Losing weight has all kinds of positive outcomes for our health and well-being. However, one thing you may experience that you hadn’t bargained for is hair loss.
Since we’re in the month of January, traditionally a time of dieting after the excesses of the festive season, I thought it would be an excellent time to focus on this topic. So, let’s answer a few questions to see whether we can find a way to lose weight without losing hair.
Can a Low-Calorie Diet Cause Hair Loss?
Yes, especially if you go below 1,000 calories per day. This qualifies as a very low-calorie diet and is more likely to trigger fast weight loss. That might be great if you have a lot to lose, but it can also be stressful for the body and lead to unwanted side effects – including losing some hair. You may notice it becomes thinner or breaks more easily.
This doesn’t happen for everyone, but it is common for less energy to find its way to the hair follicles from which individual hairs grow. As such, you may experience hair loss or thinning. Hair loss can occur because of the stress of an abrupt change in diet. We know that stress in general can lead to hair loss, so it makes sense this would apply to a big change in diet, too.
It’s known as telogen effluvium, and you may only notice it three or four months after you begin to lose weight. Hence why it’s important to focus on gradual weight loss rather than a crash diet of some kind. By the time you notice any hair loss, you’ll have a few more months to get through before you can expect full regrowth to occur. You don’t need to change diets again for this to happen; your body will adjust to the changes and work with the new situation and food intake, so your hair should grow back as it was before.
How Do I Stop My Hair From Thinning When I Lose Weight?
If you’re all set for the year ahead and want to adjust your diet to help you lose weight, make sure you don’t go to extremes. Look for ways to adjust your diet that will be easier to maintain. Make sure you get all three macronutrients and a good range of vitamins and minerals each day. A mix of protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates will combine to make you feel full and ensure you’re getting all you need to keep your hair looking and feeling great. Protein is particularly important, so make sure you have a proper portion of that each day, spread across however many meals you eat.
If you’re not sure of getting all the vitamins and minerals you need, it might be a good idea to take a daily multivitamin. This will help guard against any loss of nutrients that could potentially lead to some hair loss occurring. It will also ensure you are still getting everything you need to make sure your body is working as it should. Extreme dieting can lead to a zinc deficiency, for example – and this has been linked to hair becoming more brittle.
Biotin is perhaps the most famous vitamin connected to healthy hair, but most of us won’t need a supplement. However, while working out your new diet for the New Year, make sure you choose foods that are rich in biotin. Eggs and salmon are great choices and can fit into most diets.
Will Hair Loss From Weight Loss Grow Back?
Thankfully, yes, it will. However, just as it can take several months to notice thinning hair, it can also take months for it to grow back to how it was before. So, if you’ve already lost weight and you are suffering from hair loss, take good care of your hair and don’t subject it to any further stress.
You can see that extreme dietary changes are more likely to cause hair loss. So, hair loss prevention is more likely if you don’t go to extremes. Make sure you get enough exercise and sleep and reduce your caloric intake to help you lose weight… but don’t reduce it too much.
If you are experiencing hair shedding or hair loss due to dietary changes, contact the team at Unique Hair Concepts for a complimentary hair and scalp analysis. Located in Ardsley, New York in Westchester County just north of Midtown Manhattan, Unique Hair Concepts has been helping adults and children with hair loss for over 10 years.
