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THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SUPPLEMENTS

a bowl of supplements on a table top

As the seasons change, it’s time to think about how you can boost your health to avoid aliments and protect your wellbeing. The answer? Refining your supplement regime.  

But, like many things, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to your vitamins and minerals. Not only do they come in various forms, textures and sizes, but they all have their own benefits too. With that in mind, we’ve done the hard work for you and answered all your most commonly asked questions.  

Whether you’re wondering what supplements are or wanting to tackle a targeted concern, read on to discover our ultimate guide… 

WHAT ARE SUPPLEMENTS

Available in tablets, capsules, gels, powders and even liquid form, supplements are products intended to provide nutritional value to the body. Typically powered by vitamins, minerals and herbal products (otherwise known as botanicals), supplements ensure you get enough essential nutrients to maintain or improve your overall health.  

HOW TO KNOW WHAT SUPPLEMENTS TO TAKE 

Knowing what the best supplements are for you can be somewhat of a minefield. The answer? Listen to your own body. Although a well-balanced diet is vital, supplements aid or improve your overall health – weather that be to advance your skin, hair and nails or to help boost your immune system.  

While there are endless reasons why you should incorporate supplements into your daily routine, below are just some of the ways they can benefit you… 

IMPROVE YOUR ENERGY LEVELS: In short, our body must create enough energy for us to breath, move and think – let alone exercise. Energy is activated through the creation of the ATP molecule, which many vitamins (including vitamin B, magnesium and iron) help support. So, supplements with these ingredients not only enhance your overall energy levels but provide you with the right nutrients to speed up your ATP production and boost your work outs too.  

SHOP ALL FITNESS SUPPLEMENTS >>> 

IMPROVE YOUR GUT HEALTH: Helping to solve digestive problems, gut health supplements work with your body to provide a balance that suits your lifestyle. From banishing bloating to stabilising blood sugar levels, these capsules and powders help revive the pH of stomach acid to improve your overall digestion process. Feeding you with the friendly bacteria you need, they fuse a gut-regulatory cocktail of enzymes and prebiotics to give your body that extra nutritional support it deserves.  

SHOP ALL GUT HEALTH SUPPLEMENTS >>> 

SHARPEN YOUR FOCUS: Whether you’re looking to improve your memory or boost your cognitive thinking, nootropic supplements have you covered. Aiding your memory, motivation, creativity and alertness, they revive that spark you’ve been missing by offering a large dose of brain fuel. But how do they work? Essentially, nootropics filter through your central nervous system to enhance functions such as learning, perception, memory and stress adaption.  

SHOP ALL NOOTROPIC SUPPLEMENTS >>> 

BOOST YOUR IMMUNUE SYSTEM: Enriching from the inside out, immunity supplements jump-start your body to tackle the day ahead. Not only do these formulas support your immune system to help prevent you from getting ill, but they also speed up your recovery process. Typically powered by vitamin C, these boosters assist your body's innate and adaptive immune responses, while helping to shield your skin from any other environmental aggressors. 

SHOP ALL IMMUNITY SUPPLEMENTS >>> 

IMPROVE YOUR SKIN HEALTH: Providing you with a lit-from-within glow, skin supplements can target everything from blemishes to collagen production. Packed with a powerful proprietary blend of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, they guard your protective barrier while repairing, reviving and rejuvenating your complexion from the inside out. Want to find out more? Read our round up of the best skin supplements.

SHOP ALL SKIN SUPPLEMENTS >>> 

IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP: From regulating your serotonin levels to activating the parasympathetic nervous system (this is the part of your nervous system responsible for ‘rest and digest’ processes, FYI), sleep supplements work in various ways, depending on their ingredients. But one thing they all have in common? Their desire to improve your slumber.  

SHOP ALL SLEEP SUPPLEMENTS >>> 

IMPROVE YOUR HAIR HEALTH: Lathering your locks with love, hair supplements support nutrition deficiencies, hormonal fluctuations and overall stress to provide you with the thick, glossy tresses you’ve been longing for. Banishing breakages and supercharging your mane’s sheen, they are bursting with biotin, to improve your keratin structure – resulting into stronger, soother and shiner strands.   

SHOP ALL HAIR SUPPLEMENTS >>> 

HOW LONG DO SUPPLEMENTS TAKE TO WORK 

When it comes to finding out how long it takes for your supplements to work, there’s no single answer. Why? Because there are a variety of factors that impact their absorption – from the type of supplement you’re taking to the ways certain nutrients interact with each other in the body. The key thing to remember is that supplements affect everyone differently. If you’re seriously deficient in a particular vitamin or mineral, it could take anywhere up to a week to several months to feel the benefits. Plus, not all supplements are made the same – some of them are designed to bind to water and absorb into your tissues rapidly. Others, bind to fat, which takes much longer to work.  

THE BEST SUPPLEMENTS TO TRY RIGHT NOW… 

Fusing prebiotic inulin and the brand’s signature probiotic complex, The Nue Co.’s Preebiotic Probitoic supplements are primed to keep your gut just as happy as it is healthy. Serving up 15 billion spores per daily dose, the vegan capsules are designed to survive the pH of stomach acid in order to aid digestion, stabilise blood sugar levels and feed friendly bacteria back into your body.  

How to take the supplement: Take two capsules in the morning. 

SHOP ALL THE NUE CO >>>

Clinically proven to smooth fine lines, increase firmness and enhance elasticity, Vida Glow’s Natural Marine Collagen is designed to supercharge your skin with the production of (you guessed it):collagen. Powered by collagen peptides, the easy-to-take powder supports the natural ageing process while strengthening your hair, nails and skin. What’s more, it’s available in a variety of flavours, so you can switch it up with every drink.  

How to take the supplement: Mix it with your drink and take it daily. A single serving per day for those 25-35 years. Two servings per day for those 36-45 years. Three servings per day for those 45+ years. 

SHOP ALL VIDA GLOW >>>

Did you know it’s estimated that one billion people across the world are lacking in vitamin D? Cue: HUM Nutrition’s Here Comes The Sun Capsules. Offering your body a daily dose of sunshine (without the exposure to UV rays), these boosters are powered by vitamin D3 – the active nutrient which you absorb most efficiently – and allow you to feel warmer from within.  

How to take the supplement: Take one soft gel a day, at any time with food. 

SHOP ALL HUM NUTRITION >>>

Putting the va-va-volume back into your tresses, Philip Kingsley’s Density Amino Acid Protein Boosters restore balance into weakened and damaged hair. Featuring the brand’s Trichology complex, the capsules are uniquely formed with vitamin C and are combined with amino acids to contribute to your strand’s normal collagen formation.  

How to take the supplement: Take two capsules, twice a day. 

SHOP ALL PHILIP KINGSLEY >>>

Proving that not all bacteria is bad bacteria, Gallinée’s Clear Microbiome Supplements strengthens your skin’s ecosystem and helps to ensure it is equipped to shield itself. Tackling your complexion’s concerns, this prebiotic powered supplement supports acne-prone skin to help block breakouts in their tracks. Fusing two strains of skin-friendly live probiotics, it works in tandem with purifying nettle and zinc to boost skin, healing and reducing the appearance of active blemishes. It’s a win, win.  

How to take the supplement: Take one capsule per day with a glass of water, before a meal when your stomach’s pH is the most optimal. 

SHOP ALL GALLINEE >>> 

Now you have everything you need to know about supplements, it’s time to put your body first and perfect your inner wellness routine. Happy and healthy living? Yes, please.  

SHOP ALL SUPPLEMENTS >>> 
Trifonia Asmar
Trifonia Asmar Writer and expert

Cult Beauty’s Senior SEO Copywriter, Trifonia started out in the industry when bold brows were just becoming a ‘thing’, and shares a passion for all things fashion and beauty. Currently embracing her curly girl journey (after endless years of straightening her strands), she is finally reverting to her natural ways! When Triffy isn’t busy testing out the latest curl-saving solutions, you’ll find her binging the latest reality TV show or on a long walk listening to her ever-evolving country music playlist.

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