Hair Loss

baconslave

A member asked me on this topic recently, and I realized we don't have a link in Open Threads for this.

So, you go low-carb and are losing hair....
It's not really the low-carb though.

First, don't panic. Everyone who loses weight loses hair to some degree. It's just a biological response to a stress on the body. Sometimes it takes a few months to show up. This can even happen if you've stopped losing but you have a lot of a different stressors, like working out really hard more than you had been. Alternately, this could indicate thyroid issues. So that may be something to look into if things don't slow down.

I lost a lot of hair about 3 months in. But I never got any bald spots or anything. 3 months later, I started growing a tiny bit back in. But it was never as thick as it was before again. Well, all I can say is that my hair dries faster now. LOL! No one noticed besides my hyper-critical self.

Read these links, which explain what is going on.

https://www.dietdoctor.com/can-low-carb-diets-result-in-hair-loss
https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/comments/3du1a4/hair_loss_need_clarification_and_help/

If it starts to get worse, many people recommend making sure you supplement biotin (minimum of 5mg daily), and make sure you are getting enough protein, zinc, iron, and B vitamins and not restricting calories too hard. Some members have mentioned MSM and/or collagen supplementation as well.

So, it is normal to lose some for awhile, but it should slow down and might correct. If it doesn't slow down or stop after a few months, you might need to supplement or get the doctor to check your thyroid.

Anyone have personal experience or knowledge to add?
Please chime in.

cstehansen

I think you hit many of the important parts. The only thing I would add is being overly hypocaloric (eating at too great a deficit) regardless of what you are eating, will cause hair loss in most people. Your body will see growing hair as a non-vital function. Since we all lose hair regularly through a cycle of loss/re-growth of new hair, that second half can stop, thus creating hair loss.

I will also double stress the b vitamins. If you have ever known any hardcore vegans who do not supplement, you will notice thin hair and thin brittle finger nails. That is because there is no plant source for b-12. My understanding is b-12 is important in both of those.

tcunbeliever

I take MSM for carpal tunnel and have been fortunate not to have any hair issues no matter what kind of eating I am doing at any given point in time. However, this might only work for those already deficient in MSM as evidenced by other symptoms (like carpal tunnel).

swezeytba

I have experienced the hair loss and brittle fingernails. Started supplementing B vitamins a couple of weeks ago, so let's hope that helps!

KnitOrMiss

Another factor is that nearly all of the nutrients listed above are the ones that your body will not breakdown and absorb properly without enough stomach acid/bile/digestive enzymes. So please be sure to consider reduced stomach acid/enzymes/slowed digestion as a contributing factor in nutrient deficiencies (both S.A. and N.D. can be related to a number of things, so this is definitely not the only cause). It's worth poking around the resources to see if you might have low stomach acid if you are deficient in the things listed above. For example, I only recently discovered how much stomach acid is required to break down vitamin B12, which is part of why it becomes harder to absorb when taking certain medications or when certain health conditions are present.

MissyCHF

I have thinning hair, I think because of old age, it started long before I was eating low carb. What I have noticed of late is weak and brittle fingernails. I am taking a multivitamin tablet each morning now but have yet to see any improvement.

carlsoda

MissyCHF wrote: »

I have thinning hair, I think because of old age, it started long before I was eating low carb. What I have noticed of late is weak and brittle fingernails. I am taking a multivitamin tablet each morning now but have yet to see any improvement.

Biotin will help with both hair and nails! I take it everyday along with my multi vitamin.

kpk54

MissyCHF wrote: »

I have thinning hair, I think because of old age, it started long before I was eating low carb. What I have noticed of late is weak and brittle fingernails. I am taking a multivitamin tablet each morning now but have yet to see any improvement.

Yes. I think it is pretty common in many folks as they age. I, as well as my real life friends, are all getting "up there". I observed thinning hair in my Grandma, Mom and all my Aunts (3) on one side of the family but not the other. I never noticed hair loss through weight loss and I don't see it in myself (yet??) at the age of 64. I keep a varied low carb diet and never had an extreme deficit. Fingers crossed though cuz genes maybe?

KnitOrMiss

MissyCHF wrote: »

I have thinning hair, I think because of old age, it started long before I was eating low carb. What I have noticed of late is weak and brittle fingernails. I am taking a multivitamin tablet each morning now but have yet to see any improvement.

@MissyCHF - For me, the best improvement in my nail health came when I started supplementing Boron and Zinc properly. Multivitamins don't work for me because I always want more of something or less of something else or I want to take it at different times, so I mostly deconstructed my vitamins and take most of what's in one, but on my terms! It's helped a lot...

Collagen and getting enough protein are also important to anything bone/skin/hair/nails related.

MissyCHF

Thanks KnitOrMiss, A lot of elderly women attend the same hairdressers as me, I'd say 98% of them have thinning hair, some much worse than mine. I don't notice their nails so much. I can't help feeling sorry for the staff, trying to make the most of our 'crowning glory'.