Your hair can tell you a lot about your health, and it’s often one of the first things to highlight when something isn’t quite right.
If you’ve noticed your hair thinning or shedding more than usual, a vitamin deficiency, like low iron, could be behind it. Thankfully, once you identify which vitamins you should be taking, you can take the necessary steps to address it.
In this guide, we’ll discuss which hair vitamins you need and which deficiencies could be causing yourhair loss.
Three key takeaways
Iron, zinc, B vitamins (B12), and vitamin D are the most common vitamin deficiencies that cause hair loss.
Hair loss caused by a vitamin deficiency can typically be reversed once it’s treated.
Getting a blood test is the most accurate way to determine if you have a vitamin deficiency. This is particularly important to rule out any other reasons why your hair might be falling out.
How a vitamin deficiency can cause hair loss
Your hair is continuously growing, resting, and shedding. For this cycle to work as it should, your hair follicles need enough vitamins and nutrients. Without them, it’s like expecting a car to drive across country without the fuel it needs to function.
When you’re deficient in a vitamin, your body will prioritise sending the limited nutrients it has to your vital organs, like your heart and brain, to keep you alive.
Since your hair isn’t getting enough vitamins for healthy hair growth, you might produce thinner, weaker strands or push hairs into the shedding phase, resulting in hair loss.
The 7 best vitamins for hair growth
If your hair is falling out, the vitamins and minerals you could be deficient in include:
1. Iron
An iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional causes for hair loss, particularly for hair loss in women. Iron helps your body produce haemoglobin, which carries the oxygen in your blood to your cells, including your hair follicles.
When your iron levels drop, your body prioritises other essential functions rather than hair growth, so your hair follicles shift into a resting phase, leading to increased shedding and thinning.
This type of hair loss is known as telogen effluvium, and although it can be distressing, it’s usually reversible once your iron levels increase.
“You can boost your iron intake through red meat, fish, lentils, beans, spinach, and fortified cereals. Women who have heavy periods, are pregnant, or those who are vegetarian or vegan, are more likely to be deficient in iron.
“If you fit into the above groups and you’re experiencing hair loss alongside feeling tired and run down, it’s worth seeing your GP for a blood test to determine your iron levels. Taking iron supplements if you’re not deficient can be dangerous, so always be sure to check them beforehand.”
Zinc plays an important role in hair tissue growth and repair, in addition to keeping the oil glands around your hair follicles working properly. If you’re deficient, you may notice more shedding, and hair that’s brittle and slow to grow back.
Vegetarians and vegans are at a slightly higher risk of a zinc deficiency as plant-based sources aren’t as easily absorbed. Those with digestive conditions like Crohn’s, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and those who drink a lot of alcohol are prone to low zinc levels.
Just like iron (and all other vitamins!), you should always get a blood test to determine your deficiency. Supplementing zinc can interfere with your copper absorption, so ensuring that you really need it is essential.
Each B vitamin plays a different role in your hair health. Biotin helps produce keratin, the protein your hair is made from, while B12 supports your cell division so your hair follicles can create new hair cells, and folate aids tissue growth and repair.
“Although a biotin deficiency is quite rare, when it happens, it can cause hair loss. Having a vitamin B12 deficiency is more common, mainly for vegetarians and vegans. If you’re not getting enough B12 through your diet, it’s a good idea to take a multi-B vitamin daily.
“Being folate-deficient can occur if you’re not getting enough in your diet (through leafy greens, beans, lentils, and fortified cereals), you drink heavily, have coeliac disease, Crohn’s, or take certain medicines.
“If these apply to you and you’ve noticed thinning hair, you could benefit from taking a folic acid supplement.”
Ayesha Bashir, Prescribing Pharmacist at Chemist4U
4. Vitamin D
Having low vitamin D levels in the UK is common, especially during autumn and winter when we get less sunlight. For some people, having a vitamin D deficiency is linked to hair loss, like alopecia areata (sudden, patchy hair loss).
Your hair follicles need vitamin D to function properly, so if your body doesn’t have enough, it can disrupt your hair growth cycle.
The NHS recommends that everyone should take a vitamin D supplement from October to March to compensate for the lack of sunlight. If you notice your hair has started thinning during this time and you’re not already supplementing your vitamin D, give it a try to see if your hair improves.
Vitamin C is vital for producing collagen, which keeps your hair and nails strong and healthy. If you have a vitamin C deficiency, you may notice your hair becoming dry, brittle, and more prone to breakage and split ends.
In more severe cases (scurvy), hair can actually become corkscrew-shaped or fall out altogether.
Most people get enough vitamin C in their diet through fruits and vegetables (a daily glass of orange juice is enough!), so supplementing it isn’t usually necessary.
When you’re not getting enough vitamin E, it can affect the blood circulation going to your scalp, leading to oxidative stress. This weakens the hair follicles and can result in thinning.
The good news is that a vitamin E deficiency is uncommon for people who have a balanced diet, as it’s included in nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and plant-oils.
7. Vitamin A
“Vitamin A can be a little tricky to navigate, as not having enough and taking too much can both lead to hair loss.
“In developed countries, being deficient in vitamin A is very unlikely, so the probable cause is taking too much. It’s easier to get your vitamin A intake through foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens, rather than relying on supplements.”
Ayesha Bashir, Prescribing Pharmacist at Chemist4U
First off, minoxidil works by boosting blood flow to your hair follicles and kick-starting regrowth. It’s available as a tablet (off-label), foam, and liquid.
Finasteride is a hair loss tablet that works well alongside topical minoxidil (men only) to treat male pattern baldness. Finasteride works by blocking the DHT hormone that causes your follicles to shrink.
Although not as effective as medicated treatments, caffeine shampoos work by stimulating your hair follicles at the roots, helping to energise and promote growth with every wash.
Hair loss transplants are another option, especially for long-term results, although they can be expensive.
Taking biotin helps if you’re deficient, but being deficient is rare. If your levels are normal, supplementing biotin likely won’t make much difference to your hair growth.
Can too much vitamin D cause hair loss?
Yes, but it’s rare and only from taking extreme amounts over time.
Does low magnesium cause hair loss?
There’s little evidence to prove that having low magnesium levels causes hair loss. A studyconducted on women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) determined that supplementing magnesium had no effect on their hair loss.
What is your diet lacking if your hair is falling out?
You might not be eating enough iron-rich foods like red meat, leafy greens, beans, or lacking protein from sources like eggs, fish, and nuts. B-vitamin foods such as wholegrains, dairy, and fortified cereals could also be missing. If you struggle to maintain a balanced diet and are experiencing hair loss, speak to your GP.
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