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Viviscal and Nourkin – two of the most popular tablets used for aiding hair loss. They both have loyal followings and a ton of reviews online that attest to whether they work or not – but is one of them better than the other, or are they both relatively similar?
The main difference between Viviscal and Nourkrin is that their main ingredient is formulated individually by each company. They both rely on a fish protein extract to help aid hair loss, but Viviscal’s is called AminoMar C whilst Nourkrin’s is called Marilex.
The reality is that neither of these products are going to be the best thing around for treating hair loss specifically. This is especially true if you’re experiencing permanent hair loss – you’ll definitely need to look for a resolution that’s more permanent like minoxidil or finasteride.
But generally, temporary hair loss can definitely be caused by a lack of nutrients – something which tablets like Nourkrin and Viviscal are aiming to fix. You can use other methods to treat your hair for temporary hair loss like Nioxin, which is another way to combat hair loss in the short term. But if you’re deficient in a certain nutrient, then it can be a good way to fill in any gaps in your diet that you’re missing.
Lets have a closer look at the two hair loss tablets so you can get an idea of whether you want to opt for either of these products.
Viviscal vs Nourkrin Tablets – The Similarities
The main thing to say about both of these products is that they’re really not too different from each other. If you look at the ingredients, then there isn’t a lot of difference between the ingredients list. The main active ingredient in both of these tablets is a marine based fish extract that’s supposed to be amazing for your health.
There’s not too much research on their specific ingredients – Nourkrin contains Marilex whilst Viviscal contains AminoMar C – but it’s safe to assume that they do have their health benefits based on other fish extracts that are available. Both of these ingredients are made by their teams respectively, so it’s difficult to find out any more about them.
Both products also contain Acerola, which is a type of cherry extract. They’re common known as a superfruit because they contain a few of the usual big hitters when it comes to considering your health. It contains a lot of vitamin C which is great for your body tissue, Niacin (B3) which is considered to be good for blood flow to your hair follicles and Riboflavin (B2) which is another important b vitamins for maintaining healthy skin, hair and nails.
Of course, they both contains one of the bigger hair loss vitamins around – Biotin. Biotin has been used commonly as a hair loss ingredient in the majority of shampoos and tablets that you’ll find online. And whilst additional Biotin in your diet won’t make you grow more hair, if you’re deficient in B7 then this can be an undoubtable cause of hair loss.
Lets take a closer look at each of the individual products to get a closer idea of where they may different from each other.
Viviscal
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If you want one of best best known brands for hair loss supplements, then Viviscal is one of your first point of call. It’s been advertised by a wide different range of familiar faces – everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Miley Cyrus have said that they’re taking the hair loss product.
Viviscal made major headlines when the once small Irish company was purchased for a massive 150 million in 2017 – they were bought by Church and Dwight, the same company that own major haircare products like Nair and Toppik. Though they’ve made this purchase, the brand hasn’t changed much and the ingredients have undoubtedly stayed the same as well.
Viviscal Main Ingredient – AminoMar C
The main active ingredient that you’re going to find in Viviscal is their patented AminoMar C. It’s a fish extract, or a fish protein. We all know that protein is important for helping your hair to grow – your hair is primarily made up of protein, so it’s a good idea to get enough of it in your diet. And if you’re not, then you can look at a supplement like Viviscal to fill in any gaps in your diet.
Whilst some people believe these types of fish extracts to have no real effect on hair loss, there are studies to prove that they can work for hair loss.
Other Products
Like many other big retail companies, Viviscal have expanded from just producing tablets to creating an abundance of other hair loss products too.
You can find Viviscal producing a ton of other products like their shampoo and conditioner.
Nourkrin
Whilst many people think that Viviscal and Nourkrin are under the same brand, this actually isn’t the case. Whilst Viviscal are owned by Church and Dwight, Nourkrin are owned by Pharma Medico and are a totally different company. Hopefully this dispels any thoughts that Nourkrin is the ‘British Viviscal’ – although whilst Viviscal has global popularity, Nourkrin is far more popular in the UK.
Nourkrin Main Ingredient – Marilex
One of the main ingredients that you’re going to find in Nourkrin is Marilex. You may not have heard of it before, but it’s essentially marine proteins that have been taken from fish (we’ve all read about how shark cartilage is beneficial to your system). It’s described by Nourkrin as a bioavailable fish extract – Marilex is created specifically by their team.
In all honesty, there isn’t a lot of evidence and research that this is going to be beneficial for your hair, thought there’s a lack of research for the vast majority of products out there too.
Is there any difference between Nourkrin man and Nourkrin woman?
The ingredients in Nourkrin man and Mourkrin woman are almost exactly the same, except they have one small difference. The Nourkrin for Men have Cod Liver Oil as an additional ingredient. Whilst usually this is a pretty common supplement for both men and women, it’s used here for hair loss primarily because the Omega 3 contained in cod liver oil is a combatant against DHT.
This means that it helps to stop the conversion from testosterone to DHT, which is why guys end up going bald (male pattern baldness). This additional ingredient is the only significant difference between the male and female products, but it’s something you should be aware of.
Possible Side Effects of Both Nourkrin and Viviscal
The good news about these kinds of tablets and products is that the side effects that you might experience are generally considered to be minimal. They don’t contain many ingredients that you’re not going to find in your general diet, so there aren’t many serious side effects that you may experience.
Skeletal issues – It sounds super scary, but this is a possible side effect of having too much vitamin C in your diet. This is really unlikely to be an issue unless you’re taking Viviscal and eating 10 oranges a day, so don’t be too concerned.
Decreased Libido – Allergic reactions are easy to avoid – if you know that you’re allergic to them! Both Viviscal and Nourkrin rely on fish extract as their primary hair loss ingredient, so it makes sense that if you have a fish allergy then you’ll want to avoid using these products.
Nausea – Another relatively common side effect that can occur when using well, pretty much any type of tablet is nausea. If you do experience nausea, then you can easily stop taking the product and your nausea should go away relatively quickly.
Are they Worth it? Final Verdict
Overall, in my opinion I would consider using these types of products if firstly, I needed help wth temporary hair loss. But secondly, you need to realise that these are very expensive for what they are. It’s recommended that you continuously take this product even after your hair has improved, but I’m not sure this is sustainable for the majority of people.
If you can afford to bust out $50 a month forever, then you can look to Viviscal or Nourkrin as a solution for your temporary hair loss issues. But in my opinion, you best best is to take these tablets for 3-6 months and then adjust our diet afterwards, trying to include plenty of vitamins and nutrient in your daily diet to avoid these high costs. For an extra $50 a month, you could likely include all of these nutrients in whole foods! But if you need convenience, then these types of supplements are a good option.
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