Using Silica for Hair Growth-Gel, Bamboo & Supplements

Using silica for hair  for hair growth is quite a recent phenomenon in hair care. It has attracted attention from individuals and researchers seeking to enhance human hair in one way or another. It could be improving hair thickness, fast hair growth, general hair health etc. Read on find out ‘s silica’s role in promoting healthy natural hair, benefits, how to use types like Gel, Bamboo and other Supplements in addition to reviews, before and after pictures

Silica for Hair Growth-How does it Work?

What is Silica?

Silica is one trace element that is essential for your health most particularly your skin and scalp. Being a component of your connective tissue, it helps in the strengthening of your bones, nails and hair. There are a variety of foods that have been shown to contain silica. These include coffee, mineral water, whole grains and carrots. Revisiting the culture of Asians in the Far East, who consume bamboo tea and even eat its shoots, the revitalized thick hair is mostly attribute to the silica in the bamboo.

One scientific study done in the University Hospital of Hamburg-Eppendorf showed that there was an increase in the growth of thin hair at an average of about 13% by taking silica gel.

Benefits-How is Silica good for Hair Growth?

Silica has many health benefits though attention in this material will be paid to its benefit on your hair. Then how does this micronutrient wheel on to address hair loss? Here are some of the mechanisms through which it works.

1. It strengthens your blood vessels and improves blood circulation to the scalp. This is very necessary for the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the dermal papillae that in effect promotes the growth of hair follicles.
2. Silica happens to be a necessary component of your body’s connective tissue helping make the hair stronger.
3. Silica also helps the body achieve hormonal balance. Pathologically, a hormonal imbalance in females, being one of the most redundant causes of alopecia, can be well controlled by consuming silica. This way, it prevents hair thinning, graying thus preventing hair loss. This would work well in those individuals with hormonal imbalance associated with mutations and above-upper-limit estrogen.
4. The binding capacity of silica to other minerals in the body helps the body control the levels of aluminum and again distribute the minerals to other parts of the body. This includes the hair ensuring that the follicles grow in an environment with optimum levels of pertinent minerals required for their effective growth. In addition, since calcium is also necessary for the vitality of the hair, just as vitamin D3 is necessary for the absorption of calcium, so is silica necessary for the conversion of calcium into utilizable building blocks. This relationship explains why when a baby is born, their skin and hair look healthier than when they age up. The level of silica reduces below threshold and the absorption of calcium is inhibited which leads to deposition of calcium in organs including the skin in which the scalp is part of. Calcification may lead to hair growth defects.
5. Silica in supplements are in amounts able to detox the body from toxins that result from digestion. It is through the toxins present in your digestive system that results in dysbiosis, and in turn affects the gut-skin axis. Activation of this axis leads to acne, dull skin and pale growth of hair.
6. Silica helps maintain the pH of the scalp within physiological range. An acidic environment may lead to infection and even breakage of hair follicles. Since it has alkalinizing properties, it is able to balance out the acidic environment.
7. Silica supplementation is essential for the replacement of silica malabsorption of the body during menopause. During menopause, the level of estrogen decreases and so does the absorption of silica. This explains why alopecia is one common trait in menopause[1].
8. Dimethicone is one of the most widely used silicone in the cosmetic-hair care industry. It adsorbs onto the hair surface. Its relatives include aminosilicones, siloxysilicates and anionic silicones. All these compounds have been shown to increase the shine of hair shafts by protective action against abrasion. Siloxysilicates particularly increase the thickness of the hair follicles of course as they grow off the dermal papillae[2][3].
9. Horsetail has antimicrobial, antioxidant and astringent properties. This prevents infection of the scalp that otherwise leads to inflammation and poor hair growth.

How to Choose Best Silica Supplements for Hair Growth/Loss

What are the best available silica supplements for Hair?

A diet that contains whole foods, particularly the outer skin of plants such as potatoes, cucumbers, greens, red peppers and sprouts strengthen the hair since they are rich in the mineral silica. In as much as you may rely on the daily consumption of silica from your diet, supplements will help you take toll of the amount of silica that you are taking on a daily basis. This will enable you identify whether you are achieving your Required Daily Amounts (RDA).

Supplements available for silica are very efficient and best choice in the treatment of silica deficiencies. The herb from which they are extracted is the Babuosa vulgaris commonly known as the Springtime Horsetail. It is also more commonly known as bamboo. The supply of silica from extracts of this herb deliver about 6 % – 9% of organic silica. This depends on the brand and manufacturer. The suggestion would be that you go for supplements that contain Bamboo extract since they will provide about 70% of organic silica. This will have the desired effects on not only your nails and skin, but also your hair[4].

Here are some of the silica supplements that you may consider. Note that it is important to go through thorough research about these products from their websites and others but most importantly, do not forget to go through their list of disclaimers.

Hubner Original Silica Gel 17 fl.oz

this is a colloidal gel that is sold as the Hubner Original Silicea Balsam in all markets apart from USA. The colloidal preparation of natural silica is a good source of elemental silicon in which microscopic particles of silica are dispersed in water. It is easier to absorb into the scalp.

Nuviante Advanced Hair Growth Formula

the secret with this product lies in the beneficial composition of natural oils, proteins and sea-life polysaccharides. It contains horsetail, para-amino benzoic acid (PABA), biotin and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5).

NutriStart Bamboo Silica Supplement

this extract helps to prevent premature aging of the skin of which the scalp is part. It also maintains vascular integrity and promotes the growth of thick strong hair. It contains bamboo silica.

Holland & Barrett High Strength Silica Complex Caplets

Contains a combination of calcium, magnesium, zinc, boron, horsetail and betaine hydrochloride that are useful in maintaining strong hair.

Vegetal Silica 180 caps

Vegital silica is another fairly popular supplement that deserves a mention in this list.

How to use + how much for Hair Growth (Dosage)

First and foremost, there should be a clear cut line between bamboo silica and horsetail silica. Horsetail offers 6 – 9 % silica whereas bamboo silica offers 70 % silica. Dosage of each of these two types will depend on such differences. One capsule of bamboo extract is equivalent to 7 capsules of horsetail extract.

For 500 mg horsetail with 7 % silica, take two caplets daily with a meal. For more details on the dosage, do check the label of your favorite brand.

How to use Silica Gel/Liquid for Hair Growth

To use silica gel for hair, follow these steps;

1. Wash your hair with shampoo
2. Divide your hair into parts of 3 – 4 divisions
3. Apply the gel onto your palms and rub to spread
4. Rub the gel against your scalp making sure that it is well spread
5. You could choose to dilute it further to make it easily spreadable if you find it too viscous.
6. Leave to stay so that there is optimum absorption of silica into the scalp.

How to use Bamboo Silica for Hair Growth

As a herbal hair rinse, this preparation supports strong hair growth.  Do this;

1. Brew a strong herbal tea my mixing ½ cup of bamboo extract with 1 cup of water.
2. Steep for 1 hour the strain
3. Use as a hair rinse in the shower.

You could also use the preparation by rubbing it into the scalp after you have taken a shampoo shower. Do this by dividing the hair into parts of 3 – 4 divisions then rub. Spread the preparation with a hair comb or brush then leave to stay.

Supplements made from brewing tea with horsetail is one good source of silica which you should use.

You can also consider doing this;

1. Steep 2 tbsp. of dried horsetail leaves in 4 ounces of hot water
2. Add the resultant mixture to a mild shampoo
3. Wash your hair as normal as you would.

Silica for Hair Growth Reviews

The overall star rating of Holland and Barrett High strength Silica is a whopping 4.5 out of 5. Most reviews mentioned that they are satisfied with the quality, value and even the delivery services. Here are some of the reviews made on this product:

“My hair grows very slow and when it reaches a certain length goes very thin, my hair now is full, thick and grows very fast same with my nails, I can’t say I’ve notice a change in my skin, but I bought this product to help with my hair, which it has”[5]

“I have took numerous different hair and nail supplements but these are by far the best. I suffer from brittle
Nails and slow growing hair but since I have been taking these my nails are strong after just one week and my hair feels healthy and shiny.”

According to Horsetail (Natural Silica) 500 Mg 90 Caps review in Amazon, 57 % of the reviews found the product very helpful while 13 % found it helpful. The rest shared the remaining portion with 13% voting against it[6]. Here are some reviews made:

“I use this product for almost a year and it grew my hair profusely. Hair grows 1/2 inch per month according to science. Within 3 months my hair had grown (at least) 6 inches. That was from the capsules. I later found out that it is also available in extract (liquid) form, which is available at health food stores, or anywhere herbs are sold. So I started using the extract. It comes with a dropper & you put about 8 drops in a 4oz. glass of water and drink it. Before the year was up my hair was about 10 inches down my back.” 

Hubner Original Silica Gel boasts a 68% 5-strar rating. This review confirmed that in deed what was labelled on the product was what the product does.

“It says on the bottle that silica gel is for hair thickness not hair growth. With that said, I wasn’t noticing any results. My hair seemed to be growing at the same rate as ever (slow). So I stopped using it after I ran out. I was advised to try it longer than one month, so I have, about 2 and a half months now.” 

“This is a GEL, not a LIQUID. I found the best way to take it is to take it after I take my liquid fish oil. The oil on the spoon allows the gel to slide off easy so you don’t have to get the gel on your lips. Than when it’s in your mouth take a gulp of water and swallow fast before it starts to dissolve. Seriously tho, if you put it on a spoon it sticks and slowly slides off into your mouth. It doesn’t taste the best so the faster you get it down the better.”

Silica 500 MG (120tablets) have particularly been mentioned in the VitaminShoppe.com as being allergen free alluding to corn, dairy, fish, salt, soy , sugar, wheat and yeast. According to this platform however, not much review has been done with not cons and best uses being quoted.

I has been noted that horsetail depletes vitamin B1 and should therefore be taken with vitamin C. Since the product is slow in absorption, liquid silica may be a good alternative.

Nuviante Advanced Hair Growth Formula also contains horsetail which contains silica and selenium improving the sheen, texture and strengthen of your hair.

Silica for Hair Growth Before and After Results & Pictures

Basing on the user reviews above from reputable online resources such online stores and journals, it is clear that silica can produce significant results when it used properly.  Here are testimonials and before and after result with pictures.

Sources & References

[1] http://www.aging-naturally.com/effects-of-low-estrogen/

[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387693/#ref5

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4387693/#ref22

[4] http://www.victoriahealth.com/product/Bamboo-Extract/10186/0/

[5] http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/holland-barrett-high-strength-silica-complex-caplets-60015602

[6] https://www.amazon.com/product-reviews/B0045CLDYG