# do prenatal vitamins really make your hair healthier?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prenatal-vitamins-really-make-your-hair-healthier/223764>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 10, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prenatal-vitamins-really-make-your-hair-healthier/223764 "2004-01-10T02:03:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prenatal-vitamins-really-make-your-hair-healthier/223764/1 "2004-01-10T02:03:45Z")

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i’ve heard from several girlfriends that prenatal vitamins make your hair grow in thicker, longer, and shinier. it’s even said that if you take the vitamins when not pregnant, the same effect will be achieved. i looked at pictures from when i was pregnant, lo and behold i did have hair that was longer, thicker, and more lustrous than it is now. however, it all sounds like a myth of some sort to me, especially because when i checked the ingredients of prenatal vitamins vs. regular vitamins, the only difference i found was double the folic acid in the prenatal ones.

so, does this mean that pregnancy itself gives you good hair, or is it all in our imaginations?

hi, **devilsknew**!

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**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prenatal-vitamins-really-make-your-hair-healthier/223764/2 "2004-01-10T02:54:34Z")

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Pregnancy causes hormonal changes that often retard normal hair loss, so your hair is actually thicker while you’re pregnant. This hair is usually lost after you give birth, so you eventually end up with the same amount of hair (or less) afterwards.

There’s a column about this at [Ask Dr. Sears.com](http://www.askdrsears.com/html/1/T011311.asp).

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**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\
**Post date:** [January 10, 2004, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-prenatal-vitamins-really-make-your-hair-healthier/223764/3 "2004-01-10T04:19:47Z")

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I never noticed my hair being thicker but it grew very fast while I was pregnant. Normally it grows slow as a snail.