Supplements for the Skin, Hair, and Nails: Price Hard to Swallow?

Aug 4, 2008 Author: Jen Hill | Filed under: Skincare

If you are a skincare junkie like me, I bet you have been wondering about all the supplements and drinks that purport to benefit your skin, hair, and nails. And these supplements don’t come cheap! I am not saying that these do or do not work, I am just saying a little investigation is in order before you “bottoms-up” on some of these products.

A recent post from J. Tania at Beauty Tip Today mentions a new celebrity-touted drink called “Beauty Scoop“ that is supposed to do wonders for your skin and hair. I mean, if Ricki Lake loves it, and she has the most fabulous skin and hair, it must be good right? Well $95 for a 21 day supply, it better be! In the next months, I am planning to put this product and some more skincare supplements to the test.

This weekend, some friends invited us to go boating with them on Bear Lake. Not being a native from Utah, I had never been to this remote lake location. Craving the azure blue ocean and the Greek islands but don’t have the money to go? Visit Bear Lake. Its completely fresh water, clear to the bottom, and absolutely breathtakingly beautiful!

Our first day there, I jump off the side of the boat and into the perfectly clear water without thinking. The boat was near the shore where it was only three feet deep, but I thought it was much deeper, and ouch! As I hit the sandy bottom quickly I could feel the crunch on my right foot. I really messed up my right heel. Evan remarked later as I was unable to step on it without wincing, “Luckily blogging doesn’t require walking.”

Above: My husband Evan, daughter and our favorite puppy, Asia. Below: If you know me, big hat, sunglasses and relaxing in the shade on the boat, and holding my sleeping daughter Becca.

My foot is doing much better today, but the heel is bruised and needing time to heal (heel/heal great homonym)! I have been taking ibuprofen, but also thought about a joint/bone supplement that I have taken that also claims to benefit your skin, hair, and nails. It is called Super Collagen+C from NeoCell. I started taking it again and hopefully this will speed up my recovery, and if it benefits my skin, hair, and nails, even better! I purchased this bottle at Costco for about $19.00 for 350 tablets, which you are supposed to take six tablets daily, so it should last for 2 months. A little pricey, but just a tad bit more reasonable than the Beauty Scoop or N.V. Perricone Products.

Have any of you tried or benefitted from using a skincare supplement or beauty drink? If so, please share your experience.

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11 Responses for "Supplements for the Skin, Hair, and Nails: Price Hard to Swallow?"

Elena August 5th, 2008 at 7:20 am 1

Hello Jen,

Although I took a (long) break from posting I have never stopped reading your blog and all I can say is that you are doing a wonderful job.
One of the reasons I stopped blogging about cosmetics is that I became more attracted to natural “beauty enhancements” so there was no point in talking abut something i lost my interest in.

To get to the point, a few months ago, I discovered some wonderful supplements- starflower(borage) oil capsules. They contain GLA (gamma linoleic acid) which is very important to maintaining healthy skin, joints, etc. It takes a couple of months for the effects to be visible but it does work (not to mention about its other benefits, like calming menstrual pains, etc).
Because the oil is rich in omega 6 fatty acids and our diets are full of them (although some of us lack the ability of converting their linoleic acid into GLA) I combine it with fish oil (omega 3)
to somewhat balance the ratio between omega 6 and omega 3.
I also noticed that my nails have greatly improved - they are really strong and dont break anymore. I heard that by combining fish oil with starflower oil (intake) you can stimulate new hairs growth.. i dont know about that but, having short hair right now, I did notice it grows much faster than it used to (instead of going to my hairdresser to trim it at every 8 weeks i now go at every 6 weeks).
Hope this helps.

Keep up the great work Jen, you are fabulous!
Best wishes to you and your lovely family,

E.
Jen August 5th, 2008 at 6:32 pm 2

So wonderful to hear from you Elena! Thank you for sharing the supplement information. I am putting starflower oil on my “must get” list!

You are fabulous and please comment anytime.
Jen
Mo August 6th, 2008 at 12:15 am 3

My sister in laws mother started taking some sort of drink supplement that was supposed to be great. “The latest thing”, “Miracle”, “works wonders”! Well, it worked something all right, she’s been recovering for the better part of two weeks. Very little research has been done on how many of these things interact with one another, so I approach with caution. I will cop to Fish Oil, Vitamin A, and Flaxseed in my daily regimen though!!
Laurel August 6th, 2008 at 6:31 am 4

A product called “Wrinkle Raiders” has been on my supplement list for quite a while now. It contains vitamin C-ester, alpha lipoic acid, and DMAE. I think that it is based on one of Dr. Perricone’s products. I buy mine at Vitamin World.
J. Tania August 8th, 2008 at 4:49 pm 5

Great article, and thanks for the mention. I have friends who drink those vitamin waters, rather than soda.

I drink whey protein supplement powder when I’m inspired, ha ha. I don’t get enough protein, and this drink, whey and water, really fills you up, and is just about 100 calories or so. Doesn’t taste bad. The strawberry is actually delish. And there are a number of good things in a whey supplement. I would only drink one in the morning, instead of breakfast. I’m not a big breakfast eater.

I’m going to check out your supplement when I finish the whey.
Jen Hill August 8th, 2008 at 7:54 pm 6

Thanks for the inspiration and the whey protein` powder recommendation J. Tania. Keep up the great work at Beauty TIp Today!
Stephanie Fraze August 31st, 2008 at 4:14 pm 7

I also use whey protein from GNC. 2x a day with strawberries I hide alot of my supplements in these drinks i hate to swollow pillls.
Paula’s Insights on Flaxseed and Borage Oil for your Skin - Mythbuster Beauty November 14th, 2008 at 12:58 pm 8

[...] a few months ago, an excellent comment was made by Elena at the post called, “Supplements for the Skin, Hair, and Nails: Price hard to swallow,” of the benefits of taking Borage Oil supplements. “A few months ago, I [...]
Elaine Rucki November 28th, 2008 at 10:45 am 9

So, what results did you get from the Beauty Scoop? Thanks kindly!
Jen Hill November 28th, 2008 at 11:03 am 10

I honestly didn’t notice any significant differences with my skin, hair or nails while drinking the Beauty Scoop for 21 continual days. I am confident that there are health benefits to consuming Omega-3 fatty acids from safflower and canola oil, but if you look at the ingredients listed in this product, it is a REALLY overpriced whey and soy-based protein powder IMHO.

You can easily supplement your diet with a daily multi-vitamin, an Omega-3 supplement, and consume soy milk, cow’s milk, or a drink made with whey or soy powder to get the same benefits as the Beauty Scoop product, and for a fraction of the cost.

Best wishes Elaine!
Mythbuster Beauty’s Scoop on the “Beauty Scoop” - Mythbuster Beauty November 28th, 2008 at 11:27 am 11

[...] Remember this post? Supplements for the Skin, Hair, and Nails: Price Hard to Swallow? [...]