Supplements and Vitamins for Hair Loss in Women

The life cycle of your hair follicles is very important to maintain your healthy hair. It consists of three major phases; growing, resting, and falling out which then will be replaced by a new one. When this cycle goes awry, we can notice more hairs that fall out. And there are some supplements and vitamins to help cope with hair loss in women.

About telogen effluvium

When it comes to the treatment of hair loss, the cause of the problem can play a key role. And depending on the underlying cause, the treatment can vary.

The cause also can affect the prognosis and outlook of the problem. In a few cases, hair loss is not reversible. For instance, if it is linked to a genetic trait (such as receding hairline due to male pattern baldness) or a serious condition that is difficult to treat, it is more difficult to reverse!

If you are talking about hair loss associated with the deficiencies of particular vitamins or minerals, telogen effluvium is one of the common answers.

Telogen effluvium is a kind of reversible hair loss. Typically, it is caused by traumatic events such as after giving birth, major surgery, high stress, severe infection, and malnutrition (dietary factors).

If you have telogen effluvium, many of your hair follicles can actually shift all at once into telogen stage (resting phase). This can cause a significant hair loss at the same time. Typically, you will notice hair loss about a few weeks or months after the underlying cause (traumatic event).

But again, the problem is usually temporary and reversible. Once the underlying cause is addressed, a complete remission is probable.

In other words – in general, the following supplements and vitamins will actually work if you have deficiency of them. On the other hand, even though you take them continuously but if you don’t have any deficiency, they are likely to be useless.

Biotin supplements

Biotin is a kind of B vitamin. The deficiency of this vitamin is quite common. In fact, many women don’t get enough it in their diet.

Biotin supplement is also quite common to be used to reduce and prevent hair loss. It may work to help treat alleviate hair thinning, especially when you experience a biotin deficiency.

Your hair loss is likely to be associated with lack of biotin if you also experience other symptoms of biotin deficiency. These may include:

1. Anemia.
2. Lack or loss of appetite.
3. Skin inflammation such as seborrhoeic dermatitis, a condition characterized by itching and flaking on the scalp.
4. Sometimes paresthesia may also link to biotin deficiency. This symptom includes the skin sensations of pricking or tingling that may also be followed with numbness.

Iron supplements

Lack of iron is quite common in many women of childbearing ages. Many times, menstrual bleeding causes anemia and iron deficiency. And if your diet doesn’t replace what you have lost, hair loss may occur.

This deficiency is usually checked with a blood test. You can ask more about this test with a doctor. And if you do have this deficiency, it’s not difficult to treat. Increase your dietary iron! Foods high in iron include spinach, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, lentils, beans, and sesame seeds.

If necessary, your doctor may prescribe iron supplement. But be careful, too much iron can be counterproductive or even harmful. Therefore, take it only with prescription!

Increase your dietary protein!

Whatever the kind of hair loss problem you are experiencing, it’s always important to always get plenty of dietary protein. In fact, most of your hair is made of protein. So to promote hair growth, you need to get enough protein!

If you have lack of protein, this can affect the life cycle of your hair follicles – and typically, hair loss will be noticed a few months later. Foods rich in protein include eggs, nuts, beans, fish, fruits, and meats.

It’s quite rare to use protein supplement to treat hair loss in women. But sometimes, this supplement may also be prescribed if necessary!

… Continued …

Atlantic cedar

It is a kind of tree, which its oil is used as medicine (topical treatment) for some different conditions. It is commonly used to help keep insects away – and one of ingredients for fragrance in perfumes, cosmetics, and soaps.

Sometimes, it is also used for hair loss treatment. Some women apply this oil directly on the scalp to help stimulate hair growth. But does it really work?

Some evidences show that the use of Atlantic cedar oil with other essential oils (oils of lavender, rosemary, and thyme) may help improve and stimulate hair growth. The improvement can be noticed about 7 months after the treatment.

Lavender oil

It is an herb, which has been used to help treat numerous different health conditions such as insomnia, restlessness, depression, painful conditions (like  joint pain, sores, and migraine-headache), and some digestive problems (like upset stomach, loss of appetite, bloating, nausea, and vomiting).

Does it work for hair loss, too? Some people apply it to the skin or scalp to stimulate hair growth. As noted before, it may work best if combined with other essential oils.

Zinc

It belongs to a group of ‘essential trace mineral’, which means it is required in small amounts (therefore, zinc deficiency is quite rare). But it is one of the most essential minerals required by the body.

This mineral is required for numerous different functions in the body. In general, it is so important for maintenance and proper growth of the body. It is also involved in the function of wound healing, production of thyroid hormones, blood clotting, immune system, and so on.

The use of zinc supplement is possible effective to help treat hair loss in women. It may also be used together with biotin (see the previous page). In fact, hair loss (especially generalized hair loss) is one of symptoms of zinc deficiency in the body.

Since your body needs zinc in small amounts, it’s better to try first with dietary approach before taking it in supplement.

Some foods high in zinc are seafood, nuts, whole grains, dairy products, and meats. But if you do believe that taking zinc supplement is necessary, talk to your doctor first!

Some lifestyle measures can help, too!

These include:

1. Use safe hairstyles! Avoid risky hairstyles such as ponytails, braids, cornrows, or with bad accessories (like clips, rubbed bands, or hairpins – it’s much better to minimize the use of hair accessories).
2. Avoid vigorous grooming of the hair! For your healthy hair, limit your brushing and leave it alone as much as you can!
3. Let your hair dry naturally after shower! If you need to use a towel to help dry your hair, do it gently. Limit also the use of any heated-hairstyling tool!
4. It’s important to wash and shampoo your hair, but don’t do it too much! Shampoo less often to preserve thickness and healthy hair,
5. Be careful to any harsh products that can cause hair follicles damage! For instance, if you often bleach your hair or use harmful chemicals to straighten /curl your hair, this can lead to hair follicle damage and thinning hair.

Furthermore, it’s not bad idea to take regular trims. This can help prevent your hair from becoming damaged and developing brittle split ends. Regular haircuts can also actually help for hair growth, because these may help prevent your hair from breaking off and keep it healthy!