MSM for Hair Growth: Benefits, Results, Dosage and Side Effects

You might have heard about MSM for hair growth, and you may be wondering if it can help you. These days, having good-looking hair is very much a part of having a healthy and attractive appearance, both for men and women.

Hair that is thin, brittle, and short rather than the full, healthy hair that you see in magazines and on TV  can be a matter of concern for many people. Naturally, you may be looking for solutions, and MSM for hair growth is one of the hot ideas that are around at the moment.

So, what is MSM? Well, it’s the abbreviation for Methylsulfonylmethane, which is a chemical in the organosulphur group. It occurs naturally in many of the foods we eat every day, but some scientists believe that naturally occurring MSM is destroyed by cooking, and so needs to be replaced in our diet. Many people are turning to MSM to help them with day-to-day well-being issues such as improving hair growth rates, as well as helping with skin and nail health. Stanley W. Jacob tested MSM on thousands of patients with a variety of conditions and authored a book on MSM and its possible uses.

MSM Benefits

MSM is very often thought to be useful in the treatment of osteoarthritis and similar conditions. It is believed that it can build up replacement cells for those which have been destroyed during the aging process. Similar thinking has led to the idea that MSM can be useful in hair growth. Hair is made up of dead cells as we all know, but it’s thought by some scientists that MSM for hair growth can increase the production of hair cells, leading to longer, thicker hair.

Users of MSM report few or no side effects, and many people experience improved hair growth after just a few weeks. Hair growth is faster, and texture appears to be thicker and healthier looking. MSM is also beneficial for nails and skin.

How is MSM Taken?

MSM can be taken as a simple dietary supplement, and many ordinary people have reported that benefits from MSM for hair growth are fact, not fiction, as far as they have observed. After taking MSM, they have noticed improvements in their hair’s general condition and speed of growth. MSM is available in the form of capsules or tablets in varying strengths or in the form of a liquid which can be mixed with juice as a health drink, for those who prefer to take their supplements in liquid form. It’s also available as a powder which can also be mixed into a health drink with juice or milk.

There is no need for painful injections or surgical procedures. Just take a simple tablet, powder, or liquid two or three times a day. It couldn’t be easier, and the amount you take is under your own control. Some users like to use MSM for a few months, then take a break of a month or so, and then start taking it again. They feel it’s good to give the body a rest and find the response when they start taking it again is sometimes even better.

How Much MSM For Hair Growth?

Most experts suggest around 1500 mg each day, and it’s convenient for many people to take this in the form of three 500mg capsules. Some authorities have linked higher doses with depression, but other people take as much as 5000mg each day with no ill effect. It’s important that this is taken in a series of doses, rather than all at once. MSM flushes out of the system naturally after twelve hours, so regular doses keep up a constant presence of MSM in your body. It’s probably best to start at a medium dose level and then increase it slowly to find out the best balance for you. Some people report taking huge doses, as much as 40,000mg a day, but this is probably unnecessary for most users.

Many people like to combine MSM for hair growth with 500mg of vitamin C, to help the MSM work even more effectively. It’s wise to allow MSM time to work. Some people notice results such as less hair shedding and faster growth very quickly. For other people, at least three months of treatment is needed before any changes are seen. It’s important to find a reliable supplier, as the quality and purity of MSM can vary from brand to brand.

MSM Hair Growth Results

Despite the fact that there have been no formal medical studies as yet on the effectiveness of MSM for hair growth, there is a lot of evidence from actual users that have achieved excellent results. One way hair growth with MSM has been measured is by observing those who color their hair. After taking MSM for hair growth, many of these people find they have to color it more frequently – because their hair is growing faster. People with thinner hair also notice that their hair seems to look and feel thicker. Users also report improved skin texture and nail growth, which are attractive side benefits.

Typically, a person’s hair grows about half an inch each month and amazingly sheds about one hundred hairs each day. By using MSM, many people have experienced a doubling in hair growth rate and shedding rates down to as low as twenty hairs a day. The end result of this is thicker-looking hair.

MSM Side Effects

MSM has few reported side effects. There is some mention that Cystic acne can be an issue if higher doses are taken, especially for people who have suffered from this before taking MSM. There are also some concerns about the effect on the liver of very high doses taken over a long period.

As MSM flushes toxins from the body, you may find when you first start taking it that you suffer from feelings of mild irritation, sweats, perhaps headaches – much as you would if you were doing a forty-eight-hour cleanse, for example – but all of these symptoms should be mild and should stop after a few days. As previously mentioned, it is thought that high doses of MSM may lead to depression in some people, and should you experience this side effect, you should stop taking MSM and seek medical advice.