural anti-inflammatory — meaning that it can help calm irritated skin and can also decrease a hormone that is associated with both oil production and clogged pores, two culprits behind unsightly spots.” The fatty acids also aid in the adding of lustre, elasticity and shine to dull hair strands, thus promoting the restart of hair growth.
Biotin
“If you suffer from very brittle nails, thin hair and dull skin, you should definitely consider adding a biotin supplement to your diet,” Stephenson suggests. It will help you grow healthier nails and hair, and will keep dry, brittle nails from ruining your next manicure. She explains that biotin encourages the production of protein for nail growth when absorbed in the core of the nail bed, where the cells are generated. It also stimulates new hair growth and promotes a healthier texture by protecting against dryness, scalp flaking, and increasing elasticity to prevent breakage. Biotin also helps to repair dry, irritated skin by regulating how your body metabolises fatty acids.
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #6, 2016 Issue.
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It’s a question pondered by the beauty obsessed everywhere: Are there really vitamins that can improve your hair, skin, nails and your overall beauty?
With a slew of beauty supplements on the market touting benefits from detoxifying skin to giving long, lush hair, sometimes it leaves us wondering if just applying our moisturiser at night isn’t enough — must we ingest it too? While a great facial cleanser and moisturiser are crucial for maintaining the skin’s appearance, a lot of how our skin and hair looks starts with what we put into our bodies, not just on top of it.
Clinical nutritionist Tameka Stephenson enlightened us on what’s on the market and what works. She then created a ‘Beauty Vitamins Cheat Sheet’ as a quick and easy guide to help you discover the various vitamins that can help you achieve the results you desire on your beauty journey.
Vitamin C
When you think of vitamin C, you tend to think about immune defense and beating those pesky colds and flu. Yet, vitamin C is an essential beauty nutrient too. “Its ability to produce collagen, a protein that helps support tendons, ligaments and vessels helps keep skin firm and toned,” says Stephenson. She also explains that vitamin C aids in the strengthening and growing of nails, and protection of hair from split ends and dryness by strengthening hair follicles and stimulating growth. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant, so it helps keep wrinkles and skin dryness at bay, and helps protect your skin from harmful ultra violet rays by acting as a mild sunscreen.
Vitamin A
It helps keep skin smooth and rejuvenated. If you have dark spots that need repairing, it is your go-to, as per Stephenson. The key derivatives in vitamin A are known as retinoids which, similarly to vitamin C, are known to boost collagen, reduce fine lines and speed cell turnover for smoother, more even toned skin. Stephenson affirmed that, “Vitamin A intake is highly recommended for preventative purposes for those with acne-prone skin.”
Vitamin E
It’s an antioxidant that repairs and protects your skin, in particular it reduces any sun damage that has occurred on your face. Since your body does not produce vitamin E on its own, it is especially important in adding it to your diet.
Fish Oil
It is sometimes referred to as one of the seven wonders of the cosmeceutical world. Stephenson says, “The dietary fat found in omega-3 fatty acids helps protect and repair skin cells, moisturising the skin from the inside out, which is perfect if you have eczema or extremely dry skin.”
She added that, “It is also a natural anti-inflammatory — meaning that it can help calm irritated skin and can also decrease a hormone that is associated with both oil production and clogged pores, two culprits behind unsightly spots.” The fatty acids also aid in the adding of lustre, elasticity and shine to dull hair strands, thus promoting the restart of hair growth.
Biotin
“If you suffer from very brittle nails, thin hair and dull skin, you should definitely consider adding a biotin supplement to your diet,” Stephenson suggests. It will help you grow healthier nails and hair, and will keep dry, brittle nails from ruining your next manicure. She explains that biotin encourages the production of protein for nail growth when absorbed in the core of the nail bed, where the cells are generated. It also stimulates new hair growth and promotes a healthier texture by protecting against dryness, scalp flaking, and increasing elasticity to prevent breakage. Biotin also helps to repair dry, irritated skin by regulating how your body metabolises fatty acids.
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #6, 2016 Issue.
Share this post: