Collagen has long been praised for its ability to make our skin glow, reduce the signs of aging, and protect our joints from damage.

This protein is found within connective tissues, skin, and blood vessels, but our collagen supply can start dwindling at just 25 years old.

Collagen supplementation can keep your body in good health, but can it do similar things to your hair?

You’ll find out whether collagen supplements can help with hair growth in this article.

You’ll also find out whether collagen or biotin is better for your hair, as well as what ingredients you should look for in a hair supplement.

Can Collagen Help With Hair Growth?

More and more research is looking into the benefits of collagen supplementation.

We now know that taking collagen can promote healthy joints, skin, muscles, and bones.

Despite these promising findings, there has been much less research looking into hair health and growth.

Nevertheless, collagen may have possible hair growth effects. It may have other benefits too, like reducing hair loss and supporting scalp health.

We’ll cover these main advantages below.

Provides Necessary Hair Growth Compounds

Hair is made up of a protein, but this isn’t collagen. Instead, hair is made up of 95% keratin.

The body needs amino acids, known as the building blocks of protein, to create keratin. This is why collagen could affect hair growth.

The main amino acid that’s important to produce keratin is called proline.

Proline is one of the elements within keratin and encourages hairs to grow.

Collagen peptides that include proline could help produce keratin, creating hair and supporting hair growth as a result.

Look at your collagen supplement’s brand amino acid profile to see if it contains proline.

A good supplement should display its ingredients without hiding anything with promising labels.

Other than proline percentage, look at the other amino acids to see if they are included in a high or low concentration.

Encourages Hair Follicle Regeneration

Research has found that during the hair’s anagen phase, known better as the growth phase, the amount of collagen around the hair bulb increases.

When the hair follicle reaches the catagen phase, it discards the two sheets of collagen that surround it.

Collagen layers regenerate when our body produces more collagen.

This helps the hair follicles enter the growth (anagen) phase, supporting the hair growth cycle and encouraging hairs to grow longer.

As collagen supplements provide the body with a good amino acid supply, this can make the hair follicles stronger, defending them against oxidation.

If the hair follicle is more resilient, this reduces the chance of hair loss, making hairs look fuller and thicker as a result.

May Decrease Gray Hairs

More research is needed at this point, but collagen may decrease the number of gray hairs on the scalp.

Collagen is packed with antioxidants that defend against free radicals. These defend against harmful UV rays and pollution.

A study found that free radical buildup can result in loss of pigment.

When this happens in hair, strands can lose their original color and become gray.

Hair graying occurs naturally as we age, but pigment loss may increase if the hair follicles come into contact with oxidative stress.

Keep in mind that this point is still a theory, so it still needs to be confirmed.

However, if you are concerned about early graying hair, collagen supplements could be a place to start.

Could Keep The Scalp Healthy

Collagen is known to keep our skin healthy, but it may do the same for our scalp. Collagen is necessary to maintain a thick scalp.

Thinner scalps with less collagen aren’t as strong, so they may struggle to keep hair follicles from falling out.

This structural support is needed to prevent hair loss. Thicker, healthy scalps are necessary to support hair growth and keep the hair strong.

This is why collagen is an important substance to preserve a healthy scalp.

Other Things To Look For In Hair Supplements

Collagen is important, but other nutrients support hair growth too.

Your skin needs several vitamins and nutrients to look good and keep healthy, so, naturally, your hair would too.

Look out for the substances below when shopping for hair supplements, but remember that these are supplements!

They shouldn’t be a replacement for a nutritious diet and adequate water intake.

Silica

Silicon supplements may keep the hair strong, thick, and resilient to breakage.

More research is needed, but some people think that silica can aid keratin production.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is known to assist collagen production, which is important to keep the scalp thick and healthy.

It also works as an antioxidant, preventing free radicals from building up and slowing down hair growth.

Vitamin C also helps the body absorb iron, which, as noted above, is vital for healthy hair growth.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is often applied onto the skin to heal dry patches, but it can do similar things for your hair when consumed too.

Vitamin E may have anti-inflammatory effects on your scalp.

This may slow free radical damage, preventing early-onset graying, breakage, and hair loss.

Omega-3s

These fatty acids can do many things for your well-being.

Studies have suggested that omega-3s can maintain hair and skin health, particularly when consumed with other antioxidants.

Iron

We still don’t understand how iron affects hair growth, but we do know that hair follicles can’t perform well without consuming enough iron.

Despite this, iron supplementation may not be suitable for some individuals. Always talk to a medical professional before adding more iron to your diet.

Which Is Better For Hair Growth – Biotin Or Collagen?

We’ve covered why collagen may be important for healthy hair growth.

However, biotin is another popular substance included within hair supplements.

If you’re wondering which supplement is better for your hair, there still isn’t a clear answer.

Hair growth research is still in its early stages, so we still don’t have enough information to decide if biotin or collagen is better for hair.

Collagen may have several benefits, but some believe that biotin is better, as it plays a part in creating keratin.

It’s important to note that the biotin vs collagen debate isn’t that important.

Both of these substances provide important health benefits, so one isn’t going to be better than the other.

If you can, it’s better to try both supplements and see if you feel any different.

Both biotin and collagen have the potential to improve skin, hair, and nail health.

You can boost the effectiveness of these supplements by taking them alongside vitamin C.

This vitamin will improve their antioxidant effects, helping them destroy free radicals as a result.

We made an extensive list of the best biotin supplements here.

The Bottom Line

There need to be more studies that look into hair health and collagen.

However, we can affirm that amino acids are important to support healthy hair growth.

Hair might be made from keratin, but proline is the main amino acid that supports keratin production.

Collagen has many amino acids within, so collagen supplementation can help you increase your amino acid profile.

This may help improve hair growth, but while more research is needed, collagen could encourage hair follicle growth and may even reduce graying hairs.

If you do decide to choose a hair supplement, look at its ingredients to see if it includes any ingredients listed above, like silica, omega-3s, or biotin.

Collagen is just one substance that could help, so try a few for a while and see if you notice a difference.