Collagen, a vital protein, is found in the human body. It helps build up tendons, ligaments and improve skin health. And though the human body generates collagen, you may also take it from supplements or from food items such as collagen gummies.
Among its multiple benefits, collagen is adorned the most for its ability to improve hair. What’s more, many of its positive effects on hair are backed by science, and the five major benefits are discussed below:
1. Provides Amino Acid to Build Hair
Hair is mainly made of the protein- keratin. Your body needs several amino acids to produce keratin, and some of these amino acids are found in collagen.
There are a total of twenty amino acids, of which eleven (identified as non-essential) that the human body produces. The other nine amino acids (known as essential) are not produced by the human body, and you need to acquire them from foods or supplements. From collagen, you can get three non-essential amino acids- Proline, glycine, and hydroxyproline.
Proline is one of the significant components of keratin. Hence, if you consume proline-rich collagen, your body will be able to break it down into these amino acids, and these blocks give birth to new hair.
2. Protects Hair Follicles From Damage
Collagen works as an antioxidant that protects hair follicles from damage caused by free radicals. These radicals are compounds that can reach your body due to air pollution, stress, a poor diet, addiction to alcohol and cigarettes, and other environmental influences. A growing number of free radicals can hurt your cells, proteins, and DNA.
According to Research, free radicals damage hair follicles and lessens the chances of hair growth. As the body’s resistance power to battle against free radicals decreases with age, older adults start experiencing severe hair loss.
And in order to get rid of these hair issues caused by aging, you need antioxidants. Meanwhile, many studies have revealed that collagen found in fish scales contain powerful antioxidants.
3. Prevents Hair Thinning Caused By Aging
The middle layer of your skin is called the dermis, and it holds the root of each hair. 70% of the dermis is made of collagen, which improves the elasticity and strength of the dermis. With age, your body keeps losing its ability to produce collagen and replenish cells in the dermis. This is the main reason behind people’s hair becoming thinner with age.
By consuming collagen, you can maintain a healthy dermis and prevent hair thinning. As hair grows out of your skin, collagen can counteract skin aging to empower your hair growth and thus reduce thinning. Still, many scientists are working on the college to find out more evidence favouring its quality in preventing hair thinning.
4. Slow the Process of Greying
As collagen contains antioxidant properties, it may be able to stop cell damage and slow the greying process. Age-related hair greying is often a genetic issue, but free radicals can also be responsible for early greying. These radicals damage the cells that create hair colour.
And as you grow older, the cells that generate melanin pigment (which gives colour to your hair naturally) begins to die. Free radicals caused by a poor diet, stress, and environmental pollution can damage the melanin-producing cells. But, by fighting off the radicals, collagen stops greying at an early age.
5. Easy to Use
Good news for you! You can add collagen to your diet without any hassle. It develops the connective tissues of mammals and is present in the skins, bones, and muscles of chicken, beef, pork, and fish. Also, animal bones contain both collagen and gelatin, which is also a cooked form of collagen. Besides, vitamin C-rich foods boost the production of natural collagen in the human body. Therefore, you can quickly get collagen from these sources by adding them to your diet.
If you cannot maintain a diet that contains these foods, you can supply collagen to your body via supplements, and they are available in many forms, such as collagen gummies. However, it’s best to meet one’s collagen requirements for healthy hair, skin and overall wellbeing.
