Diet is key if you're suffering from hair loss. Photo / 123rf
Stress and poor diet can have a big impact on our hair, particularly if you’re iron deficient, as one writer discovered.
It began in the shower, when washing and rinsing, my hair felt lighter, less substantial in my hands.
As someone who’s had long, thick hair my entire life, it hit me like a punch.
“You’re being silly,” people would say. When you’re often mistaken for a hair model (thank you, Persian roots), they tend to eye-roll at any hair-related problem.
It’s true. It was only really noticeable on the day before hair wash day, when my locks were a little limp. But with freshly-washed hair and a bouncy blow-dry, I could see where the eye rolls came from.
But it wasn’t simply the feeling of “less” hair. There were strands blocking the plug, on my pillow and clogging up my hair brush. Then I started noticing it in the mirror – the wispy baby hair at the front, which had always been annoyingly bountiful, preventing me from ever mastering a slicked-back look, had pretty much gone.
I was constantly taking selfies and sending them to my hairdresser, begging him to help. But when he’d release my hair from its ponytail or bun and it cascaded down my shoulders and back, even I could see my concerns seemed laughable.
I did everything you’re “meant” to do to protect your hair. I tried thickening shampoos and various hair growth gummies and tablets. I washed it only once a week, using a conditioning mask and all of the right products. My diet was healthy and varied.
Meanwhile, I was tired, bone-shatteringly tired, all the time. I’d come home and pass out cold on the sofa, still in my coat and shoes, which was very unlike me.
I made an appointment to see Hannah Gaboardi, a trichologist based in Marylebone, for my hair concerns.
“How do you not fall down?” she exclaimed, after I handed her my blood test results (an obligation when making an appointment).
I’d initially thought that a hormone imbalance might be causing my hair loss, as is often the case for women, but those were all normal. The result that was glaringly off-kilter was my iron, which was severely deficient. Normal levels for a woman are 100-310ug/L, while mine was just over nine. I also had low folate. Both are needed for red blood cell production.
All my cells had been craving oxygen, it’s no wonder I was tired all the time. It also explained the hair loss.
“Unfortunately, hair is always the first thing to go,” says Gaboardi. “Iron facilitates the transportation of oxygen to the hair follicles, ensuring they receive the necessary nutrients for robust growth.
“When there is an internal imbalance, your hair suffers the most, as your body prioritises delivering these nutrients to your vital organs for survival. This means your hair is left depleted, dull and thin, and it can cause chronic shedding.
“By maintaining adequate ferritin levels, your hair retains its strength and resilience, promoting healthier and fuller hair growth.”
While not ideal, it was vindicating to finally know I hadn’t been imagining my hair loss.
I’m far from alone in suffering from low iron. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, around one billion people worldwide suffer from an iron deficiency, with 3% of men and 8% of women in the UK affected. It’s an issue that predominantly affects women, thanks to blood loss in menstruation.
Some of us are more prone to iron deficiency than others. “Some genes might affect your ability to absorb nutrients, so it’s important to check your iron and B-12 levels as well as how well your thyroid is functioning. Any of these can contribute to hair loss” explains Jess Humble, a nurse at Dripdash.
Though I hadn’t been consciously cutting down on meat, or eating less green veg. I did begin to wonder whether my eating habits had deteriorated. I eat out a lot but also attend events for work. An evening meal is often just a canape-and-cocktail.
Gaboardi explains that diet is key if you’re suffering from hair loss. “Nutrients such as iron, zinc, biotin, vitamins A and E, as well as omega-3 are essential for healthy hair growth, strength and texture.” Protein is also crucial, she adds. “It’s a building block for hair. If you don’t eat enough it can lead to hair thinning and loss”.
It’s true I had been more stressed at work. Plus I started dating. Navigating the chaos that is relationships in London is overwhelming and I’d often come home after a date feeling helpless and emotionally drained. I’d also had two major operations in two years – one to remove my gallbladder, and another on my vocal cords. Gaboardi explains that environmental factors like extreme weight loss, stress or a traumatic event “can result in shock hair-loss and chronic shedding which may only become apparent about two to three months after the triggering event”.
Right now my mission is to bring back my tumbling locks as fast as I can, so Gaboardi suggested I plan an iron-rich diet with plenty of red meat, lots of lentils and piles of spinach. But considering my very low iron levels I knew this wouldn’t fix it completely.
Since I’ve never found ordinary iron supplements particularly effective, Gaboardi suggested I try an iron infusion. Unfortunately these are not readily available on the UK NHS and, costing from £500 to £900 ($1150 to $2070) depending on the strength, they are beyond my budget. She also suggests a vitamin or IV drip which are a bit more affordable at £200 ($460) a session.
Vitamin drips are a much faster way of transporting vitamins into your body than taking a supplement in pill form. The equipment involved is a bag of saline solution with added vitamins that’s inserted into your arm via a cannula, by a trained professional. The transfusion usually takes between 45 minutes to an hour. I was even able to book one at home, as I live in London. The nurse inserted a small needle in my arm and then the infusion got going. The effects weren’t immediate, I didn’t notice a sudden surge of energy, but over the following weeks, exercise began to feel easier and I wasn’t as wiped out after.
I decided to be strict and committed to improving my diet – where I’d usually skip breakfast, I made sure to make a smoothie packed full of iron-boosting spinach and kale. I also cut down on ultra-processed foods and reduced my stress levels, by getting plenty of sleep and sticking to a routine.
My energy levels are much better and I don’t feel the need for a caffeine fix, which is great news as both can hinder iron-absorption. I could finally come home from work and sit down to watch TV without immediately crashing out.
So how is my hair today? It’s better – thankfully. Like bad skin, it had really started to affect my mental health, as well as my physical appearance. I still have a lot of shedding and hair in my brush, but I don’t notice the empty feeling as much when washing my hair and the patches I had before are gone. Now, whether I’m out with my friends or venturing on a date, my “luscious locks” are getting attention again, and for the right reasons.