It is estimated that in one day, the scalp sheds around 100 hair strands. This is further aggravated by aging, and in the case of women, the problem becomes serious with menopause. These days, the cause for hair fall has gone beyond aging. Modern lifestyle with its food-on-the-go without essential vitamins, excessive stress, lack of adequate rest, pollution, excessive hair styling treatments, and use of chemical-based products have made hair fall problem quite common.

Hair fall usually starts out by the shrinking of hair follicles. Hair follicles are tiny openings on your scalp from which your hair grows. As the follicles shrink, hair starts to get thinner and starts falling quickly. Hair loss due to hair fall can occur all over the scalp (called as general hair loss) or only in one part (called as focal hair loss). Excessive hair fall may lead to premature balding or to male-pattern or female pattern baldness. Whatever be the cause of hair fall, it tends to affect a person’s self-esteem. This is because a loss of hair due to hair fall directly affects the physical appearance.

What you put on your plate directly affects your overall health, including the health of your skin and hair. One of the best ways to deal with hair loss is to replenish your body with essential vitamins that help with hair fall control. Your diet should incorporate food that replenishes your body with vitamins that help to improve the health of your scalp, control hair fall, and boost hair growth. Here are 6 essential vitamins for hair fall control.

1. Vitamin A: Found in carrots, mango, tuna, sweet red peppers, apricot, peaches, spinach, lettuce, and other leafy vegetables, Vitamin A is essential to control the production of retinoic acid in your scalp. This acid determines the development of hair follicles and helps control their shrinkage. This makes the hair root stronger and helps in hair fall control. Also, Vitamin A helps in the secretion of a natural oil called sebum. Sebum moisturizes the roots of your hair and prevents hair from drying out.
2. B vitamins: The whole range of B vitamins that include Vitamin B5, B6, and B12 are an essential range of vitamins for hair loss control. Vitamin B5, which is a pro-vitamin, aids in hair fall control and is prominently found in hair fall control prescription drugs and supplements. This vitamin is found in cheese, oily fish, eggs, mushroom, avocados, sunflower seeds, and eggs. Vitamin B6 helps in promoting blood circulation and Vitamin B12 strengthens hair roots. Fresh fruits such as papaya and oranges are good sources of these vitamins. Milk, eggs, and poultry are also rich in Vitamin B.
3. Vitamin C: This vitamin is necessary for absorption of iron in the body. Iron is essential for stimulating hair growth. Vitamin C is an essential component in the production of collagen. Collagen is an essential protein that keeps hair and nails strong. Collagen is naturally produced by your body to deal with hair damage. To replenish your body with vitamin C, your diet should include fruits such as strawberries, kiwi, grapefruit, sweet limes, guavas, papayas, and oranges. Vitamin C can also be found in kale, Brussels sprouts, red peppers, yellow bell peppers, peas, spinach, dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, and lemons.
4. Vitamin D: Vitamin D is essential for a good growth cycle of your hair follicles. Vitamin D also gives a boost to cells in your scalp that are essential for good hair growth and to prevent hair fall. One of the best sources of vitamin D is sunlight, especially the morning sunlight. Spending about 15–20 minutes under the morning sun can replenish your body with this essential vitamin. Vitamin D can be also found in food items such as maitake and portabella mushrooms, tofu, cod liver oil, oysters, soy milk, eggs, sausages, salami, ham, fortified dairy products, salmon, and various types of fish.
5. Vitamin E: With its rich source of antioxidants and ability to boost blood circulation, Vitamin E is an essential vitamin for hair fall control. Also, with its anti-inflammatory properties, Vitamin E stimulates hair growth. Vitamin E is majorly found in olive oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, tofu, avocados, broccoli, spinach, and pumpkin. You can also apply Vitamin E-enriched hair oil directly to your scalp to repair hair follicle damages.
6. Iron: A deficiency of iron in the body leads to anemic condition, which can wreak havoc with the health of your hair and skin. Low iron in the body in the body is one of the major causes of hair loss, especially among women. Spinach, collard greens, black beans, and egg yolks are rich sources of iron.

These vitamins for hair loss control can help bring hormonal balance in your body and some of these will make the immune system strong enough to fight the external factors that cause hair fall. Load up your diet with these essential vitamins for effective hair fall control.