Hair Vitamins and Supplements

Hair vitamins supply the nutrients your hair follicles use to build and maintain healthy hair. Biotin, zinc and selenium help maintain normal hair, and copper helps maintain your hair's natural colour. Swallow's hair supplements combine these with type I marine collagen, iron and vitamin D in UK-made capsules.

Maybe you've noticed more hair in the plughole after a stressful winter, or your ponytail feels thinner than it did a couple of years ago. It's a worrying thing to notice, and it's natural to want to do something about it straight away. The good news is that nutrition is something you can directly influence.

Why choose Swallow hair supplements?

Pro Marine Collagen Peptides brings together 13 nutrients for hair, skin and nails in two capsules a day: 1,000mg of hydrolysed type I marine collagen, 50 micrograms of biotin (100% NRV), zinc, selenium, copper, 60mg of vitamin C, 100mg of hyaluronic acid, CoQ10 and 2.5 billion live Lactobacillus acidophilus cultures. There are no binders, fillers or bulking agents, the powders many brands add to pad out capsules or help them run through machines, so every capsule is made up of the nutrients you're actually buying it for.

Our Daily Multivitamin covers the wider foundations, including 14mg of iron as iron bisglycinate, 10mg of zinc, 55 micrograms of selenium, biotin, B12 and folate.

• Biotin, zinc and selenium to help maintain normal hair, plus copper to help maintain your hair's natural colour.
• Marine collagen that's been broken down into small, easily digested pieces called peptides, so your body can absorb and use it.
• Vitamins in the forms your body can use straight away, such as methylfolate and methylcobalamin (B12), and minerals bound to amino acids, which makes them gentler on your stomach.
• Reviewed by nutritionist Shona Wilkinson BSc (Hons), NTP, CNHC, and Nourish Awards 2025 winners.
• Made in the UK, with free delivery and a 6-month money-back promise.

You can explore more in our beauty supplements range, and our guide to the best supplements for skin and hair explains what actually works and why. For a hair, skin and gut routine, the Beauty Protocol pairs marine collagen with our multi-strain live cultures.

How does hair grow?

Each hair grows from a follicle in a cycle with three main stages.

• The growth phase (anagen) lasts between two and seven years, and around 85 to 90% of the hairs on your head are in it at any one time.
• A short transition phase follows, then a resting phase (telogen) of around three months, after which the hair sheds. Losing 50 to 100 hairs a day is normal.

Scalp hair grows by around 1cm a month, and hair follicle cells divide faster than almost any other cells in your body, so they need a constant supply of protein, vitamins and minerals. When something disrupts that, such as illness, a crash diet, giving birth or a period of major stress, more hairs can be pushed into the resting phase at once. The extra shedding usually appears around three months later, which is why it can feel like it comes out of nowhere.

Which vitamins and minerals are good for hair?

Biotin

Biotin (vitamin B7) contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and skin. It's found in eggs, nuts, oats and dairy, so a biotin supplement is especially useful if these don't feature much in your diet.

Zinc and selenium

Zinc helps maintain normal hair, skin and nails, and selenium contributes to the maintenance of normal hair and nails. Your body only needs small amounts of both, and taking more than you need doesn't add any extra benefit, so keep your total zinc from supplements at or below 25mg a day.

Iron

Low iron stores are commonly found in women experiencing hair shedding, particularly if periods are heavy. Women who still have periods need 14.8mg of iron a day, compared with 8.7mg after menopause.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D receptors are found in hair follicles. Between October and March, the UK sun isn't strong enough for your skin to make vitamin D, so low levels are common through the darker months. That's why it’s advised adults consider 10 micrograms a day through autumn and winter.

Collagen, vitamin C and copper

Marine collagen provides amino acids including glycine and proline, the building blocks your body draws on to make keratin, the protein hair is made of. Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation, and copper contributes to normal hair pigmentation.

Vitamin B12 and folate

B12 and folate contribute to normal cell division, a process happening constantly in your hair follicles. B12 is found almost exclusively in animal foods, so plant-based diets need a reliable source.

Do hair vitamins actually work?

Yes. Hair vitamins work by filling the nutritional gaps that can leave your follicles short of what they need. That's common if you still have periods and need more iron, if your vitamin D dips over a UK winter, or if busy weeks mean skipped meals. Topping these nutrients up every day gives your hair a steady supply to work with.

How long do hair supplements take to work?

Plan for at least three to six months. Any new hair growth supported by better nutrition has to emerge from the follicle before you can see it. Your nails grow faster and often show a difference first, so they're a good early sign that things are moving in the right direction.

Hair supplements for women

Women's hair is particularly sensitive to hormonal change. Shedding commonly increases two to four months after giving birth, and many women notice finer, thinner hair during perimenopause as oestrogen levels fall. If your hair changes have come alongside other midlife symptoms, our perimenopause supplements page explains the wider nutrient picture.

Hair supplements for men

Men's hair relies on the same nutrients, particularly zinc, vitamin D and B12, and a plant-based diet or a long run of grabbing food on the go can leave gaps. Gradual thinning at the temples or crown is usually male pattern hair loss, which is genetic rather than nutritional, but making sure your diet isn't falling short still gives the hair you have the best foundation.

How to take hair vitamins

Take Pro Marine Collagen Peptides as two capsules a day, one in the morning and one in the evening, with a drink or food. Take the Daily Multivitamin as two tablets with meals. Consistency matters more than timing, so make it part of your daily habits, such as with your morning coffee or when you brush your teeth.