Victoria Beckham's hair stylist on why collagen is the secret to the best hair of your life

Much like retinol and hyaluronic acid, collagen is one of those skincare buzzwords we see thrown around a lot - but it's fair to say most people have no idea what exactly it is and what its benefits are.

So, first thing's first: what exactly is collagen?

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“Collagen is the most abundant protein [essential for building muscle] in the body. It's a long, fibrous, structural protein [rope-like in appearance] that gives the skin strength and elasticity,” says Alexis Granite, dermatologist at Mallucci London.

Often described as scaffolding for the skin, it acts like a trampoline providing a supportive base structure and giving us the 'boiiing' we need for bouncy, healthy-looking skin. Think plump, juicy skin.

With its fundamental face-perking credentials, it stands to the reason that beauty brands and consumers want in on the action and skincare that promises to give our complexion added oomph in the form of collagen are big business.

And whilst we've read about collagen's benefits on our skin, one celebrity hairdresser is now lauding the potent protein's benefits for our hair. Celebrity Hairstylist, Jason Collier, who works with Victoria Beckham and Laura Whitmore, says that collagen could be the secret to healthy hair post-lockdown.

If lockdown - and a lack of hairstyling appointments - left you with thinning hair, first time greying and lacklustre ends, the following advice could come in handy.

Here, Jason shares 5 golden reasons why collagen can benefit your hair...

1. Collagen may keep early greys at bay

So many people have ditched the at-home hair dye so they're not only looking for ways to disguise greys by opting for lowlights instead of all over dyes or balayage with a toner at the roots, but they also want to keep them at bay. Collagen can act as an antioxidant to fight cell damage as studies suggest free radical damage to the cells that produce hair colour may be one of the reasons for early-greying. Other reasons could include stress, poor diet which may damage melanin producing cells, too.

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2. Collagen could help rebuild hair from the inside out

‘Post-lockdown has meant many clients have come in with locks in desperate need of a restyle and treatment, as well as recommending a good trim and/or restyle with a nourishing hair treatment, collagen will build hair from the inside out. Put simply, hair is primarily made up of the protein keratin. Your body uses several amino acids to build keratin, some of which can be found in collagen, so this could help keep hair healthy long after your cut.

3. Collagen could be the key to prevent hair-thinning

More and more clients, due to the stress of lockdown, have complained about hair thinning. As well as treatment shampoos, thickening sprays for a faux volume boost, regular trims to stop hair loss through splitting and a cleverly layered haircut – a collagen supplement could help. It makes up 70% of your skin and your scalp is an extension of that, a healthy scalp could mean less hair thinning. I love the LQ Skin Hair and Nails, which contains 7000mg of Hydrolysed Marine Collagen – there are studies which show evidence that marine collagen in particular is most effective. This one is an ingestible liquid shot. Liquids absorb into the body far more effectively than pills and one 50ml shot contains the same amount of active ingredients as up to 15 pills!.

Scroll down to shop some of our favourite collagen supplements and drinks...