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Do you sometimes look in the mirror and feel like your skin isn’t looking as smooth and youthful as it used to be? Maybe your hair is thinning or not as thick or glossy as you remember? And what about your nails? Are they strong and healthy or are they constantly chipping, peeling and breaking? If any or all of these scenarios sound like you, it may be possible you’re missing some important nutrients from your diet. Even if you are eating a healthy balanced diet, factors like stress, illness or bad habits like smoking and drinking can strip your body of the necessary nutrients it needs to function. A lack of these nutrients can also affect the way our skin, nails, and hair look. 

But not to worry. With the reintroduction of the nutrients you’re missing, your skin, hair, and nails will bounce back looking just as good, if not better than before. We partnered with iHerb to you give you some of the most beneficial vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants to nourish your hair, skin, and nails for a gorgeous radiant you. 

With amazing prices and incredibly fast shipping, you can find all our product recommendations at our favorite online health superstore – iHerb. 

Hands Holding Wine Grapes

1. GRAPE SEED EXTRACT

Dating back thousands of years, cultures like the Greeks have recognized the healing power of grapes. While they didn’t know exactly why years of scientific research have confirmed that a glass of wine is a rich source of healthy antioxidants. But the seeds from those same wine grapes also contain powerful antioxidants as well called proanthocyanidins. With wound healing and cell-protecting properties, early studies have shown that taking the extract of grape seeds may help to reduce the effects of UV triggered skin damage, and environmental stress while encouraging tissue healing and the regeneration of cells. A study published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer suggests that, when applied topically, grape-derived antioxidants may even have cancer-fighting abilities. These compounds have been linked to improved skin’s texture and have been shown to reduce the signs of aging. This can result in visible signs of healthy, more vibrant skin.

What’s even more amazing is that grape seed extract is 50 times stronger than vitamin E. And it also doesn’t just protect our skin from damage, but also actively scavenges free radicals, the oxidizing atoms that can cause the skin to age. Grape seed extract works to repair cells from the inside out working to prevent cell damage before it even happens. For your skin, that means a more youthful radiant complexion with less fine lines and wrinkles.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT: Swisse Ultiboost Grape Seed

Swisse Grape Seed Extract

2. MAGNESIUM

You can’t read too much news about health without coming across something about the healthy wonders of magnesium. And for good reason. While magnesium is most often associated with its anti-anxiety and its muscle relaxing effects, it is also a super important mineral involved in over 300 cellular and enzymatic reactions in the body. It helps to accelerate our body’s energy production systems, support nerve function and promotes deep restorative sleep. But it’s also involved in the health of our hair, skin, and nails. 

If your skin looks like it could use a boost, magnesium may be able to help by raising levels of fatty acids on the skin while supporting collagen production. That means more hydrated, buoyant skin that has better elasticity and tone. In other words: fewer wrinkles. Do you break out when times are rough? Magnesium is also beneficial for those of us who suffer from hormonal or stress-related acne. It can help to lower cortisol which can trigger increased oil production on the skin and clogged pores during times of stress. 

One study suggested that up to 75% of us are not getting enough magnesium. This means we’re also missing out on its incredible health benefits. Some symptoms of low magnesium include nausea, muscle cramping, decreased appetite or a general feeling of fatigue and weakness. Your nails and skin may also be showing signs of low magnesium as well. If your nails grow slowly, are soft, brittle or easily broken and your skin is super dry and broken out you may benefit from more magnesium.  

Even if you eat a balanced diet with plenty of magnesium-rich leafy greens, nuts, and seeds you may not be getting your daily required dose due to the depletion of minerals in our soils.  Try adding a daily supplement as a way to know you’re getting all the magnesium you need. The recommended dose of magnesium is 310 to 320 milligrams per day and be aware that too much can have a laxative effect.

 

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:
Swisse Women’s Ultivite Multivitamin
Swisse Ultiboost Relax and Sleep

 

Vitamin C Fruits And Supplements For Healthy Skin, Hair And Nails

3. VITAMIN C

We all associate vitamin C as an important nutrient that can help boost our immune system. But it can also help rejuvenate aged and photodamaged skin to promote a radiant complexion. An antioxidant by nature, vitamin C works to scavenge skin-damaging free radicals that can eventually lead to premature aging and wrinkles. 

Vitamin C also plays a vital role in the production of collagen, the fibrous protein that provides structure and support throughout just about every tissue in our bodies, including our bones, teeth, tendons, cartilage ligaments and of course our skin. The production of collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, naturally declines with age causing our joints to weaken and our skin’s elasticity to dwindle leading to lines, wrinkles and sagging skin. One of the most highly touted benefits of collagen is its ability to promote glowing, youthful, and bouncy skin. And researchers are finding that vitamin C is indeed helping collagen along. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition discovered that subjects whose diets were chock full of vitamin C also had smoother, more youthful skin with fewer wrinkles. 

Boosting your vitamin C intake can even help to strengthen your nails if they seem brittle or growing slowly. Our bodies can’t produce or store vitamin C so it must be derived completely from our diets. Food sources include fruits like lemons, limes, oranges, mangoes, berries, spinach, leafy greens and veggies like bell peppers. And that’s why we love the Swisse Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails+. It contains vitamin C along with supporting vitamins and minerals including iron, biotin, and silica for a balanced supportive blend focused on nutrients vital to the health of your hair, skin, and nails. Even if you’re not keen on taking tablets, try their tart and fruity liquid version instead.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS:  

Swisse Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails+  (tablets)
Swisse, Ultiboost, Hair Skin Nails  (liquid)

 

Vegan Swisse Hair Skin Nails Supplement

3. SILICA

A mineral that doesn’t get the attention it deserves when it comes to getting gorgeous shiny hair, radiant-looking skin and strong healthy nails is silica. Along with vitamin C, silica is another major player in the formation in collagen. This important structural protein that gives our cells their structure, gives our skin its elasticity and suppleness, delaying the onset of wrinkles. While silica can restore your skin’s natural glow it can also help brighten the eyes for a youthful and healthy appearance. If your nails are weak and brittle, adding silica to your daily supplements can promote strong healthy nail growth and helps to deliver nutrients to the nail beds. After long term use, you may even notice that your hair is thicker and glossier than you ever thought was possible. 

To add silica to your beauty supplement regiment look for a specially designed formula made specifically to nourish your hair, skin, and nails. We like Swisse Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails+ which offers both a tart and tasty liquid and tablet version along with supporting vitamins and minerals.  You may need to take silica for up to 12 weeks before you see results, so stick with it for the ultimate pay off.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT: 
Swisse Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails+  (vegan tablets)
Swisse, Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails  (vegan liquid)

5. ZINC

Here’s a fun fact about zinc: it is concentrated six times more in the surface layer of our skin than in the layers below. It also plays a key role in the way your skin protects itself. A trace mineral most often credited with boosting the immune system and helping to reduce the duration of the common cold, zinc also helps the skin heal itself from issues like trauma, acne, dermatitis, and psoriasis. Applied topically, it can also be found as the active ingredient in products used to relieve red, irritated, itchy scalp and dandruff.

Want strong healthy nails? If you’re not getting enough zinc in your diet, you may notice white spots on your nails form or they may split easily. The daily requirement for zinc is 11 mg for men and 8 mg for women each day and can be found rich in food sources like oysters, lobster, and crab, but also in meat, fish and plant-based sources like mushrooms, beans, pumpkin seeds, and spinach. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan it’s a really good idea to include a supplemental source of zinc in your diet to make sure you’re getting all your body needs.

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS: 

Swisse Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails+  (vegan tablets)
Swisse, Ultiboost, Hair Skin Nails  (vegan liquid)
Swisse Women’s Ultivite Multivitamin (vegetarian tablets)

 

Swisse For Healthy Hair, Skin, And Nails With Biotin, Silica, Iron And Magnesium

6. BIOTIN (vitamin B-7)

Biotin also referred to as vitamin B-7 or vitamin H, is one of the most beneficial nutrients for strong nails and healthy hair growth. This water-soluble b-vitamin is an essential nutrient to the structure and health of keratin, the protein that makes up your hair, skin, and nails. Some of the best food sources for biotin include salmon, liver, nuts, cauliflower, swiss chard, and egg yolks. While true deficiencies are rare, low levels of biotin due to diet, smoking, stress or disease can lead to thinning hair. Turning to biotin supplements can be a great way to boost your intake to get visible results in the quality of your nails and hair. One study found that women who took 2,500 mcg of biotin daily for 6 to 9 months were able to see a 25% increase in nail thickness and a noticeable reduction in breakage. If you’d like to give biotin a try take 2,000 to 3,000 micrograms daily for a minimum of four months to see the benefits. 

RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS: 
Swisse Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails+ (vegan tablets)
Swisse Ultiboost Hair Skin Nails  (vegan liquid)

 

Nutrients For Super Healthy Hair

7. IRON

Iron is another important mineral contained in every cell in our body. It helps maintain our immune system function and is the key to helping myoglobin and hemoglobin transport oxygen to our cells. In turn, our cells use this steady supply of oxygen to convert food into energy. It’s also an essential mineral in the process of making the protein keratin a key building block in the growth of healthy nails, skin, and hair. 

While our bodies are pretty efficient at recycling our iron stores, there are times we can go low due to things like menstruation, chronic illness or vegetarian diet. More common in women than in men, symptoms of iron deficiency anemia can include pale skin, poor appetite, feeling fatigued and lightheaded. But low iron symptoms can also show up on your nails. If you’re noticing that your nails are thin or curved with a spoon like appearance you may not be getting enough iron in your diet. And if your hair looking a little thin lately, low iron may also be to blame. If you suspect iron is the cause of your thinning hair or weak nails, check with a doctor to have your blood levels tested. If low iron is the cause of your thinning hair it is reversible and you should see your luscious locks start to grow back in just a few months.

Another indicator of low iron: poor sleep. Studies have shown that there is a link between sleep issues like insomnia and lower levels of iron.  And lack of restful sleep or insomnia can also do a number on the health and appearance of our skin. When we feel rested and restored it shows up on our skin. For a restful night’s sleep without a prescription try an herbal sleep formula with iron like Swisse Ultiboost Relax and Sleep. This formula also includes calming and sleep-promoting herbs like valerian along with nutrients like iron and magnesium to give you the restorative beauty sleep you deserve.

Health Tip: While iron can be great for your health, too much iron can be problematic and long term supplementation is not advised. Speak with your doctor or a health professional before you start an iron-containing supplement to make sure it’s right for you.

Recommended Products: Swisse Ultiboost Relax and Sleep

Try Swisse Sleep Made With Herbs And Minerals For a Restful Sleep

INCORPORATE A MULTIVITAMIN INTO YOUR ROUTINE

If your hair, nails, and skin aren’t looking their best incorporating a daily multivitamin into your routine may be a good place to start. With the introduction of a good daily formula of vitamins and minerals, you should see an improvement in your overall health including your skin, hair, and nails with continued use. You may also be addressing deficiencies that you may not have even realized you have. In time you should notice stronger nails, more radiant skin and thicker more lustrous hair. Changes can take a few weeks to even a few months to see a difference. So stick with it daily for a beautiful and healthy you.

Recommended Product:  Swisse Women’s Ultivite Multivitamin

A Balanced Vegetarian Multivitamin For Women - Swisse Womens Ultivite

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