Silica for hair, skin & nails
Silicon, which is also called the mineral of beauty - in the form silicon dioxide - is a common ingredient in beauty products and nutritional supplements for skin, hair and nails. The mineral contributes to:
-
Firm and elastic skin
-
Thick and shiny hair
-
Strong nails
-
Movable joints
-
Healthy and healthy connective tissue
-
Healthy bone structure
Silicon binds a lot of water in the cells, strengthens the connective tissue and supports the formation of collagen. Strong and healthy connective tissue is a prerequisite for fine nails, firmer skin and fuller hair.
Hair, skin and nails often reflect the health on the inside. Your body also needs other important minerals such as zinc, selenium and biotin to maintain the quality of skin, hair and nails.
In order for your skin to remain elastic - or become more elastic - healthy and strong connective tissue is needed. Silicon has a unique ability to strengthen connective tissue. If you lack silicon in your body, the tissue loses its elasticity and becomes unstable, which can lead to wrinkles and cellulite. Silicon is necessary to form the basic substance in the connective tissue, and the trace element guarantees a regulated transport of nutrients from the blood vessels out to the skin cells. Silicon also helps remove waste products and toxins. The formation of collagen and elastin in the connective tissue is thus dependent on silicon.
Dimples and wrinkles in the skin, what we call cellulite, settle on the hips, stomach, thighs and buttocks. About eight out of ten women over the age of 20 have cellulite. Gaining and losing weight due to pregnancy, dieting or lack of exercise can cause a weakening of the connective tissue. Studies have shown that if the connective tissue has too little silicon at its disposal, it becomes inelastic and unstable, and then cellulite occurs.
Silicon can also improve other symptoms related to weakened connective tissue, such as varicose veins .
Silicon is also an important nutrient for bones, cartilage and teeth. It paved the way for international research that could show that silicon keeps blood vessels elastic, promotes the digestive process and suppresses inflammation in the body. And mineral silicon can actually strengthen the immune system, protecting us against disease.
Silicon protects your skin against premature aging and contributes to better hair quality
Silicon is an important mineral and a trace element that we are actually often deficient in. The human body contains only 1.4 grams of silicon, which is why silicon is also called a trace element. Silicon deficiency is often noticeable above all in the hair. The quality becomes worse, the hair becomes dull and we can lose more than usual. If the nails are brittle and break and the skin on the face is also dull and tired - then mineral silicon can be the solution to the problems.
The reason that the hair becomes thicker with silicon is that it helps the connective tissue to remain healthy and so that the nutrient supply to the hair roots works as it should. For that, silicon is needed. And the opposite; lack of silicon in the body can lead to dull, thin hair that breaks easily.
With silicon, the hair's structure is strengthened, it looks healthier and it doesn't fall out as easily, and it also grows faster. But it takes time before the effect is visible. A normal hair grows roughly 0.3 millimeters per day, so it takes two to three months. What applies to hair also applies to nails. Silicon is one of the most important substances for strong fingernails and toenails because the trace element guarantees good nutrition. The effect on the nails of extra silicon supplementation can take about six months before it is noticeable on the quality, this is also the time our nails need to renew.
Since it can be difficult to get enough silicon, especially if you don't eat a lot of vegetables and whole grains, it can be a good idea to take a food supplement with silicon. The extremely small silicic acid molecules can easily pass through the intestinal wall and reach where they are needed, namely in the connective tissue, the cells and above all the cells that are important for the structure of the skin, hair and nails.
The mineral is an important component of both collagen and elastin, two proteins in the body. Collagen holds the body's tissues together and elastin contributes to more elastic skin!
Silicon is also found in the protein keratin, which is the protein that is the main building block of hair. Silicon is carried via the blood to the hair follicles where the hair is formed, where it increases the supply of nutrients and contributes to the hair getting more shine and volume.
Silicon balances the sex hormones. Men and women have both testosterone and estrogen in their bodies, but in varying proportions. When the balance of these hormones is out of whack and a person has too much of one hormone or too little of the other, the hair is one of the first things to be affected, which can lead to hair loss.
Silicon is also important for the transport of nutrients to the hair follicles. The mineral has a unique ability to bond with many other nutrients in the body and transport the substances into the bloodstream, and further to the scalp, but also to other parts of the body.
Collagen contains silicon
Collagen contains silicon, and silicon is therefore important for optimal collagen formation. Silicon, which occurs in, for example, skin, hair, nails, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, blood vessels and connective tissue, adds both strength and stability to these tissues.
Silicon or silicon dioxide - what's the difference?
Silicon dioxide (SiO2) is a natural compound made of: silicon (Si) and oxygen (O2). It occurs naturally in, among other things, water, plants and animals.
Chemically, silica is the oxidized form of silicon. This means that silica is silicon with an oxygen molecule attached to it, via covalent bonding. Often the name silicon dioxide is shortened to simply silicon, in the vernacular. Silicon is therefore not a molecule but rather an atom.
Silicon dioxide is a trace element and is the second most abundant element on earth after oxygen, and the third most abundant trace element in the human body. Silicon dioxide is a semi-metallic element with atomic number 14 and the chemical symbol Si.
Silica is an often overlooked mineral, but silica actually forms the basis of life.
The mineral is needed to keep many of the body's tissues and organs in good condition!
What is silicon?
Silicon is a trace element found naturally in the body. Trace elements are the minerals that we need in smaller amounts and that have clear biochemical functions in the body.
What is the function of silicon in the body? Why is silicon important for the body's production of collagen?
Silicon is needed, among other things, for the body's collagen production, collagen is a protein found, among other things, in connective tissue. Connective tissue is the tissue that provides firm and cohesive function to all the body's tissues and organs. As we age, levels of silicon are greatly reduced, resulting in thinner hair and more brittle nails, and less elastic skin. At normal silicon levels, hair is thick and has a nice luster, nails grow faster, become stronger and chip less, and skin becomes more elastic.
Below you will find some examples of the benefits silicon has for the body:
-
Firm and elastic skin
-
Thick and shiny hair
-
Strong nails
-
Movable joints
-
Healthy and healthy connective tissue
-
Healthy bone structure
Why is silicon important for hair?
Silicon balances the sex hormones. Men and women have both testosterone and estrogen in their bodies, but in varying proportions. When the balance of these hormones is out of whack and a person has too much of one hormone or too little of the other, the hair is one of the first things to be affected, which can lead to hair loss.
Silicon is also important for the transport of nutrients to the hair follicles. The mineral has a unique ability to bond with many other nutrients in the body and transport the substances into the bloodstream, and further to the scalp, but also to other parts of the body.
Why is silicon important for strong bones?
Silicon facilitates the absorption of calcium in the body, which contributes to a healthy and strong skeleton.
What are the advantages of silicon from bamboo compared to silicon from other sources?
Silicon from bamboo contains as much as 75% silicon dioxide, which is a much higher amount than other sources of silicon, such as e.g. horseradish. Silicon from bamboo also does not contain an enzyme, found in horseradish, which breaks down thiamine (vitamin B1) in the body.
Does silicon occur in a regular traditional diet?
Silicon occurs in ordinary traditional diets, but the uptake is low. Common sources of silicon in the diet are rice, grains and vegetables.
From which sources does silicon in food supplements come ?
Silicon used in dietary supplements comes mainly from plants such as bamboo and horsetail, but can also come from quartz sand (occurring as natural sand layers on land and the seabed).