Niacinamide has long been praised as a skincare staple – but did you know this powerhouse ingredient is making waves in the world of hair and scalp care, too?
Found in many Dercos formulations – including our targeted Aminexil routines – niacinamide supports scalp comfort, moisture balance, and hair vitality.
But what is niacinamide, exactly – and how can you introduce it into your hair care routine?
Below, we’re unpacking the key use and benefits of niacinamide serum, as well as the role niacinamide-infused shampoo and conditioner can play in your hair and scalp care.
What is niacinamide?
Niacinamide, or nicotinamide, is a water-soluble form of vitamin B3. Naturally found in foods like meat, fish, nuts, and green vegetables – and often used as a dietary supplement – it’s a vitamin your body needs for cellular energy and skin moisture barrier function.
In skincare, niacinamide is known for its multi-functional properties: encouraging moisture retention and improving the appearance of texture, redness, and visible pores. It’s also well-tolerated by sensitive skin.
The role of niacinamide for hair is newer but growing fast – especially as science deepens our understanding of the scalp-skin connection. What’s more, the efficacy of niacinamide for scalp and hair makes sense. Since the scalp is skin, the same ingredients that support the skin moisture barrier can also help create the ideal environment for strong, revitalised hair – and, as we’ll explore, what works for sensitive skin is also well-suited to sensitive scalps.
So, what does niacinamide do for hair? Let’s find out.
4 benefits of niacinamide for hair and scalp
Whether you’re managing increased hair fall or looking to support the long-term balance of your scalp microbiome, niacinamide for hair offers several targeted benefits.
Keep reading as we break down four of the top benefits of niacinamide for hair.
1. Strengthens the scalp moisture barrier
A balanced scalp is key to maintaining hair vitality, and niacinamide helps support the scalp’s moisture barrier – the outer layer that protects against dryness and discomfort.
By improving water retention and reducing transepidermal water loss, niacinamide for hair helps reduce scalp tightness and dryness, particularly in harsh or changing climates. Because of this, niacinamide should be a staple ingredient in your winter scalp care routine.
2. Fortifies strands to support hair vitality
Niacinamide plays an important role in maintaining hair vitality: supporting the scalp’s natural moisture barrier and hydration levels to create a foundation for stronger-feeling hair.
In terms of niacinamide for hair fall, the link between the two isn’t causal. Rather, it’s that two of the key benefits of niacinamide for hair – its ability to promote a comfortable, well-nourished scalp and protect against environmental stressors – can help reduce excessive hair fall. This can support the appearance of thicker, more resilient strands over time.
To learn more about managing this hair concern, explore our guide to hair fall in women.
3. Reduces scalp discomfort
Niacinamide for hair is known for its comforting properties: making it ideal for scalps that feel dry, tight, or sensitised.
One of niacinamide’s scalp benefits is that it helps mitigate sensitivity and reduce feelings of discomfort, especially in situations where the scalp is exposed to environmental stress or frequent styling. This can be particularly beneficial if you’re incorporating other targeted products – such as hair fall treatments or clarifying shampoos – into your routine.
4. Helps protect against environmental stressors
Niacinamide also offers antioxidant support – helping your scalp defend itself from oxidative stress caused by environmental aggressors like pollution and UV exposure. These factors can impact scalp moisture barrier function and hair vitality, so ongoing protection is key.
How to use niacinamide for hair
Now we’ve tackled the top niacinamide scalp benefits – and unpacked niacinamide serum’s uses – let’s explore how to embed this hero ingredient into your daily hair care routine.
Use niacinamide-based shampoo and conditioner
Start your routine with niacinamide-infused products that cleanse and fortify the scalp.
For this, we recommend the Dercos Energy+ Stimulating Shampoo. Harnessing not only the benefits of niacinamide for hair and scalp, but also a range of vitamins (including B3, B6, and Provitamin B5) it’s suitable for daily use and compatible with sensitive scalps. Along with stronger hair, less frizz, and a more hydrated scalp, this shampoo’s Aminexil-enriched formulation can also help reduce hair fall due to hair breakage – revitalising from root to tip.
Yet no strengthening hair care routine is complete without a conditioner – and here, our Dercos Energy+ Fortifying Conditioner can help. Infusing niacinamide’s scalp benefits with glycerin’s moisture-retaining, elasticity-improving qualities, this conditioner is formulated to support brittle-feeling hair and boost its natural protection against environmental stressors.
Incorporate a niacinamide hair serum into your routine
After applying niacinamide-enriched shampoo and conditioner, round out your fortifying hair care routine with a niacinamide hair serum from Dercos.
Hypoallergenic and dermatologically tested on sensitive skin, Dercos Aminexil Pro 5 is a niacinamide hair serum formulated to reduce the appearance of hair fall and promote thicker-looking hair. Scientifically proven to increase scalp resilience, Aminexil Pro 5 combines the benefits of niacinamide serum with key active ingredients: including octeineto to comfort the scalp, arginine to strengthen strands, and vitamins B3 and B6 to fortify the hair.
Now you’ve explored the benefits of niacinamide serum – and the role of niacinamide for hair and scalp – brush up on two more of our hero ingredients: ceramides and selenium for hair.