Does collagen help with hair loss?

The evidence says, collagen may improve your hair.

As the body’s most abundant protein, collagen gives structure to many parts of the body, including... hair!

Because the amount of collagen you produce significantly decreases as you age, collagen supplements have been the focus of combatting structural losses, such as hair health.

Let’s review how collagen can support your hair, including whether it helps with hair growth.

Collagen has amino acids that help build the hair.

Although there are not a lot of human studies on the use of collagen to increase hair growth directly, it has been shown the collagen helps to build the protein necessary for creating hair.

Hair is made up of keratin (a protein). To make keratin the body needs proline. Collagen (being primarily made of proline, glycine and hydroxyproline), can provide your body with the building blocks for hair.

Collagen may be useful in age-related hair thinning.

The quality of your hair can be attributed to the health of the hair follicle itself. This is tied into the fact that collagen contributes to the elasticity and strength of the dermis (mid-layer of the skin).

As you age, the cells in the dermis lose their elasticity due to the loss of collagen. Since the dermis also contains the root for each hair, maintaining a healthy dermis is key to hair strength.

Since hair grows out of skin, and collagen supports skin health, helping improve the strength of your skin cells can in turn contribute to decreased hair thinning and potential better growth.

Which collagen is best for hair?

Collagen types 1 and 3 have been found in hair follicles. Therefore, supplementing with hydrolyzed collagen peptides that offer both types are best.

Enhanced Collagen Original made from bovine collagen contains both types.

Maximize your hair health

If you’re interested in strengthening your hair, it’s a good idea to couple it with hair focused supplements.

Enhanced Collagen Pure Beauty - combines Canada's #1 Collagen Powder* rich in type 1 and 3 collagen peptides, blended with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C, zinc and silica to maximize hair and skin health. Specifically, silica can help to strengthen hair and prevent hair loss.

Hair Plus - combines five potent ingredients to improve the nutrient content and availability required to strengthen the health of your hair, including: Ginkgo Biloba, Horsetail Extract, Grape Seed Extract, Fo-Ti Powder, and Barley Juice Extract.

This article has been fact checked.