If you’re interested in nutricosmetics, you may have noticed that collagen is increasingly present on the market. But it’s not just a beauty ingredient: collagen is above all a protein that occurs naturally in the body.
This molecule is found in the extracellular matrix of various tissues, such as the skin, the cartilage of synovial joints, bones, blood vessels, and also muscles.
Collagen plays a crucial role. Its presence is essential to structuring tissues and providing them with strength, elasticity and hydration.
It is notably this protein that promotes good joint comfort and easy gliding of bones against each other, and it also helps keep skin smooth, firm and hydrated.
Unfortunately, its natural production decreases over time, and that’s normal. This decline systematically affects the body, and hair is not spared.
Does collagen provide benefits for hair? I break down for you what recent studies say about this.
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Is collagen effective against hair loss?
Aging and genetics can cause hair loss, but they are not the only factors. You may have noticed that a period of stress, an unbalanced lifestyle, and poor nutrition are also likely to affect hair health.
Among the mechanisms involved that explain this shedding, it is known that a loss of collagen could have an impact.
With connective tissue depleted of collagen, hair follicles would be more likely to retract and accelerate the end of the hair’s life: it would therefore fall out faster.
Following this reasoning, increasing collagen intake could then slow the effects of aging on the hair.
However, there are few scientific studies that support the positive effects of collagen supplementation.
However, I found this recent study with promising results.
What does it indicate? 83 people suffering from androgenetic alopecia received an oral supplement containing collagen as well as other nutrients. After 12 weeks of follow-up, it would seem that supplements based on taurine, hydrolyzed collagen peptides, cysteine, iron, selenium, and methionine would have increased the clinical effectiveness of treatments against alopecia.
That said, one cannot isolate the role of collagen in this experiment.
Does it promote hair growth?
If research is to be believed, a collagen supplementation could be an interesting solution for hair regrowth, particularly in cases of alopecia.
This is, in any case, the result of this study performed in vitro and then carried out on mice. Conducted in 2022, it showed after 6 weeks that supplementation with collagen peptides had increased the expression of hair growth factors and had decreased growth-inhibiting factors.
I believe that new, reliable scientific studies conducted on humans should be carried out to confirm these preliminary results.
Does it strengthen the hair?
An intake of collagen through oral supplementation provides several amino acids essential for keratin synthesis: glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline.
If you add a good dose of these amino acids, then normal keratin production could be promoted.
And since its role is essential for coating and strengthening the hair, one can say that collagen acts indirectly on improving the appearance of the hair.
However, there are no scientific studies on the subject to confirm this benefit.
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What is the link between collagen and hair?
Collagen is not the main molecule of the hair, but rather keratin, which makes up 95% of hair fibers.
That does not mean it doesn’t play a role in the health and beauty of your mane. If it isn’t present directly in the hair, it is abundant in the dermis of the scalp, notably in the connective tissue of the hair follicles.
At this site, it gives structure to the cells and helps the follicles function properly, themselves responsible for hair growth.
How to use collagen to care for your hair?
Collagen-based hair care
Applying collagen-based cosmetic treatments to the hair could help add shine, coating and hydration to the hair fiber.
To act externally and care for the hair fiber against environmental aggressions (temperature, brushing, heat sources), there are many treatments enriched with collagen or with “plant collagen”.
Be careful, this term is used to name plant proteins whose structure resembles collagen, without actually being collagen!
Shampoo, mask, serum, heat-protective treatment… It fits perfectly into a complete hair care routine.
This addition of collagen is not intended to penetrate the hair fiber but to coat it to protect the hair cuticles, coat and strengthen them, and give them shine and thickness. But keep in mind that damaged, split hair cannot be truly repaired.
📚 Read also | Does ‘plant collagen’ really exist?
Dietary supplements
For a more comprehensive action on the hair as well as the rest of the body, there are collagen peptide dietary supplements in the form of ampoules, tablets, capsules, or powder.
In this case, collagen is taken in a one-month course or longer, according to manufacturers’ recommendations.
In case of a special situation (pregnancy, breastfeeding), or any chronic medical condition, seek advice from a healthcare professional before beginning a course.
At the same time, good lifestyle habits, a varied and balanced diet, and proper hydration are essential to achieve healthy hair.
Sources and scientific studies
Milani M, Colombo F, Chiara Baraldo (Padova), Mauro Barbareschi (Milano), 2023, Efficacy and tolerability of an oral supplement containing amino acids, iron, selenium, and marine hydrolyzed collagen in subjects with hair loss (androgenetic alopecia, AGA or FAGA or telogen effluvium). A prospective, randomized, 3-month, controlled, assessor-blinded study.
Hwang SB, Park HJ, Lee BH, 2022, Hair-Growth-Promoting Effects of the Fish Collagen Peptide in Human Dermal Papilla Cells and C57BL/6 Mice Modulating Wnt/β-Catenin and BMP Signaling Pathways.
