My Lovely Lady Locks (Collagen)
Top 3 Non-Food related questions I get are:
- What eyeliner do you use?
- Do you deliver? (Ok I guess that’s food related but not)
- How can I get my hair to grow?!
It’s funny, the hair thing. hair is a very emotional topic for many people, especially those with autoimmune disease who lose hair where they want it and grow it in places they’d rather not. We spend money on laser hair removal, waxing, shaving and any other number of cosmetic treatments and we beg the hair gods to let us have a nice full head of hair. So let’s talk about My Lovely Lady Locks (Collagen). As a Hashimoto’s patient, I’ve had several “Oh Sh*t” moments where my hair came out in clumps (including post partum) and times where I’ve clogged the bathtub drain with my hair loss. It’s a scary feeling and it’s also quite depressing. I’ve been lucky enough to figure out a combination of desiccated thyroid replacement and food changes to help me but those weren’t necessarily enough to give me the head of hair I REALLY wanted. Now I’ll admit I am a long hair fan. I’ve always liked having a long ponytail even if I wear my hair up and other than that bad breakup when I chopped it all off into a pixie cut, I have typically worn my hair long. Funny enough though, even in my early 20s before ill health hit, my hair would hit a certain point and stop growing. It was long, sure, but it still lacked “potential”. After I started eating more paleo I did notice my hair health changed and became improved but I wanted more. I had read about gelatin and bone broth and wanted to run an experiment of my own. I started implementing GRASS FED COLLAGEN POWDER and to my surprise my hair thickened and became even longer. It started above my bra line and now reaches my lower back. Additionally, it’s thicker and healthier and my skin and nails improved too. I won’t lie, I started taking collagen for the vanity aspects but truthfully after reading all of the internal benefits to our organs and tissues, the external benefits are big ones and instrumental in good overall health. Since ultimately that’s where it’s at, I feel good about doing the right things for my body and the bonus benefits are the healthy hair, skin, and nails. There are two brands I trust:
Honestly I think they’re both great. The Vital Farms runs slightly higher (not by much if you measure per ounce) but their packaging is better about sealing out moisture. As for the quality of the products themselves, both are good and I will use either for my personal use. Remember that the gelatin is a different product in that it will congeal – which is great for making gummies but less fun if you are trying to dissolve it more easily in liquids to drink. Since I hear from so many of you about this topic, I figured a post could help you, especially if you are desperate and upset about hair loss which so many are. I will emphasize that the combination of collagen and diet has made the biggest difference so ingesting collagen is not a replacement for all around good eating habits. But in my experience it’s made such a big difference, it’s worth sharing and I know from a lot of you after following my recommendation that it’s helped you too! Here’s to hair (and then some)! I’d love to hear your experiences too!
Misha says
Thank you for sharing this! About how much do you aim for a day? Just trying to get a general idea of where to start… I do best with targets!
predominantlypaleo says
I take about 2 tablespoons a day
Heather says
Yes diet! I lost about half my hair to Lyme disease but thankfully kept the length. The new growth that came in after changing my diet means I have self layered hair lol but it’s getting thick and shiny again thanks to clean eating. Plus, at least half of my grey (I have very little grey hair) has brown roots now thanks to good nutrition. I only recently acquired some collagen (Great Lakes). We’re taking it mainly for joint issues but I’ll see if my hair gets even better. It’s waist length at the moment but I’d like to see if it keeps growing now that I’m using collagen. I never thought about the Vital Proteins container keeping out moisture but on the other hand we live in a very dry climate.
Debra | The Saffron Girl says
You look stunning Jennifer! I’m glad to hear the collagen works. I believe I have adrenal fatigue and maybe more issues and have been taking collagen. I’ve gone through three bottles of the Green Lakes now. And although I see a lot of new hair growing back, my hair continues to fall out in clumps and bunches. How long did it take you to get it back to being really healthy?
predominantlypaleo says
I think it depends, have you looked at other hormones like thyroid? Those labs need to be stable for me personally in order for the rest to work!
Shelby says
I use Sports Research brand pastured collagen. I like it better than Great Lakes. Good price on Amazon.
Debora says
Thank you for sharing! I lost my hair after being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and going through chemo. I am a big fam of long hair like you, so when I had to cut them short it was hard for me. I used a Paradise Herbs protein powder called Protein Greens that I was taking with msm, and it helped my hair to grow faster. I am also using homemade shampoo which I am sure helps a lot too. I did not know collagen could be beneficial for hair growth, and I have been wanting to buy some, so now I have another good reason to buy it. Thanks!
predominantlypaleo says
I’m so glad you are finding things that work for you! I can imagine you are doing lots of rebuilding after chemo so the collagen is great for the gut too!
Cinnamon Cappel says
What do you put the collagen in? I saw that you said you take 2 TBS a day. That’s alot. Thanks for the article I just bought the Great Lakes, my hair needs a lot of help.
predominantlypaleo says
I put it straight into my morning cup of coffee! Don’t taste a thing and 18g of protein!
Jools says
I have the orange Great Lakes and just wondering if you can add that to coffee, or if you need the green one? Thanks
predominantlypaleo says
The orange one will congeal eventually so I stick with the green one which will stay dissolved and virtually be undetectable.
Cyndee says
I bought the green one and added 1 tsp. To my coffee, it didn’t dissolve, stuck to bottom of my cup, tried the next morning, stirring like crazy, it stuck to the spoon. What’s the secret?
Thanks, Cyndee
predominantlypaleo says
Oh weird, mine dissolved right away but I wonder if you could use a stick blender to really get it going. Otherwise maybe dissolve it in a tiny bit of liquid first before adding the rest?
Cyndee says
Thanks for responding! I figured out what I was doing wrong! I now add the gelatin in hot coffee, wisk it, then add almond milk. Is one scoop a day enough for healing leaky gut? I also am up to 2 scoops a day of Lauricidin! What vitamin should I add next? I can’t believe they are not upsetting my stomach!!
predominantlypaleo says
Yay! You are doing so much good for your body right now. You can also add a 2nd scoop of collagen! Are you taking probiotics? I just wrote a probiotics post today! https://predominantlypaleo.com/the-skinny-on-probiotics/
Collagen curious says
@predominantlypaleo I’ve been reading a lot about collagen peptides and am interested! However I haven’t been able to find anything that explains if the peptides are a good source of omega 3s. More specifically, I’m wondering if they (bovine or marine peptides) replace the goodness of fish oil or if they provide different benefits and should be taken together. Any thoughts about omega 3 content of peptides?
Also, I’ve read some women experience uncomfortable bloating with bovine (which I’m prone to), but it seems like the marine peptides provide the same benefits as the bovine, so I could just take those instead. Would you agree that there’s little difference in benefit between bovine and marine?
I’m such a noob to this! Thanks for your help!!
predominantlypaleo says
I would probably supplement something separate in addition to bovine collagen if seeking omega 3’s. If you experience bloating from collagen it could be because of histamine intolerance. If you know for sure that you have histamine intolerance, collagen might be difficult to take (not for everyone, just for some).