About 70% of supplement companies violate the FDA’s rules.
If you’re trying to help your hair look and feel better, some supplements and vitamins can help. However, if you’re not careful, you could wind up buying a product that causes more harm than good. Unsafe manufacturing practices put consumers at risk by offering contaminated supplements, that contain things like bacteria or pesticides.
To stay safe, you should only buy hair vitamins online that state that their facilities follow the FDA approved guidelines. It’s also helpful if you buy from companies whose facilities are located in America since other countries don’t have to play by the FDA’s rules. What other things can you do to stay safe while shopping for vitamins online?
Read on to learn 10 more tips to help you buy safe and effective hair supplements.
1. Talk to Your Doctor
For starters, before you start taking any type of hair vitamins or supplements, have a quick chat with your doctor. Your doctor can help you get a blood test to see what your current nutrient and vitamin levels are. By understanding where you stand now healthwise, it’ll be easier to understand what type of vitamins you need.
For instance, if you have a vitamin D deficiency, it’ll be difficult for your hair to grow at a normal rate. To help promote hair growth you could look for hair vitamins that include vitamin D as one of their main ingredients. Another reason to talk to your doctor is to review any of your current medications, and how they might interact with your new supplement regime.
2. Set Clear Goals
After talking to your doctor it’ll be easy for you to set crystal clear goals about the nutrients your hair needs. However, don’t stop there! You should also start figuring out exactly what it is you want your hair vitamins to do.
Here are a few hair goals you should consider setting:
- Faster hair growth
- Thicker hair
- Shiny hair
- Stronger hair
- Improved scalp condition
The more specific you can be about your hair goals, the easier it’ll be to narrow down your online search.
3. Don’t Expect the Vitamins to Do It All
Hair vitamins can help you reach your goals, as long as you’re doing your part as well! If you’re not eating the right foods in your diet, your hair isn’t going to get the nutrients it needs, no matter how many supplements you take. Start including foods that are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, so your hair can grow healthy and long.
Next, make sure you’re not using any hair products that contain toxic chemicals. Moving on, you’ll also want to improve your weekly hair care routine. Hair vitamins will help your hair create natural oils that keep it healthy.
Instead of washing your hair every day, let your healthy hair oils do their job by only washing your hair every 3-4 days. Lastly, stop drying your hair with rough towels and use a cotton t-shirt instead.
4. Do You Want Capsules or Gummies?
When you buy hair vitamins you’ll have all sorts of fun products to choose from. While there are traditional supplements that come in capsules or soft gels, there are also delicious gummy and chewable options. If you decide to try hair gummies, make sure you’re buying a flavor you’ll enjoy. After all, taking hair vitamins should be a fun part of your hair care routine.
If the vitamins are bitter or gross tasting, you’re not going to keep taking them, and you’ll just wind up wasting your money! Check the companies website to see what they use to flavor their vitamins. We find that vitamins made with real fruit, such as berries, have the best flavor. Coconut oil and small amounts of sugar can also help hair vitamins have a taste you can fall in love with.
5. Only Buy From Safe Websites
Now it’s time to learn how to make sure a website is legit before you buy hair vitamins online. Start by looking at the website’s URL. Do you notice an S in the HTTPS? If yes, you know the website’s secured.
Next, look for the web site’s privacy policy that describes how your data is used, and collected before you give any of your personal information. Moving on, look for the website’s contact information. If the website doesn’t have a way for you to contact the company, it’s probably not a safe site to buy from.
When you find a website you can trust, the next step is to make sure you’re only buying over a secured internet connection. Instead of making your purchase using someone else’s wifi, we suggest you buy your vitamins from the comfort of your home. When you’re using a public wifi connection, it’s much easier for hackers to steal your payment information.
6. Check for FDA Warnings and Recalls
The FDA works hard to protect consumers against vitamins and supplements that aren’t safe. Take a moment to go online to see if the FDA has issued any warnings or recalls for the supplement company you’re about to start buying from. If you ever get a supplement and experience an adverse reaction, report it immediately.
7. What to Look for in Hair Vitamins Online
What ingredients should you look for in hair vitamins online? Here’s a short list of ingredients that are great for improving hair health:
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B-12
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin B-6
- Vitamin C
- Folic Acid
- Vitamin B-12
- Biotin
- Coconut oil
- Vitamin D
The ingredients on the list above do a great job of working together to help your hair grow faster, while also keeping it healthy. Moving on, if you’re a vegetarian, you’ll want to avoid any hair supplements that contain gelatin, since gelatin is an animal product. We also suggest you look for products that state they’re cruelty-free.
8. How to Properly Read Labels for Products
Once you find the right hair vitamin ingredients, the next step is to read the products supplement facts. Avoid any products that don’t make their supplement facts easy to find. After locating the supplement fact sheet, look at the serving size, and servings per container. For convenience, you’ll want to use vitamins and supplements that only use numbers like 1 or 2 for their serving size.
Next, to get close to a full months supply, you’ll want the servings per container to at least be 25 or more. Finally, double-check the other ingredients at the bottom of the supplement facts.
Are any of the ingredients things you’re allergic to? If you don’t recognize any of the ingredients, do a quick online search to see what they’re all about.
9. Comparing Different Hair Products
After you find a few safe websites, it’s time to start comparing the different hair products. You’ll want to stick with companies that offer guaranteed results. Next, compare the vitamin percentages each product contains.
Instead of price shopping, we suggest you value show for your hair vitamins. That means choosing the hair vitamins that have the highest vitamin and mineral percentages, even if they cost more than the other ones. Moving on, find out how long it takes for each vitamin to start providing results.
Watch out for any false claims that seem too good to be true. For instance, if a company promises to give you a full head of hair overnight, you’ll know they’re lying. If the company doesn’t state the timeline for results, you can usually get a good idea by reading the online customer reviews.
10. Tips for Reading Online Customer Reviews
Does the website you’re about to buy from have customer reviews? Customer reviews are a great way for you to find out how happy people are with hair vitamins.
We suggest you read at least 5-10 reviews before moving forward with your purchase. When you’re checking online customer reviews, start by looking for their star average.
If the product has a rating that’s less than 4 out of 5 stars, they’re probably not the right company for you. Instead look for products that have high ratings, such as 4.5 or higher.
Don’t worry if you come across a couple of bad reviews, that’s completely normal. You only need to be concerned when you start seeing multiple bad reviews that list the same complaint.
Lastly, check the dates of the reviews of your reading. You’ll want to find reviews that were written within the last year to make sure they’re relevant. Companies upgrade their ingredients and products all the time so outdated reviews from 2 years ago or more aren’t very helpful.
Make Your Hair Shine
There you have it! Our 10 tips for buying hair vitamins online. Finding safe hair supplements online is possible, as long as you’re willing to take the time to seek out reputable companies.
Go ahead and schedule an appointment with your doctor today to find out what your current nutrient levels are. Next, start searching for hair vitamins that will help you get the nutrients your hair’s so badly craving. For more ways to be clever about your health, read another one of our articles.