Reason #: Too Low In Protein
Even if you are getting sufficient calories to support hair growth, you can still lose hair if you are not getting enough protein in your diet.
One of the reasons that a keto diet is so effective for fat loss is because it keeps insulin levels low. When insulin is elevated, it blocks the release of fat from fat cells. Carbohydrates raise insulin levels the most, whereas fats have the least impact.
Since a keto diet is very low in carbohydrates and high in fat, you can see how it takes the brakes off fat burning. But carbs and fats are only two of the three primary macronutrients that make up the foods you eat. The other is protein.
Protein provides your body with the amino acids it needs for building and repairing structures and supporting functions like hair growth. It is an essential nutrient to consume. However, when you eat it, it causes a modest increase in insulin.
That knowledge can lead some people to limit their intake of protein for fear that too much will stall their weight loss progress. The thing to understand is that insulin is not evil. In excess, it can block fat loss, but at moderate levels, it helps nutrients get into your cells, including the amino acids needed to support growth and repair.
Does Keto Cause Hair Loss
One often overlooked cause of stress that can lead to hair loss is making a major diet change.
In many cases, following a new diet requires us to eliminate certain types of foods, which increases the likelihood that we dont eat enough calories, protein, or specific micronutrients to support optimal health. This forces your body to prioritize the function of your vital organs over hair growth.
If the stress from inadequate nutrition continues, more hair follicles will shift into the telogen phase and hair shedding will soon increase .
Put in another way if your diet is deficient, this can cause excess stress that leads to hair loss.
To keep this from happening or promote hair regrowth, we must address the following keto hair loss culprits:
- Inadequate calorie intake
- Gut health issues
How Can You Reduce Hair Loss When On A Keto Diet
The ketogenic diet may help you shed pounds quickly, but it may not be wholesome in terms of nutrition. The same goes for expensive keto supplements. The nutrient deficiency during ketosis triggers side effects like hair loss.
To reduce the risk of hair loss when on a keto diet, it is best to compensate for the nutrient deficiency. This can be done by either using dietary supplements or introducing foods rich in micronutrients to your diet.
Here are a few foods and their nutrients you should consider adding to the keto diet to reduce hair loss:
- Biotin: To compensate for ketosis-caused biotin deficiency, you need to have an adequate intake of about 30 mcg of biotin. Foods high in biotin are :
- Beef liver
- Cod liver oil
- Eggs
You can also use dietary supplements to control hair fall. However, consult your nutritionist/doctor for the right dosage. Apart from addressing nutrient deficiency, ketosis-induced hair fall can be reduced by:
- Frequently nourishing the scalp with oils and vitamins.
- Being gentle while washing the hair.
- Avoiding heat and harsh chemical treatments.
- Following medical advice.
- Using softened water to wash hair.
- Treating hormonal imbalance issues .
- Avoiding stress and tension.
In Summary
It may, however, take a few months to recover from ketosis-induced hair loss. Talk to your nutritionist or healthcare provider about treatment options. Stop stressing about hair fall and focus on nurturing your body and mind because that is all that matters.
Read Also: Can Collagen Cause Hair Loss
Keto And Hair Loss: New Bedford Hair Loss Clinic Treatments
A quick search on the internet reveals that there are many men who are talking about issues with the keto diet and hair loss. A popular diet for weight loss, the effects of keto and hair loss are similar to problems that were seen with the low-carb diet plans. However, the good news is that many people will eventually see their hair grow back to its normal thickness in just a few months after quitting the keto diet program. If you dont want to wait months to see results, you could always check out the proven solutions available at our New Bedford hair loss clinic.
South Coast Hair Options uses a different approach to hair loss treatment in New Bedford. We treat each client as an individual, creating a custom treatment program based on your unique needs and goals. Our technicians know that there is no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to hair loss, so we make sure to identify the underlying cause of hair loss before recommending a treatment. We begin each new client relationship by providing a FREE scalp evaluation and comprehensive assessment of hair loss to find the best solution for your situation, lifestyle, and budget.
Next Steps To Supplement Keto Hair Loss:
Zinc Zinc promotes good thyroid function and stimulates the hair growth repair cycle. You can find a good supplement, or get these from Pumpkin Seeds !
Caffeine Studies show caffeine can help spur on hair growth.
Essential Oils Peppermint Oil applied to the scalp has been shown to quickly induce the Anagen stage. Lavender, Rosemary, Cedarwood, and Sage have also shown positive results.
Hydrate: To help keep the hair you have, hydrate it well so it will be less brittle. Try to drink at least half your body weight in water ounces.
Coconut Oil Stimulate your scalp by massaging in coconut oil before a shower. Be gentle so as not to rip out any hair, but this should moisturize your scalp to make it more healthy.
Also Check: What Could Cause Hair Loss In A Woman
Common Keto Hair Loss Cause #: Lacking Micronutrients For Hair Growth
When we change the foods we eat, this may also lead to vitamin and/or mineral deficiencies. As with any function in your body, your hair follicles need key vitamins and minerals for optimal function.
To reduce the risk of hair loss, make sure you are consuming foods that provide you with plenty of biotin, iron, zinc, and vitamins A, C, D, and E.
It is also crucial to replenish the minerals your body excretes as it adapts to keto. This includes sodium, magnesium, potassium, and iodine.
The simplest way to prevent vitamin and mineral deficiencies on keto is with a minimally-processed keto diet that features fresh seafood, fresh meat/poultry, eggs, low-carb vegetables, avocado, high-fat cheese, and keto nuts/seeds.
Reasons Why You May Be Losing Hair On Keto
Research has found hair loss can be a common side effect of low carb diets.
One study looked at the efficacy of the ketogenic diet in helping with seizures in epileptic teenagers. The results were overwhelmingly positive in mitigating seizures but two out of the 45 participants experienced hair thinning.
While a ketogenic diet in itself is not the main culprit behind hair loss, the initial side effects of going keto may be to blame for sudden hair loss.
Some of these side effects include:
Also Check: What Chemical In Shampoo Causes Hair Loss
How To Prevent Keto Hair Loss
As mentioned above, keto hair loss is only a temporary setback. So, the extra strands in your sink shouldnât demotivate you or force you to give up your new diet. Almost any nutritional or dietary change will put your body in stress, triggering a temporary hair loss. However, once your body adjusts itself with the new dietary plan, your hair will be back to normal. Meanwhile, here are a few things that you can and you must do to deal with keto diet hair loss:
Will The Hair Regrow After A Keto Diet Hair Loss
Yes. Since the hair loss in the keto diet is completely non-scarring, which means the hair follicles are intact, there is a good chance that you will regrow all the hairs that you lost.
A hair in the shedding phase is pushed out of a healthy follicle only when a new hair starts growing. So theoretically, the new growth starts immediately, which can be seen microscopically. But since the hair grows at a rate of 0.35 mm/day, and it may take a while for your hair density to reach the pre-hair fall stage.
Of course, if the protein intake and calories are not adjusted to the requirements, the hair fall will happen for an extended period. If it persists for more than 6-8 months, it might take way longer before you notice a significant growth again.
Don’t Miss: What Chemo Drugs Cause Hair Loss
/5are Your Following A Keto Diet
The low-carb, moderate-protein, high-fat keto diet has garnered a lot of limelight in the recent past. This diet is beneficial when trying to lose weight, stay fit, reduce inflammation and balance blood sugar levels in the body. This diet is not only popular but is also controversial.
Most people following a keto diet also suffer from keto flu in the initial phase when their body shifts from sugar burning to a fat-burning state. But the weirdest side effect of following a keto diet is hair loss.
Keto Hair Loss + Rapid Weight Loss
If youve recently started a keto diet, have started losing weight, and now youre noticing hair loss, it could be from the weight loss. This would be considered Telogen Effluvium, a type of hair loss that stems from drastic or rapid weight loss in men or women. The good news is that this type of hair loss will almost always be temporary and things usually get back to normal in acute cases of Telogen Effluvium.
As described by the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology,
If there is some shock to the system, as many as 70% of the scalp hairs are then shed in large numbers about 2 months after the shock. This sudden increase in hair loss, usually described as the hair coming out in handfuls, is acute telogen effluvium.
This temporary hair loss is tied to yo-yo dieting. It makes 90% of your heads hair growth go into a resting phase. Normally, only 10% of the hair on your head is in the resting phase. This hair loss connected to keto diet weight loss slows the growth phase down as well. It can last up to 6 months. Anything longer than that would be considered chronic Telogen Effluvium. The type of hair loss connected to ketogenic diets is more often the acute kind if you read other peoples experiences.
Don’t Miss: A Good Shampoo For Hair Loss
Rapid Weight Loss On Keto
The ketogenic diet is the fastest way to lose weight, but it can also lead to hair loss. When you are on keto, your insulin levels tend to drop which in turn causes the body to release more male hormones . Testosterone converts into Dihydrotestosterone in the body and this hormone is the driving force behind hair loss for those with a genetic predisposition.
In order to prevent this from happening, you need to make sure your body is producing ketones as a result of being on a well-formulated ketogenic diet. You can do this by taking exogenous ketones or MCT oil . Not only will these elevate your ketone levels to a therapeutic level for reversing insulin resistance and obesity, but they will also prevent the male hormones from converting into DHT.
Can Low Protein Cause Hair Loss
Low protein is one of the leading causes of hair loss on the Keto Diet.
If youre new to the Keto diet, you may find yourself trying to avoid protein at meals to stay under your macros. Eating too little protein, however, will cause you to lose iron. Iron deficiencies can lead to hypothyroid symptoms, which are key to hair loss. The main molecule that stores iron is a protein, so cutting back too much will cause your iron levels to drop.
Also Check: How To Know If You Have Thick Or Thin Hair
Why Women Experience Hair Loss On The Keto Diet
Quiet as it’s keptunless you scour the keto chat boards online religiouslyhair loss or thinning is a pretty common side effect of eating a very low-carb diet.
For instance, a retrospective study of 45 participants with epilepsy, aged 1219 years, found a ketogenic diet highly effective in mitigating symptoms of seizure disorder. However, two out of the 45 patients experienced hair thinning.
The hair loss experienced by some on keto may be more linked to the stress imposed on the body when switching to nutritional ketosiswhereby we force the body to pivot and use fat instead of sugar for fuel.
Here are a few lifestyle changes common to those starting keto and how they may contribute to hair loss or thinning:
But keep in mind, restricting calories on any diet can lead to hair loss this is not a side effect exclusive to a ketogenic diet.
The issue of hair loss comes into play on a ketogenic diet because many followers of the protocol don’t replace the calories saved by removing carbs with enough healthy fats and protein.
But never fear, a well-composed meal plan will help mitigate or altogether avoid hair loss on keto.
Tweak Your Macros To Meet Your Needs
The standard keto diet gives guidelines for three macronutrients: low carbohydrates , moderate protein , and high fat . Some people use customized macros to meet their personal needs and goals, something you can do as well if your goal is to reduce hair loss while remaining on the ketogenic diet. By slightly increasing carbs and protein, you can reintroduce a variety of foods to your diet, like vegetables, beans, fruits or whole grains. With this comes nutrients and better hair health. But keep in mind drastic changes could move you out of ketosis.
Also: Can Too Much Exercise Cause Hair Loss?
Also Check: Does Retinol Cause Hair Loss
Common Keto Hair Loss Cause #: Gut Health Issues
Your gut health directly affects every system in your body, including your hair, skin, and nails. If you are struggling with gut issues, it can increase overall stress levels and cause your follicles to put hair growth on hold.
Furthermore, recent research in mice has found that an unhealthy gut microbiome can prevent the production of key hair health nutrients, particularly biotin. As a result, mice that were fed a biotin-deficient diet experienced substantial amounts of hair loss.
Since the human gut microbiome also synthesizes biotin , this finding demonstrates the importance of taking care of our gut microbiome, especially as we adopt a new diet.