Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse's Statement

[loverofnaps71]

Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I was reading some information on Cathy Howse's site. Someone asked her about which vitamins will help that hair to grow.

Cathy responded by saying that taking vitamins is a waste of time and valuable money. She said that vitamins do nothing for the hair. It's all about how we care for our hair and diet! Not vitamins or supplementation. Then, the whammy: She stated that white women and women of other ethnicities do not take vitamins, get their hair STILL grows! So, why should we?

WHAT DO YA'LL THINK ABOUT THIS? My response is that for most black women, our hair is curly and coarse. Curly hair does not trap moisture and so that's why we have a hard time growing and our hair is more susceptable to breakage and damage. [Note: This is why women who perm their hair appear to have faster growing hair. Because the hair is straightened, it holds more moisture...and moisture helps the hair to grow.]

I am finding, then, that moisturizing products, as well as supplementation DOES help, particularly taking Omega Fatty Acids.

 

[Trinity1]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Thats strange because I have her book "Ultra Black Hair Growth II" and she states just the opposite. She says that vitamins are necessary and she even suggest taking iron and zinc for hair growth.

Tee Tee

 

[BlkHoneyLuv2U]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I dont know all I do know is that I got three inches, I do take supplements, and I have started to treat my hair with more respect. COuld be a combination of all three, but untill one thing out weigh the other I'm gonna keep taking my supplements.

 

[Karonica]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Maybe not for her, but vitamins do increase my hairgrowth, there is no denying that. My hair is extremely sluggish without my daily multi-vitamin.

 

[Trinity1]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I know that she does state that "external" pro vitamins does absolutely nothing for the hair. She goes on to say that anything that promises to deposit vitamins in your hair is a waste of time and money. However,internal vitamins,such a multivitamin or so on is essential for hair growth. (I have the book out right now.....LOL)


Tee

 

[ChasingBliss]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

[ QUOTE ]
Tee Tee said:
I know that she does state that "external" pro vitamins does absolutely nothing for the hair. She goes on to say that anything that promises to deposit vitamins in your hair is a waste of time and money. However,internal vitamins,such a multivitamin or so on is essential for hair growth. (I have the book out right now.....LOL)


Tee

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok now this makes sense to me.

 

[sassygirl125]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Does she mean vitamins don't make the hair grow faster? I agree with that. I do think supps can help you achieve the full potential of your growth rate, though. For example, someone could have a crappy diet and get 1/4" per month. The supps could help her reach her "real" rate of 1" per month.

I don't eat right. I'm picky and tend to eat the same things all the time. I need supps and not just for my hair. She doesn't need them. Good for her. But to say that they are a waste of time for everyone is a pretty broad statement.

Other races don't do a lot of things that we do to for our hair. So?

 

[Supergirl]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I agree that vitamins don't make the hair grow faster. I do think they can contribute to the health of the hair though.

 

[soslychic]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

[ QUOTE ]
sassygirl125 said:
Does she mean vitamins don't make the hair grow faster? I agree with that. I do think supps can help you achieve the full potential of your growth rate, though. For example, someone could have a crappy diet and get 1/4" per month. The supps could help her reach her "real" rate of 1" per month.

I don't eat right. I'm picky and tend to eat the same things all the time. I need supps and not just for my hair. She doesn't need them. Good for her. But to say that they are a waste of time for everyone is a pretty broad statement.

Other races don't do a lot of things that we do to for our hair. So?

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with this. I think that all vitamins neccesary can be found in food, but I know that there are very few who are going to have their diet so "perfect" that they get every single nutrient in the quantitiy that they would get with a little suplementation. I know that my growth rate has increased greatly since taking vitamins and that's probably because my diet is not sufficient. So vitamins can help with growth and strength, even shine, and overall appearance. Her statement is misleading.

 

[Karonica]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

[ QUOTE ]
I know that my growth rate has increased greatly since taking vitamins and that's probably because my diet is not sufficient.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. That's probably why my hair gets excited when I do take them.

 

[deeplyrooted]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

LMAO @ Karonica.

i know that's definitely the truth for me. if it isn't something with cheese in it (which has riboflavin in it at least) or chicken (no more beef thanks to the mad cow scare), i ain't eatin' it. my parents gave up on trying to change that a loooonnng time ago.

outside of hair growth (which i've noticed a significant increase in), my overall energy levels have increased since beginning my vitamin supplements.

 

[sassygirl125]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

My skin seems to look better since adding EFA's and Cod Liver Oil to my supp plan.

My nails always grew long and fast, but they were thin and fragile. Now they are thicker and stronger.

 

[loverofnaps71]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Good. I feel better better now. It does make sense that external supplementation does little for growth. Anything that we do for overall health and well-being necessarily begins with proper diet and nutrition, that is, INTERNALLY! Thanks for clearing this up for me...

 

[sassygirl125]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

[ QUOTE ]
It does make sense that external supplementation does little for growth.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure what external supplementation is... I thought it was Biotin shampoo or hair grease with herbs in it.

What about eo's and distilled water sprayed on the scalp, scalp massages with eo blends and pre-shampoo oil treatments? Are those considered external supplementation?

 

[jellynote]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

[ QUOTE ]
Tee Tee said:
Thats strange because I have her book "Ultra Black Hair Growth II" and she states just the opposite. She says that vitamins are necessary and she even suggest taking iron and zinc for hair growth.

Tee Tee

[/ QUOTE ]


Ditto

 

[lthomas1]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

You have to realize that this is only her point of view. If you are satisfied with the results you are getting from your vitamins then stick with it. I feel fine with doing both internal and external. Two years ago I had surgery and I used pure vitamin e on the scar and it healed nicely, you can barely notice it now. So I have reservations about believing external vitamins are a waste.

 

[Koffie]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

If she said women of other ethnicities don't take vitamins, then she proved that she doesn't interact with many white folks, because when I went to GNC the other day to check out an amino acid complex, their was a Caucasian woman complaining about the price of the Biotin. She said she found it to be much cheaper at Walmart. We had a little bit of small talk and she told me she had a variety of hair vitamins at home. I even recommended that she try the amino acid complex.

 

[Sweetyb]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I agree that vitamins are not 100% helpful to the health of your body. As long as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) does not approve the use of vitamins as simple as Centrum, I do not deem vitamins useful for anything. Instead I do things such as hitting the gym and incorporating veggies in the meals I cook. If I don't think that I've had a balanced meal, I may pop in a flinstones for the night.

I agree that the only supliment I will take woiuld be omega fatty acids in the form of Flax Seed Oil, because the packaging of my tuna removes these acids from its structure.

" for most black women, our hair is curly and coarse. "
This is far from the truth. My natural tightly curled 4b hair is very thin and nowhere near coarse. My sister's natural tightly curled 4a/b hair is very coarse, becasue her hair is thick and dense.

The fact is, most black women have tightly curled hair. This is not the same as saying we all have "coarse" hair. There are various properties that tightly curled hair can have, and they differ from person to person.

"Because the hair is straightened, it holds more moisture...and moisture helps the hair to grow."
This is a false statement to make because how your hair holds moisture depends on your regemin and the type of tightly curled hair you have. Relaxers dry your hair, so you have to take appropriate steps to replenish the moisture that was lost. Those who do so successfuly are able to grow their hair out with relaxers. Those who don't will experience breakage.
I have been growing my natural hair texture out for the past 4years and the only time I experienced "breakage" was 1) when I was growing out my relaxer, and 2) when I had my hair heatpressed... twice. Because my kinky hair strands are thin, they weren't able to take the heat. Yet if my sister with dense hair gets her hair pressed withh high heat, her hair won't act adversely.

And relaxed hair APPEARS to "grow" more than tightly curled hair beacuse although it may start to grow in ringlets of curls, the process of re-touching the hair will stretch out the curl, making the lenth show. But that does mean that it "grows faster" than tightly curled hair.

So it all really depends on the properties of your hair, not simply that you chemically process your hair or wear it in its natural texture.

 

[ccd]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

If she believes taking vitamins is a waste that's really her point of view because I DEFINITELY experienced better health from biotin and silica ( I started with those 3-4 years ago) my hair changed drastically with the vit. alone...then I gradually treated my hair better at home (wrapping and rollersets) so to eaches own but the vits. worked for me so that's all I need....... keep it simple and do what works for you.

 

[jade3]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I'd have to disagree with Cathy Howse. I notice a difference every single time I am consistent with my vitamin regimin. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I don't eat very nutritious foods (fast food all of the time) so taking vitamins gives my body all of the nutrients and minerals that I otherwise wouldn't get. With all those nutrients in my blood stream my hair grows about anywhere from 1/8" to 1/4" more every single time.

 

[perfectpeace]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I do recall reading somewhere, but not in her book, where she implied that taking vitamins for growth was a waste of money. I also have read in her book that she takes iron and zinc.

I think when she states that vitamins are a waste of time, she is referring to the junk that some, if not most, of these companies try to pass off to us as supplements. If this is what she meant, I agree with her. If a vitamin is of low quality, most likely we are only absorbing about 2% of the supplement.

However, if you do your research and find a company with some integrity that does not put additives or fillers in the product and if you take digestive enzymes to assist with absorption, etc., I think you have got a product that will be beneficial to your health, including your hair (healthy hair starts on the inside). There are some vitamins that we must supplement because our bodies need them but cannot produce them--Omega 3 comes to mind. Unless you eat tones of fish (which I don't because of mercury in the water) then you will need to supplement it.

Also, we are not eating the vegtables of our mothers' generation. Our food has been cloned, reconfigured, restructured, injected with hormones, sprayed with pesticides and are grown in soil that is polluted and artifically treated. And I know I don't eat 5-10 servings of vegatbles/fruits a day.

Vitamins have benefited my hair, increased my energy, cleared my skin, improved my circulation, etc. I will continue to take my "flinstones."

 

[UmSumayyah]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

A white friend of mine in hs had hair she could sit on, and she didn't sleep on satin pillowcases, or with satin hats and scarves either. But if I tried that my hair would stay at neck length-- as it did for years until I started being diligent with covering my head in satin when I sleep.

 

[Ayeshia]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Maybe she was refering to the vitamins that claim they could make your hair grow in like two weeks...you know the ones that sound too good to be true.

 

[LiqueXX]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

I think that my vitamin supplements have helped in my overall health not just my hair. I also think that if you expect vitamins to work "miracles" then you are fooling yourself. Cathy Howse's book is good, I have a copy of it, but at times she does seems kind of fanatical about certain issues...so I take what she says with a grain of salt.

 

[Guest]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

[ QUOTE ]
perfectpeace said:
However, if you do your research and find a company with some integrity that does not put additives or fillers in the product and if you take digestive enzymes to assist with absorption, etc., I think you have got a product that will be beneficial to your health, including your hair (healthy hair starts on the inside).

[/ QUOTE ]

So, what company have you found with integrity that does not add fillers to vitamins? What exactly are digestive enzymes? Currently, I am taking Botanic Choice Vitamins for Hair, Spring Valley Natural Fish Oil capsules, and a Centrum Multi-vitamin. I took Spring Valley Biotin for at least a month and half-I haven't tried it since. Please tell me where can I find Digestive enzymes? I haven't seen that anywhere.

 

[sassygirl125]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

The digestive enzymes I take for absorbtion are Nature's Bounty (aka Puritan's Pride) Papaya Enzyme and Solaray HCL w/ Pepsin.

Re: Spring Valley. I bought the MSM capsules and they failed the float/sink test. That experience made me very leery of the other SV products. I forgot how the test works... But a capsule with no fillers is supposed to either float or sink. IIRC, a tablet should dissolve quickly in a cup of water/white vinegar. I'm not sure of the tests--do a search.

 

[Guest]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

The Spring Valley fish capsules are pretty good I think..I'm not sure about the Biotin that I tried because I stopped taking them.

 

[Guest]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Does anyone else know how to test vitamins for fillers?

 

[dorothy]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Natori, to test the absorbability of a multivitamin, drop it in a glass of water or vinegar. If you are taking the right multivitamin, it should completely dissolve in less than 20 minutes!

 

[Guest]

Re: Taking Vitamins? Cathy Howse\'s Statement

Thanks for the reply, Dorothy.