When you hear about collagen, it’s normally spoken about in regards to skincare.
But, did you know that collagen is also amazing for your hair and effective treatment for male pattern baldness?
Yep!
That’s why today I’m going to teach you about how to use collagen for alopecia areata and other forms of hair loss.
This article will educate you on exactly what collagen is and how it benefits your hair.
Let’s dive in!
What is collagen?
First of all, let’s first discuss what collagen is before we get any further.
Collagen is the main protein that makes up the connective tissue in the body and plays a role in keeping many things like hair strong. Collagen itself is composed of different amino acids and can be found in the hair, skin, tendons, and ligaments.
Without enough collagen in your diet, you may notice that your hair will become thin and weak. Your skin complexion may suffer and it’s common to experience sore joints, as well. Sound familiar?
There are also different types of collagen. Rigid forms of collagen make up your bones while compliant collagen is what creates tendons. Cartilage is an in-between form of rigid and compliant collagen.
Your blood vessels, teeth, and muscle tissue have a lot of collagen in them, too. It can literally be found everywhere within the body. I want you to know this so I can emphasize just how important having healthy levels of collagen in your system is for great hair.
Collagen can be found in foods like:
- Bone broth: There’s lots of collagen in bones so it shouldn’t be a surprise that one of the best sources is literally bones. Obviously you don’t want to be chomping down on bones, so I suggest that you make a bone broth soup. Add in other vegetables like the ones I’ll be mentioning in this list for further hair regrowth benefits.
- Chicken: Chicken breasts and other parts have good levels of collagen in them which makes it an excellent food to eat for hair health. It also contains protein and other nutrients that are great for you.
- Fish: Many types of fish offer high levels of collagen since their bones and ligaments are made up the protein itself. If you’re adventurous, you can try eating the heads, eyes, or scales where the most collagen is found. Or not 😉
- Eggs: While eggs don’t directly contain collagen, they do offer a nutrient called proline. This is an amino acid which helps in the production of collagen, helping your body to naturally make more of it.
- Oranges, lemons, and limes: What’s a vitamin found in citrus fruits? You guessed it, vitamin C! It also just so happens to play a large role in the production of something called pro-collagen. This is your body’s precursor to make collagen itself. Thus, eating more citrus fruits will help your body make more collagen naturally.
- Garlic: Who doesn’t love some garlic? Thanks to the sulfurs that garlic contains, it helps your body break down and absorb collagen more effectively. Try adding garlic to sauces or more meals.
Now that you understand what collagen is and where to get it from, let’s touch on the benefits of collagen further.
Benefits of collagen
It’s great for your skin
Collagen plays a role in helping the skin remain firm, elastic, and youthful. If you don’t have enough collagen in your diet, you will get wrinkles and skin conditions more often. You will also age faster.
Taking collagen has been shown to help reduce wrinkles, prevent them from occurring, and helps to keep the skin hydrated.
I don’t know about you, but I have very dry skin. Ever since I started supplementing with collagen, I noticed that my skin no longer flakes and gets very dry.
It reduces inflammation and joint pain
Remember how I mentioned that our ligaments, joints, and bones are made up of collagen? Supplementing collagen or eating more collagen-containing foods has been found to reduce inflammation and pain in the joints.
Collagen will make your joints, bones, and ligaments stronger while reducing any inflammation found within them.
This is great news for anyone suffering from arthritis or similar conditions.
It’s good for heart health
Collagen can be found in the arteries and blood vessels within your body. Seeing as the heart is made up of several large blood vessels and arteries, it’s easy to see why collagen reduces the risk of heart issues.
In fact, not having proper levels of collagen can make your arteries become weak which is very dangerous.
Collagen and male pattern baldness
Let’s get into what you’ve been waiting for…
Collagen can be used to treat male pattern baldness and other forms of hair loss because it contributes to the production of keratin.
Keratin is the main protein that is found in the hair and collagen has amino acids that are broken down to create more of it.
Collagen is also a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants protect the cells of your body from damage and inflammation, including your hair. This means that collagen will protect hair follicles from damage and natural aging.
Furthermore, the elasticity of your scalp is very important for reversing male pattern baldness and thinning. If your scalp is too tight, nutrients and oxygen won’t be able to easily access the follicles. This is also why you should read my articles on how to brush the scalp and massage it to promote growth.
Collagen was found in one study to significantly improve the skin elasticity of 69 patients which would pair extremely well with the two practices I just mentioned.
If you want to use collagen for male pattern baldness, aim for the recommended daily amount of one to ten grams. You
Make sure to keep a consistent exercise routine, sleep schedule, and eat a clean diet. All of these lifestyle choices play a role in achieving a healthier scalp along with supplementing collagen.
Final thoughts on collagen hair growth
Supplementing collagen or consuming more food which contains this important protein is a great natural approach to fixing male pattern baldness.
However, so few men do it.
They eat junk food, processed food, and don’t worry about what they put into their bodies. No wonder they’re losing their hair!
Your diet is one of the most impactful things on your overall health and that includes your scalp.
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