Dear Friends,
With the increasing popularity of “beauty from within” supplements for hair, nails, and skin, we’re frequently asked the difference between solubilized keratin and hydrolyzed keratin.
In case you don’t know, keratin is a protein that plays a very important structural role in hair, nails and skin. In fact, up to 90% of the protein in your hair is keratin – and it’s an essential building block for nails and skin as well.
Much of keratin’s strength comes from an amino acid called cysteine, which is a large component of keratin.
In the past, keratin wasn’t often found in supplements because it’s not easily digested, absorbed, and used by the body. As a result, these ingredients offered little nutritional value.
One solution is to “hydrolyze” the keratin, or chemically chop up the protein into small pieces so they can be absorbed.
The problem with this is that the keratin can lose key aspects of its form and function, meaning it’s less likely to help you.
Specifically, the chemical process to do the chopping of the keratin often involves harsh ingredients like acids that damage the key amino acid in keratin. As I mentioned before, this is cysteine, and the process can cause it to become inactive, or it may oxidize into a different molecule.
We believe that solubilized keratin is the better option because it retains the biological activity that can be lost when the keratin is hydrolyzed or chopped into small pieces.
With solubilized keratin, the keratin is made digestible by gently breaking down sulfur bonds that make it indigestible – while leaving the keratin molecule intact.
Leaving the keratin intact makes it closer in form and function to the keratin in skin, hair, and nails.
Two Solubilized Keratin Ingredient Options
One of the premier forms of solubilized keratin is branded as Cynatine HNS, which is made from premium quality New Zealand wool, with the solubilization of the keratin taking place in France.
Importantly, no animals are harmed at any stage of the wool harvesting process.
Sheep farmed on New Zealand’s unspoiled high country grow a thick fleece of wool to protect themselves from the harsh winter. This wool is harvested during spring by shearing, which is like a haircut using electronic clippers.
Once the sheep have been shorn, they return to the fields to continue grazing and raising their young, except now they’re free of the heavy wool fleece during the long, hot summer. The fleece grows back in fall, so they’re ready for the coming winter.
In research studies, 500mg of Cynatine HNS has been shown to help strengthen hair (reducing normal hair loss), reduce breakage, and increase hair shine.
Over 90 days, Cynatine HNS helped strengthen nails resulting in less breakage. In addition, on average those taking the keratin supplement also saw their nail appearance improve – the coloring looked better, and the nails looked smoother and healthier.
Skin benefits were also apparent, with Cynatine HNS users experiencing a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles, increased skin moisture and elasticity, and smoother looking skin (all compared to a placebo group).
You can find 500mg of Cynatine HNS in our TrueHNS supplement.
TrueHNS also includes plant-based biotin and silica (which contains silicon) for added hair, nails and skin support.
Another solubilized keratin ingredient recently became available. It was developed by the original developers of Cynatine HNS.
It’s called keraGEN-IV and is believed to offer more support for promoting collagen production and has a slightly lower 400mg daily dose.
Initial research with keraGEN-IV showed that over 60 days, it offered similar hair and skin benefits as Cynatine HNS. More research needs to be conducted to confirm benefits for nail appearance.
Yours for Good Health,
Carl Pradelli
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