We know that a balanced and healthy diet is key to overall health, which translates to beauty benefits too – including your hair, skin, and overall wellbeing.
In our article Natural Supplements & Vitamins to Boost Your Healthy and Active Lifestyle, we share a range that are good for your wellbeing but also to help you perform during your workout regimes. One of which is Vitamin B-complex. It comprises of 8 B vitamins – B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B9 & B12
But, beyond helping you achieve your beauty goals by keeping your energy high while you workout, Vitamin B Complex provides beauty benefits for your skin, hair, and health.
What Vitamin B-complex Deficiency Looks Like
If you’re under a lot of stress or consume a diet high in carbohydrates and sugar (like most of us Malaysians do), you’ll need even more Vitamin B-complex. When you don’t have enough B-complex in your diet and nutrition, it can lead to anaemia, fatigue, depression, dry skin, wrinkles, muscle cramping, loss of appetite, and more.
Deficiencies in folic acid (B9), B12, and B6 are most common. If you’re feeling moody, anxious, or depressed, this could be an indicator that you are running low on B vitamins.
Benefits of Vitamin B-complex
Vitamin B is crucial to our overall health and beauty, here are some benefits:
- Promoting cell growth and division
- Maintaining healthy skin and muscle tone
- Supporting and increasing the rate of metabolism
- Enhancing immune and nervous system function
- Easing stress
- Improving mood
- Vitamin B12 helps to regulate your skin’s pigment production and location, preventing hyperpigmentation – the darkening of skin in certain parts of your body. Vitamin B3 is used to improve the appearance or severity of some skin conditions, whereas Vitamin B5 can help to minimise acne by helping the body to breakdown oils in the form of triglycerides and cholesterol.
- Deficiencies of vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B5 can result in poorly nourished hair follicle cells, potentially causing hair to become brittle and stunt hair growth. Not getting enough Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid can also slow down cell division within the hair follicles, which also slows down hair growth. Vitamin B7 (Biotin) is also essential for maintaining the texture, tone and strength of your locks, and a deficiency can lead to hair loss.
- Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) helps the body to absorb the essential mineral iron, which is necessary for healthy and strong nails. Without enough access to usable iron,the fingernails can turn white, brittle, thin, grow abnormally (taking on a spoon-like appearance). Vitamin B12 is also key to nail health, playing an important role in the formation of red blood cells.
Sources of Vitamin B-complex from your Diet
- Focus on vitamin B6: This is an essential B vitamin for beautiful skin and can be found in garlic, cauliflower, spinach, mustard greens, fish, poultry (chicken and turkey), and lean beef tenderloin.
- Include more probiotics in your diet: When B vitamins are made inside your gut, they are quickly assimilated, and you will receive maximum nutrient absorption. Furthermore, the beneficial microflora are intelligent and know which B vitamins to make for you.
- Eat lightly cooked egg yolks: If you love eggs, you can enjoy them even more to beautify your skin from the inside out! Egg yolks contain a member of the vitamin B family called choline, which is not only critical for maintaining healthy cells throughout your body and skin, but it also has the added benefit of boosting your brain cells and improving your memory!
- Other natural sources: Brown rice, quinoa, chickpeas, lentils, black beans, white beans, nutritional yeast and bee pollen, almonds.
Alternatively, you could opt for a Vitamin B supplement or look into a multivitamin that has a host of the B-complex vitamins. Just make sure you’re not overdoing the dosage.
For an in-depth look into Vitamin B-complex and its benefits, check out this comprehensive article by Stylecraze on the 30 amazing benefits of vitamin B.
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