One issue I sometimes hear when individuals transition from consuming meat, dairy, fish, and eggs to adopting a fully plant-based diet is that they experience hair loss. It is important to clarify that hair loss is not caused by a deficiency of nutrients in plant-based foods, but rather by a lack of knowledge regarding which plant-based foods can provide essential nutrients that were present in the omitted animal products, and not having a well-defined strategy for this new dietary approach.
To dispel any confusion regarding the health benefits of a plant-based diet, numerous research studies have demonstrated that adopting a plant-based or plant-forward eating approach is the most beneficial way to nourish your body, enhance cognitive function, lower the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, and promote longevity. This is why diets like the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets consistently receive top rankings in health-related news reports when it comes to the most effective dietary plans to follow — all of these diets share a common emphasis on plant-based foods, including a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
Plant-based foods are rich in nutrients, such as dietary fiber, crucial for gut health, a significant factor in the prevention of various diseases according to numerous experts. These nutrient-packed plants also provide a wide range of vitamins, minerals, and thousands of phytonutrients, which combat free radicals and oxidation, resulting in reduced inflammation and improved overall health.
Transitioning to a plant-based diet can pose challenges when it's a new way of eating, like any new habit or practice! For example, despite being a trained dietitian, I encountered hurdles when I decided to go fully plant-based, particularly in replacing dairy and fish in my meals. It took time to develop balanced and fulfilling plant-based meals that provided my body with the necessary nourishment, including essential nutrients for healthy hair and nails. Gradually, I grasped the significance of diversifying my diet beyond pasta and broccoli. After 11 years of adhering to a well-structured plant-based diet, my hair and nails are robust and healthy. Moreover, I no longer experience chronic ear infections, feel more energetic, have improved digestion, and enjoy clearer skin. These favorable physical transformations have also had a positive impact on my mental well-being, reducing anxiety, enhancing focus, and boosting overall happiness. Once I discovered how to obtain all essential nutrients from a plant-based diet while ensuring it remained tasty and satisfying, my only regret was not embracing this lifestyle sooner.
Here’s the thing: The nutrients found in animal based products, like meat, dairy, eggs, and fish, can easily be found in plant-based foods. The key to eating a whole food plant-based diet in a sustainable way so that it’s optimized for the health of your body, brain, and mind, is to understand what to eat in the animal product’s place to ensure you’re getting sufficient nutrition to support all physiological functions, including hair growth and strength.
In this article, we will explore the primary reasons for hair loss and offer advice on improving your plant-based diet to promote hair growth, increase strength, and reap anti-aging advantages.
How Hair Grows
Hair consists of the visible hair shaft and the hidden follicle beneath the skin. The bulbs at the base of the follicle receive nutrients and oxygen from blood vessels, stimulating hair cell division and gradual hardening to create hair.
Within the hair follicles, melanocytes produce melanin pigment, while sebaceous glands store sebum, the natural hair oil. Melanocytes can be disrupted and damaged by oxidative stress induced by free radicals. The production of sebum gradually decreases as one approaches the age of 70.
As hair begins to grow, the hair shaft composed of keratin, a protein, becomes visible. Biotin, vitamin A, and protein are crucial nutrients for the production of keratin.
It’s not uncommon to lose, on average, 50–100 hairs daily.
Causes of Hair Loss
There are multiple factors that can contribute to hair loss. Let's explore several of them.
Hormones
When a woman is pregnant, her hair becomes thicker as a result of elevated estrogen levels. Conversely, during menopause, estrogen levels decrease, leading to hair thinning and reduced hair growth. Reduced estrogen levels can also result in increased production of androgen hormones, which may shrink hair follicles and contribute to hair loss.
Chronic stress can also result in hair loss. While cortisol plays a crucial role in stress regulation, prolonged elevated cortisol levels can interfere with hair follicle modulators, impacting hair growth.
Thyroid issues can also disrupt the hair growth cycle and lead to hair loss.
Genetics
Something call Androgentic Alopecia, also known as female or male pattern baldness, is inherited from both parents. It’s the most common type of genetic hair loss.
Age
Experiencing hair loss as you get older is a common occurrence. Studies indicate that 53% of men and 37% of women aged over 65 will face hair loss. Additionally, the production of melanin decreases by 10-20% in each decade after 30 years. Maintaining a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, practicing self-care, and engaging in regular exercise can potentially reduce hair loss and promote melanin production as you age.
Medication
Some medications can disrupt the hair growth process, resulting in hair loss. Examples of such medications are chemotherapy used in cancer and autoimmune disease treatment, levodopa for Parkinson's disease, retinoids for acne treatment, and antidepressants.
Admittedly, I tend to be rough with my hair. Although I aim to improve, I often catch myself hurrying through my hair routine, resulting in vigorous brushing, using a flat iron at high temperatures, taking scalding showers, and roughly combing conditioner through my hair. My advice to you is: Avoid following my lead! 😂 Instead, adopt gentle brushing techniques to avoid breakage and harm; opt for rinsing your hair with lukewarm water to prevent dryness; and limit the use of heat styling tools.
Stress
As previously stated, cortisol is beneficial and necessary in moderate amounts. After all, it's the hormone responsible for helping us get out of bed in the morning! However, excessive cortisol levels resulting from chronic stress can cause changes in hormone levels in the body and disrupt the hair growth process. This can also result in hair becoming thinner and falling out.
This article focuses on food that promotes hair health and these same foods may also aid in stress resilience. (Continue reading to discover the beneficial foods.) If you are interested in exploring stress-relief techniques further, save the following articles for later reading: 7 Health Benefits of Spending Time in Nature: A Natural Way to Celebrate Earth Day and How Meditation Can Be Life-Changing + Which Type May Be Best for You.
Environment
The not-so-fun news is that environmental toxins are ubiquitous. They can build up on the scalp and hair, obstructing follicles and interfering with hair growth. Pollution and toxins are present in our daily surroundings — in our homes, in the air we breathe and in the water we drink. Nevertheless, the GOOD news is that once we recognize where harmful chemicals are located, we can strive to steer clear of them. By investing in a reliable water filter, toxin-free cookware, and using clean beauty products are all ways to minimize your exposure to toxins that may negatively impact your hair, skin, body, and overall well-being.
When it comes to your skin, using sunscreen can help shield it from cancer and premature aging. Similarly, your hair also requires safeguarding against ultraviolet radiation, which can induce oxidative stress and compromise its structure, resulting in dryness and breakage.
Finally, what you use on your hair is not only critical to your hair, but also your overall health. There are many chemicals in beauty products, like, formaldehyde, phthalates, parabens, and PFASs, that are harmful to health. To get a list of ingredients with warnings as well as those that are safe, visit the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep list.
Sleep
The importance of sleep for overall health cannot be overstated. It’s a critical time when your body and brain have an opportunity to shut down and detoxify from the day’s intake (both food and mental stimuli). Cells regenerate and hormones regulate, both of which influence hair health. Getting 7–9 hours of quality sleep is essential for supporting optimal hair growth and regeneration. One study found that subjects experiencing sleep disorders showed an increased risk of alopecia areata. This observation was especially observed in younger subjects, under 45 years of age. It makes sense that sleep deprivation would impact this condition, which is an inflammatory skin condition associated with environmental factors such as stress.
To learn more about the importance of sleep, how to eat for good sleep, and how to create healthy sleep hygiene, visit Do You Want a Healthy Body and Happy Mind? Good Sleep Can Help With That and How Eating Plants Helps You Sleep Better.
Diet
Both smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can have a detrimental effect on the health of your hair by restricting blood flow to the scalp, decreasing the delivery of nutrients to the hair follicles, and impeding hair growth. Your dietary choices can play a crucial role in promoting hair health by enhancing circulation, supplying vital nutrients to the hair, and combating oxidative stress. A well-balanced diet can also enhance sleep quality, balance hormones, and reduce stress levels, all of which contribute to the overall health of your hair.
Lack of Exercise
Exercise plays a role in promoting strong hair by fostering healthy sleep patterns, reducing stress, improving circulation, and regulating hormones, all of which help maintain the body's balance. We usually associate exercise with improving blood flow to the heart and muscles, but it also benefits the scalp! This increased circulation aids in supplying vital nutrients and oxygen to the hair follicles, supporting their health and ultimately encouraging hair growth.
How to Support Healthy Hair on a Plant-Based Diet
Ensuring optimal hair growth and strength requires a balanced diet that provides a variety of nutrients. Some nutrients play a crucial role in nourishing hair follicles, aiding in their growth, protecting against free radical damage, and promoting keratin production. Whether you are transitioning to a more plant-focused diet or considering a fully plant-based approach, the nutritional recommendations listed below can assist you in navigating your plant-based journey towards healthier hair.
Consume enough calories.
One of the main advantages of following a plant-based or plant-forward diet is its effectiveness in promoting weight management. Due to their high fiber and water content, plants contribute to satiety, creating feelings of fullness and leading to less calories consumed. While this may be positive when wanting to lose unhealthy weight, suboptimal calories can mean inadequate essential nutrients. Ensuring sufficient calories and consuming nutrient-rich foods in the form of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds is paramount to receiving sufficient nutrients for healthy hair.
How to get enough nutrients on a plant-based diet
If you’re unwillingly losing weight on a plant-based diet or feel that your caloric intake isn’t supporting the energy you need throughout the day, boost calories in a nutritious way by adding nuts and seeds to dishes, like oatmeal, stir fries, and salads. Incorporate starchy foods like sweet potatoes or purple potatoes. Or blend silken tofu or avocado into smoothies.
If consuming less calories is desired for weight management, but you're worried about not getting enough vitamins and minerals, consume nutrient-rich, lower calorie whole plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes daily.
Consume your calories from whole or minimally processed plant-based foods rather than ultra-processed foods.
Add plant protein to each meal.
When animal products are removed from the plate, there’s often an empty plate. It can be tough to know what to add that will offer the same nutrition, texture and flavor. Low levels of protein are associated with hair thinning and loss. Hair needs protein and, thankfully, there are plenty of plant foods that are excellent sources of protein. Hair follicles and keratin need a constant supply of amino acids, the building blocks of protein, to grow properly.
How to incorporate protein on a plant-based diet
Add quality plant-based protein to each meal. Protein-rich plant-based foods include beans, lentils, peas, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, nuts, tofu tempeh, and nutritional yeast. For protein-packed meal ideas, visit 7 Protein- and Fiber-Packed Plant-Based Breakfasts to Boost Mood, Regulate Hormones, and Sustain Energy, 10 "Already in Your Pantry" Plant-Based Protein Sources and 47 Protein-Filled Plant-Based Foods.
You're probably getting enough biotin.
Biotin is a B vitamin that doesn’t get much attention. That’s because most people get plenty, making it a non issue. In fact, deficiency is so rare that a Recommended Dietary Allowance isn’t established for biotin. A Daily Value has been established, which is the suggested amount a person should consume each day. For biotin, it’s 30 micrograms. However, one study found that 38% of women struggling with hair loss were deficient in biotin.
How to get enough biotin on a plant-based diet
When you get adequate protein on a plant-based diet, you should also naturally get sufficient biotin as it’s found in beans, nuts, seeds, nutritional yeast, as well as mushrooms, bananas, and avocados.
Get enough B vitamins, folate and vitamin B12.
Folate and B12 are essential B vitamins that are involved with DNA production, red blood cell production, and keratin production. Healthy hair relies on these essential vitamins.
How to get enough folate and B12 on a plant-based diet
Folate can be found in many plant foods, like dark leafy greens, beans, peas, lentils, oranges, quinoa, chia seed, flaxseed meal, avocado and much much more. Eat a variety of plant-based foods to get sufficient folate.
B12 is more difficult to get through plant-based foods. Some foods are fortified with B12, like nutritional yeast, plant-based milk, and some vegan cheeses. Since it’s not in many foods and absorption of B12 is low, I do recommend taking 50-250 micrograms of B12 daily if you’re exclusively plant-based.
Note that inadequate riboflavin intake can happen in vegans.
Riboflavin is linked to hair loss. Riboflavin deficiency is rare in the U.S., but it can occur in vegans who are consuming ultra-processed vegan foods and not consuming enough whole plant-based foods.
How to get enough riboflavin on a plant-based diet
Incorporate riboflavin-rich plant-based foods, like tempeh, spinach, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, almonds and sunflower seeds into your diet.
Optimize your iron absorption.
Exclusively plant-based eaters are not at any higher risk than omnivores when it comes to iron deficiency. Iron from plants is less absorbable than from meat (which is actually a good thing as heme iron, the type from meat, is linked to heart disease and cancer) and iron deficiency is linked to hair loss. Iron helps red blood cells carry oxygen to the hair follicles, therefore it’s critical to ensure enough iron intake and absorption from plants.
How to get enough iron on a plant-based diet
Take a food first approach as supplemental iron intake can come with side effects, like constipation, and postmenopausal women are at risk for getting too much with supplementation. Iron is rich in dark leafy greens, figs, dates, oranges, tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, quinoa, beans, and more! Pairing high iron foods with foods high in vitamin C and vitamin A, as well as onions and garlic, significantly improves absorption. To get the full scoop on iron and how to get enough, visit 8 Plant-Based Foods High in Iron.
Ensure enough Vitamin E.
Vitamin E acts like an antioxidant, scavenging free radicals in the hair follicles. Supplementation has been shown to enhance hair growth by 34%, however, leaning into a food first approach is always recommended as supplementation isn’t always without side effects and you get many more nutrients by consuming whole foods.
How to get enough vitamin E on a plant-based diet
Consume a variety of vitamin E-rich plants, like dark leafy greens, sunflower seeds, almonds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts, avocado, mango, kiwi, butternut squash, broccoli, and beet greens.
Get your selenium through one or two Brazil nuts a day (choose sunflower seeds for nut-free!).
Like vitamin E, selenium acts like an antioxidant, protecting follicles and hair-supporting hormones from oxidative stress. Selenium also supports thyroid function, which is important for hair growth. Interestingly, studies suggest that hair follicles pull selenium from the blood to help support hair growth.
How to get enough selenium on a plant-based diet
Get plenty of selenium by consuming just 1-3 Brazil nuts daily. If nuts aren’t an option for you, consider sprinkling sunflower seeds over salads, consuming whole grains daily (always recommended!), adding beans and lentils to your plate, snacking on bananas, and incorporating mushrooms several times a week.
Check your zinc intake.
One nutrient of focus on a plant-based diet is zinc as intake and absorption can be low if your diet isn’t planned carefully. Zinc is important for fortifying the foundation of hair growth and research indicates that zinc deficiency may play a role in hair loss.
How to get enough zinc on a plant-based diet
Sprinkling pumpkin seeds over salads is one of my personal favorite ways to incorporate zinc. Other good food sources of zinc include sunflower seeds, lentils, beans, chickpeas, oatmeal, hemp seeds, tofu, tempeh, and nuts.
You’re probably getting plenty of copper.
Copper is an essential mineral that supports hair growth cycle, melanin production, and hair follicle size. Most people get plenty of copper through their diet.
How to get enough copper on a plant-based diet
Copper rich foods include nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans, peas, lentils, dark chocolate, leafy greens, mushrooms, and more! Dark chocolate — need I say more?
Get the right type of vitamin A.
Both too much and too little vitamin A may lead to hair loss. Vitamin A deficiency can lead to dry, brittle hair, which is more prone to breaking. Plants contain the precursor to vitamin A in the form of beta carotene and lots of plant-based foods are rich in beta carotene. Your body regulates how much beta carotene is converted into vitamin A, therefore excessive doses are less of a concern compared to getting direct vitamin A from animal products.
How to get enough vitamin A on a plant-based diet
Eat your colors! Enjoy the oranges, yellows and reds, like peppers, sweet potatoes, squash, and carrots. Leafy greens are also rich sources of carotenoids.
Know your vitamin D levels.
Vitamin D deficiency is a global issue and not just with plant-based enthusiasts. The best way to get vitamin D is by spending time outdoors, getting natural sunshine for 15-30 minutes. Levels can be affected by the melanin content of your skin, where you live, age, and more. Since there are many variables and vitamin D is critical for everything from immune function to bone health to hair health, it’s important to get your D levels checked annually. Studies show a link between low vitamin D levels and hair loss. It’s tough to get vitamin D in foods, although you may be getting some through fortified foods, like plant-based milk. However, that’s not sufficient enough.
How to get enough vitamin D on a plant-based diet
Get your vitamin D levels checked, get some sunshine, and talk with your healthcare provider about possible supplementation.
Consider taking an algae-based omega 3 supplement.
If you’re exclusively plant-based, consider an algae-based omega 3 supplement.
There is research pointing to the benefit of consuming omega 3 fatty acids for hair growth. Also, we know that omega 3’s are essential in reducing inflammation, improving blood flow, and providing moisture to skin and hair. Like vitamin D, most people aren’t getting enough of these essential fatty acids. The type of omega 3’s in flaxseed meal, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts is alpha linolenic acid (ALA), which is different than the omega 3’s, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), found in sea vegetables. DHA and EPA are essential for eye and brain health, and one study suggests that they may be needed for hair health. Since only a small amount of ALA is converted to DHA and EPA, I typically recommend an algae-based omega 3 supplement.
How to get omega 3 fatty acids on a plant-based diet
Even if you’re consuming omega 3-rich flaxseed meal, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts (highly recommend them!), consider consuming an algae-based DHA/EPA supplement. You can also test to see if you are a good converter of ALA to DHA and EPA from the seeds and nuts by doing a take home test, called the Omega 3 Index.
Ensure you're getting iodine.
Many get iodine through fish and dairy. (Iodine is what they use to clean the cows during milking therefore it ends up in dairy products.) When moving toward a whole food plant-based diet and omitting those iodine sources, it's imperative to include an iodine source. Iodine deficiency can disrupt the production of thyroid hormones, which are essential for hair growth.
How to get enough iodine on a plant-based diet
There are three ways to get enough iodine if you're exclusively consuming plant-based foods.
If you're consuming a multivitamin or vitamin and mineral supplement made specifically for vegans, make sure it contains iodine (most contain the RDA 150 mcg per day).
Add sea vegetables like nori or wakame to your salads, grain bowls, or make vegan veggie rolls and enjoy them several times a week. One sheet of nori has about 40 mcg of iodine, however it can vary.
If you use salt during cooking, opt for iodized salt. Half a teaspoon has 150 mcg iodine. I don't recommend dumping half a teaspoon on one meal, but using up to half a teaspoon throughout the day can provide you with what you need.
Variety is Key
In conclusion, transitioning to a plant-based diet can offer incredible health benefits, including supporting hair growth and overall wellness. However, it’s important to be mindful of key nutrients that are essential for hair health, such as protein, iron, biotin, and omega-3 fatty acids. By ensuring your diet is balanced with a variety of nutrient-dense plant foods, you can enjoy not only vibrant hair but also a healthier body and mind. With the right knowledge and planning, plant-based eating can provide all the nourishment you need for strong, healthy hair.
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