When I was 3 months into my keto weight loss journey, I started to notice my hair shedding more. After a shower, my brush seemed more full, my hair seemed to be all over my clothes, and according to my vacuum cleaner - it was all over the house too! I was totally shocked, surprised, and started to panic. Sure, I was losing weight and that was amazing, but I didn’t want to be totally bald as a result! I contemplated quitting keto completely because I was questioning if it was even worth it. But after an intense amount of research, I started to understand what was really going on with my keto hair loss and what I could do about it.
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If you’re new to keto and experiencing hair loss first and foremost - STAY CALM! If you’ve already lost a significant amount of weight just remember that you are improving SO many other areas of your health, so you don’t need to abandon keto for the sake of preserving your hair.
Hair loss can feel extremely scary. Suddenly you’re measuring every strand in your brush trying to remember if there are more or less in there than last time. You’re totally stressed out, and constantly asking “When will it ever stop?!”. Trust me, I know how it feels - I’ve been there, and I get that it can really knock your self esteem in a negative way. But please trust me when I say - it’s going to be ok, keep going with keto, it’s just a phase, and I promise that IT GROWS BACK. *breathe a sigh of relief*
It is extremely common for some people to experience hair loss around 3-5 months into their keto weight loss journey. The formal name for it is telogen effluvium - which involves an abrupt, rapid, generalized (meaning all over, not a specific patch), shedding of the hair that can be thought of as stress-induced hair loss.
Oftentimes, we don’t really think of a diet as being “stressful”. But if you’ve been successful on keto and have been losing weight quickly, your body on a cellular level may perceive that change as a stressor. When this occurs, our body will redirect it’s resources to the most important functions of survival like our heart, lungs, or cell growth. Unfortunately, our hair doesn’t top the list, and some shedding or hair loss may be the result.
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WHAT TO DO ABOUT KETO HAIR LOSS
The good news is - your hair will regrow over time. :)
The bad news is - your hair will regrow over time. :(
New hairs tend to start to regrow 2-4 months after the initial loss period. Hair loss experienced by people on a keto diet is only temporary, and there really is nothing to worry about. Simply give your body time to readjust, and healthier hair will replace what was lost.
When I was experiencing keto hair loss I knew that time would heal my hair loss, and all would be well. But I couldn’t help but still feel anxious and unsure about it. So I decided I would still try a variety of things, even if it was just a placebo effect, so that I felt like I was being proactive in helping my hair along. So if you want to at least try SOMETHING because that feels better for you than doing “nothing” aside from waiting around for regrowth - here’s what I focused on:
PROTEIN - hair is made almost entirely out of protein (keratin). Ensure you’re eating adequate protein by tracking your macros, and hitting your protein macro every single day
BIOTIN - may help improve your body’s keratin infrastructure. Dosage: 30mcg per day.
COLLAGEN - contains amino acids that are the building blocks of keratin, promotes healthy hair roots, high in antioxidants. Dosage: 1 scoop Hydrolyzed Collagen per day.
Eating adequate protein is an extremely important aspect to many areas of your overall health, including for hair growth and hair loss prevention. That being said it is IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER that incorporating these supplements will not magically make your hair grow back overnight. In fact, they take a few months of daily use before you may notice any difference. The SAME amount of time it takes for natural hair regrowth to occur anyway.
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The moral of the story is - the only thing you can really do after experiencing keto hair loss is wait for regrowth to happen. If you choose to add supplements or not, it will still take time. So try not to panic, it is totally normal, and it will grow back - I promise! If you want any additional help in reaching your keto weight loss goals click here to learn how I can support you. Feel free to join the Keto Weight Loss for Women Facebook group full of supportive women on their own keto journeys.
