It’s no secret that Instagram is where brands go to endorse their products and make their brand known and visible. But we also know that it’s mostly a bunch of celebrities and influencers that carry out these and their messaging on their social media handles. With that being said, one of the most endorsed categories of items (apart from skincare, of course) is hair growth chewy-gummy vitamins.

To make vitamins “cool” again, these wellness brands have sprung up in the last couple of years and created so much buzz, that I myself went out and bought a bottle! And while it didn’t do much for me (TBH, I only tried them for a month), I spoke to a few experts who gave me their take on these hair growth supplements.

Dermatologist, Dr. Jaishree Sharad

Hair needs a lot of nutrition. And the hair shaft is made up of protiens—iron and minerals. These are needed for hair growth—and if some people are deficient in these vitamins and have a lot of hair fall, then supplements are the best way to get those nutrients.

These tasty and gummy-type chewy vitamins also work but they have high levels of sugar. So while you treat your hair, you might put on weight. Try sugar-free gummies instead.

Hairstylist, Samantha D’Souza

Vitamins should be prescribed and taken as per the needs of one’s body. That being said I’ve heard a few are really good, like; Follihair. However sometimes heavy biotin can cause breakouts if you have acne-prone skin, so it’s better to ask a dermatologist or wellness doctor.

Nutritionist, Tahira Kochhar

What you consume, reflects in the sheen and shine of your hair! A healthy protein intake of nuts, eggs, seeds, fish – foods rich in omega,  followed by green leafy vegetables and fruits is the best thing.

I feel multivitamin and multimineral substitutes are required incase of any deficiency only. My personal and most advised hair care is 30ml of pure amla and aloe vera juice first thing on an empty stomach, followed by overnight soaked fenugreek seeds water (methi daana water). I truly believe the proof of the pudding lies in its eating!

So what’s the problem then?

Designed to be the solution to an array of hair problems—oily, dry or thinning, these supplements promise to repair these hair problems. While these are all great to fix different issues, it can be tricky to self medicate, like Samatha mentioned.

Most of these ‘friendly’ hair vitamins aren’t FDA approved, leading to a mix of any and every kind of ingredients, like biotin, folic acid, vitamins D, A, C, E, and virtually anything else they want to throw in there. And although they do have certain levels of iron, biotin, vitamins and minerals one’s scalp and hair is always different than those of others. Another drawback is that it might not do much for hair if you’re body is already equipped with most of these vitamins and nutrients.

A couple of well-known hair growth supplements:

Hairburst Hair Vitamins

Hairburst Hair Vitamins

SUGARBEAR Hair Vitamins

SUGARBEAR Hair Vitamins

Ouai Haircare Thinning Hair Supplements

Ouai Haircare Thinning Hair Supplements

HUM Hair Sweet Hair

HUM Hair Sweet Hair

Hairfinity Hair Vitamins

Hairfinity Hair Vitamins

Have you ever taken these kinds of gummy vitamins? I’ve love to know your take on hair growth supplements!

Follow @missmalinibeauty on Instagram for more updates.