- sylviajast
Review: Vida Glow Marine Collagen
Earlier this year I blogged about my hair growth strategy. My hair has been in abysmal condition these last couple of years – I have naturally very fine hair, so when it starts breaking and becoming even thinner, alarm bells start ringing! 🚑🚑🚑 I had been trying to better the condition of my hair for a good year or two (just being gentler with it etc. etc.) with no avail. I knew I had to do a few different things (multi-pronged strategy) at once, while being very strict with how I treated my hair and myself at the end of the day, if I wanted this to get better. I’m very proud with how I have done so far and I have kept up quite a few of the points mentioned in the hair growth strategy post. I have kept up the following;
Eating generally better, but especially protein rich foods such as eggs and nuts
Vida Glow, marine collagen supplement
Horsetail & Complex vitamin supplement
Olaplex, hair treatment/product
Today’s post is focused on the Vida Glow Marine Collagen supplement and how I think it has contributed to getting my hair back on track by growing faster and potentially stronger 😅💪 I’ve been taking Vida Glow for 12 months now, which is enough time to see a difference in the quality of my hair (thankfully!).
Product Description & Benefits; Collagen is a protein that acts as the glue that holds our bodies together. Collagen is the second most abundant substance in our body behind water and is the building block of our tissues. Collagen makes up 75% of our skin, over 90% of our ligaments and tendons and 35% of our bones. Other structures that are primarily made of collagen are our hair, nails and cartilage.In our mid-twenties, our collagen production begins to decrease at a rate of 2% a year, by our 50’s we’ve lost over half the amount of collagen in our bodies, and the natural production ceases altogether. This is what is known as the ageing process, and is most noticeable in our skin and hair, whether it’s wrinkles, sagging skin, finer hair or grey hairs. Natural supplementation through Vida Glow increases the body’s collagen levels as well as the production of this super protein.Our Original Vida Glow remains the favourite in our range as it’s the most convenient to include into your daily diet with the majority of our customers reporting no taste or smell, making it ideal to stir into any food or drinks. Our Original blend is the perfect addition to coffee, tea or plain water. If you have more sensitive taste buds* we would recommend trying one of our flavoured marine collagen options.Vida Glow marine collagen provides an array of benefits such as:
More youthful looking skin
Reduces fine lines and wrinkles
Thickens hair and nails
Anti – ageing
Assists in muscle repair and recovery
Strengthens connective tissuesOur Original Vida Glow is all natural pure marine collagen, derived from the scales of Deep Sea Red Snapper, and contains no wheat, gluten, sugar, additives, preservatives or flavours. Vida Glow only uses low molecule weight hydrolysed collagen, which is highly bioavailable with a 90% absorption rate. Our marine collagen is free from any heavy metals, toxins or pollution.As our Original Vida Glow has no other additives or flavouring it contains the highest quantity of collagen per serve out of our range. Vida Glow uses Type 1 collagen, which is specific for hair, skin and nail benefits. Our Loose Powder comes with a convenient 3g scoop instead of individual sachets.* The majority of our customers report no taste or odour, however, those with more sensitive taste buds have reported a slight marine flavour when taken in water only. We recommend our flavoured collagen products if you have sensitive taste buds.Consumed daily Vida Glow helps restore collagen production levels, giving you healthy hair, skin and nails.Skin benefits:
Increases skin by up to 91%
Anti-Ageing
Improves skin elasticity and firmness
Improves sun damaged skin
Heals skin inflammationNail benefits:
Improves nail quality
Maintains nail health
Strengthens nail structure
Corrects damaged nails
Promotes nail growthHair benefits:
Promotes hair elongation
Assists hair regeneration
Improves hair appearance
Improves hair health
Strengthens hair follicles
How to Enjoy:Level 1 – 1 Pack Our Level 1 Pack is perfect for those who are after a natural boost to their body’s collagen production and want to get a step ahead in maintaining their healthy hair, skin and nails.You’ll receive 270g of Vida Glow Loose Powder, taking 1 – 3 scoops (3 – 9g) a day.Level 2 – 2 Packs Our Level 2 Pack is aimed at those with the first signs of fine lines and wrinkles, weak nails and fine hair. Enjoy more youthful looking, clear and smooth skin – as well as added volume and shine to your hair. Our Level 2 will also strengthen splitting nails.Level 2 is two 3g servings a day. Take 2 scoops a day, one in the morning and one in the evening.Level 3 – 3 packs This is our Beauty Overhaul Package, for those with wrinkles, very fine hair, a dull complexion and brittle nails. Level 3 Pack is very popular with Brides or anyone who is looking for a real ‘pick me up’.Level 3 is three 3g scoops per day.Take 3 scoops a day, one in the morning, one at lunch and one in the evening.Beauty Advice Blend 1 scoop at a time into your morning cereal, porridge, water, juice, or food/beverage of choice.Remember to keep Vida Glow in a cool dry place, away from direct sunlight, and moisture.**Please Note: One serving size is two-thirds of the pre measured scoop. **
Why do I say that by taking the supplement for 12 months I should now start to see a difference in my hair? I say this because the full cycle of your hair growth lasts about TWO YEARS. So to see the effects of all treatments and especially hair supplements, it takes a while… Who am I kidding, it takes months! You should start to see a difference after about 3 months of supplement use. However, the bigger improvement should be noticeable from about 6 months onwards. For me the noticeable results probably happened 6 months into taking Vida Glow. A lot of this is probably down to my hair being so uneven from breakage, it took lots and lots of trims at the hairdressers to start to get it evened out to a noticeable degree. Why didn’t I just chop my hair off and go short? Because I like keeping it pinned up or in a pony tail at work. I don’t have the time to style short hair and don’t want to be playing around with it too much (especially not with heat).
I started taking Vida Glow on the recommendation of my Sister. We have very similar hair types (same texture, fine and hence the same issues) but her hair has been in fabulous condition. So much so, it reminds me of the hair I had in high school (to see a pic of how fabulous my hair was click here), which is what I would like to get to again. When I started taking Vida Glow, I was sceptical to say the least. There are no studies to support the idea that consuming collagen in any form gets converted or transferred to areas in the body that are lacking in the substance (your body makes its own collagen). At the same time, while this idea is maybe a little far fetched sounding, there are also no studies to confirm that it doesn’t indeed work (to my knowledge anyway). In desperation I was gave it a go knowing I would be in it for the long haul if I wanted to give it a fair go and chance to succeed. That was a big ask for a sceptic if I may say so!
I started off with taking one scoop daily (3g) moving up to 2-3 servings a day. I’m not actually very consistent with the amount I consume daily (I do have at least one glass/serving a day at minimum), which I should work on I know… What has helped me stick to taking Vida Glow for this long period of time nonetheless is the fact that after 2-3 months (so not a super long time) the condition of my nails improved dramatically! This was the confirmation that I needed to know that the Vida Glow was doing something. I’ve always had long nail beds but like most Beauties, if I didn’t wear nail polish or some other type of nail protector, my nails would peel and sometimes break. I could not get away with growing them long if not wearing nail polish or shellac. Low and behold, I could do this now even when using my hands for work around the house (and not using gloves when washing dishes etc.). It was and is an amazing change. The amount of comments I get from strangers about the quality of my nails is really nice 😊 They grow soooo quickly, I almost can’t keep up some days.
Above: The condition of my bare nails after a few months of taking Vida Glow.
Now back to my hair! My hairdresser noticed a difference in the amount of hair I had within a few months of me starting my new hair growth strategy. I think the Vida Glow is spurring on new growth and making the roots of my hair stronger. It is helping with the overall condition of my hair, but I do still have to be very conscious about not damaging the lengths and ends/tips of my hair. It can’t do everything after all! I took some progress shots in April this year so I could keep track of how my hair was doing. I decided to show my hair in a pony tail/barrette clip, because you get a better sense of volume than if my hair was out (I figure it looks more multi-dimensional this way).
Above: On the left is my hair in April (2018) and on the right is my hair November (2018) 😄
I think the difference in the photos above is noticeable! What do you think? You can feel the difference that’s for sure. I probably can’t tell as much as my hairdresser does seeing as she sees me every 5 or so weeks, so I’m also going off what people observe. It is very cool seeing progress shots though and seeing the improvement! Here are some more 🙂
Above: This photo on the left is also from April (2018). You can see my hair has some texture to it, but it still looks sooo fine, it’s not really fooling anyone… On the right is my hair as of November (2018). Longer but also fuller! And yes, I should brush my hair properly before taking photos lol 😛 noted!
Is that a difference or what?! Perhaps to some it doesn’t look revolutionary, but to me and my confidence it is. I’m not using extensions or clip in hair strands and I’m certainly not sponsored by Vida Glow (I wish I was tho!). When you have such fine hair like mine even a small difference is massive. I should also mention that my hair looks so much better not because Vida Glow has changed the texture of my hair (its fine and always will be) but I have more hair because it’s growing faster and stronger from the roots. So it looks and feels thicker. That’s the difference!
How do I know it’s the Vida Glow that is improving my hair and not the other hair supplement I am taking (a supplement based on the herb horsetail, plus a vitamin complex)? I’ve taken horsetail supplements before for long periods of time and I’ve never seen such an effect on my hair. Yes it could be lots of things/ variables put together that are improving the condition and growth of my hair, i.e. eating better, not twirling and playing with my hair (putting pressure on already weak strands) but I really think that the biggest impact and faster results are thanks to Vida Glow.
I mix a scoop (provided with each tub) full of Vida Glow with water. It’s heat stable so you can mix it into your tea or coffee if you like and cold drinks (juice, smoothies etc.). I find it does have a specific flavour but it’s not unpleasant. It’s a touch sweet IMO (despite being 100% marine collagen) so I don’t like it mixed in with my daily coffee. They have flavoured versions of the powder supplement but the original is fine with me. I did get the pineapple version from my Sister at one point and it is nice, just sweeter than the original and more fruity. I’ve noticed that if you pour one scoop of powder into not enough water or liquid, the powder can turn clumpy and not dissolve completely. If this happens to you, you either need to use less powder or use a larger glass/mug and dissolve the Vida Glow in a larger amount of liquid.
One important tip to remember is that you need to ‘pace’ yourself when it comes to drinking your Vida Glow. Having three scoops of Vida Glow at once probably won’t do you much good – your body won’t absorb all of that marine collagen at once (or will struggle to). So have it throughout the day and evening instead 🙂
I’m not seeing any difference to my skin in the way that Vida Glow states that’ll help. I assume when they say ‘increases skin by 91%‘ they mean the volume of skin by plumping it – that’s the role of collagen after all – and not that you are growing excess skin LOL. I’m still dubious of those skin benefits and claims… but I’m probably not in the position to notice a big difference as I don’t have lines and wrinkles. I’d also love for them to explain how they got those figures (what kind of study was conducted?).
The major drawback of Vida Glow is that it is pretty darn expensive :/ I buy the original loose powder generally and for 270g you pay $130. If taking a full scoop once a day, it should last you for 3 months (90 servings). That works out to be $1.44 per scoop/serving. You can also buy single sachets (great for travel or taking into work with you!) and get 30 servings in a box for $60 ($2 a serving) so the loose powder does work out to be the most cost effective.
Vida Glow used to have 20% or 15% off sales on their whole range from time to time but I can’t remember there being one this year 🙁 (scrap that – they have one on today for Cyber Monday, the loose powder tub is 30% off!!! 😲🙌). Because it takes so long to see the effects on your hair, you really do have to commit to taking the supplement for the long haul. They do offer Afterpay (like lay-by) which helps. I either buy Vida Glow from their official website or from Nourished Life and/or RY (official online stockists). Nourished Life sell a box of 30 servings (individually wrapped) for $54.99, so there’s a small saving there. Sometimes Nourished Life and RY do site wide promotions and discounts so keep your eyes and ears peeled!
I try and aim to take my Vida Glow (drinking it I mean) twice a day. I will try and be more consistent when it comes to this. I will also update you in a few months again, to document my progress! It feels SO good to get this far and I won’t be stopping ✌️😉🙃😇
Would you try Vida Glow Beauties? Or maybe you’ve tried some other hair growth supplement? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments below!
Catch ya next time,
Beauty Bee~
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