One pill makes you larger, and one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you, don’t do anything at all
Go ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall
So sang the Jefferson Airplane on “White Rabbit” from their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow. They were singing about the effects of hallucinogenic drugs, not about ingestible beauty!
Can you really swallow a pill and enhance your outer beauty from the inside? That’s the focus of this feature.
Viviscal and Nutrafol treat thin and compromised hair from within. Heliocare soaks up free radicals to help protect you from the sun’s damaging rays.
Heliocare:
Unless you are living under a flat rock you know that the sun’s damaging rays are out 365 days year.
It doesn’t even have to be a warm day. You can get sun damage in your car or even sitting by a sunny window.
Heliocare by Ferndale Healthcare Inc. is a dietary supplement with an antioxidant formula made from Polypodium Leucotomos (PLE) extract. Heliocare is a vegan, gluten and dye-free pill you can take daily to help your skin defends against free radicals.
Polypodium Leucotomos (a tropical fern known for centuries to help skin related conditions. What it supposedly does for skin is help soak up free radicals that cause aging. According to Heliocare: clinical studies have shown that Polypodium leucotomos extract provides photoprotection against the effects of both UVB and UVA light
This all sounds great, but keep in mind that this is a boost to your application of a good sunblock, not to be used instead of SPF protection.
Why take Heliocare?Topical sunblocks can be rubbed off or reduced by sweat so having an anti-aging nutraceutical working for you on the inside as well, is another layer of sun protection.
We can’t quantify the efficacy of Heliocare, but we like the idea, especially for those who simply don’t apply enough sun protection or any sun protection, or who are very fair and burn easily.
Key Ingredients:
1 capsule contains 240 mg of Fernblock, corn starch hydroxypropylmethycellulose, and magnesium stearate.
What/Where/Buy:
Heliocare is $29.99 for 60 capsules or $14.97 for 30 capsules. You get 60 vegetarian capsules, enough for 2 months depending upon use.
Usually, the dose is 1 per day but Heliocare suggests taking another capsule 1/2 hours before prolonged sun exposure. Take other 2-3 hours after the initial capsule.
Viviscal:
Viviscal Extra Strength Dietary Supplement is a pill you take to promote existing hair growth in thin and compromised hair.
The Viviscal Website says the pill is 100% drug free and that it is supported by 7 clinical trials and grounded in 25 years of research.
Key Ingredients:
AminoMar®: This is a marine complex exclusively in Viviscal supplements, derived from key marine protein molecules combined with a blend of Horsetail (Stem) Extract and naturally occurring Silica. This provides nutrients needed to promote existing hair growth from within.
Biotin: It’s also known as Vitamin, a water-soluble Vitamin B complex (Vitamin B7) that helps the body to metabolize carbohydrates, fats and amino acids. These are the building blocks of protein so they’re essential in the formation the structure of your hair.
Vitamin C: You know this as a powerful antioxidant that helps to absorb more Iron into the blood, which in turn promotes hair growth. Vitamin C in Viviscal supplements is sourced from the acerola cherry.
Iron: Iron helps to make red blood cells, which carry oxygen around to cells in the body, including hair follicles. If you are anemic, thinning hair can be one of the thevisible symptoms.
So does any of this mean your hair will be enhanced? Possibly, since if your diet is lacking, it can affect the condition of your hair.
If you are seeking more hair in the drain than usual, or your hair is splitting or feels weak, know that the Viviscal Extra Strength Dietary Supplement is good for all hair types but you do need to take it regularly for 3-6 months.
If you are already taking a lot of vitamins and take Viviscal, we wonder: could you over-dose on some of these ingredients? Note that you can also get these ingredients from a balanced diet and biotin-rich foods. (like eggs, almonds, salmon, and avocados).
What/Where/Buy:
It is sold in a 1 month supply (60 tablets -$50) or a 3 month supply (180 tablets- $120). Viviscal also has an elixir shampoo and conditioner. The recommended dose is 1 tablet twice a day,
Viviscal is available nationwide at retailers including Ulta Beauty, CVS and Walgreens, online at https://www.viviscal.com/ or by calling 877-333-4581.
Nutrafol:
We received a bottle of Nutrafol for Women (there’s a pill for men as well). This product is also 100% drug free (although some think vitamins are drugs). Nutrafol deals with multiple causes of thinning hair focusing on “existing hair loss and thinning, (and it will) and also serve as a preventative and anti-aging regimen to
maintain healthy hair growth and thickness.”
Key Ingredients:
Looking at the list of ingredients, a lot of them are known to be antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory and known to be beneficial for healthy skin. Some of these are also in Viviscal and some are accepted as having a positive impact on hair regrowth such as Biotin, Fo-Ti, Saw Palmetto, and Zinc.
There is a difference between the Nutrafol for Men & For Women. Men naturally produce more testosterone and DHT. DHT is the hormone related to male pattern hair loss, so Nutrafol for Men contains more of the natural DHT blocker, saw palmetto, than the women’s version. The women’s version has higher levels of collagen and antioxidant vitamin C.
What/Where/Buy:
Disclaimer: As with all nutraceuticals, consult a doctor before beginning a new one, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding or take a lot of prescription medications.
