How I Got My Hair to Stop Falling Out

For almost 2 years (I started noticing in August 2021) I was losing massive amounts of hair. I would rinse in the shower and handfuls of hair would be left in the palm of my hand. So much that I was beyond myself how I had any hair left. Thinning on the sides of my scalp was the most noticeable. I began cutting my hair shorter and shorter, legit mentally preparing to shave my head.

I tried expensive shampoos, serums, supplements, and saw my PCP and Dermatologist. We did a workup and almost everything was normal including my thyroid, however my zinc was a little on the low side.

They asked if I was a vegetarian, and at the time I was a few years into a "plant-based" diet. I explained that I still ate plant-based "meat", beans, and the occasional cheat meals, but she just suggested I take a zinc supplement. My zinc numbers improved but my hair was still falling out. We ended up doing 3 rounds of steroids. It was loads of fun getting a needle injected into every inch of my scalp 3 months in a row, but my hair was still falling out.

I was informed by several non-professionals that "hair just starts to fall out when we get older" but I was still in my 30's! I didn't believe this was mid-life hair loss, if it were that would be pretty extreme.

It wasn't until I started studying holistic nutrition a couple months ago when a light bulb went off. Our hair is mostly made up of protein and the amount and type of protein we get in our diet helps our hair grow and stay healthy. Protein restrictions can totally lead to hair loss. All 9 essential amino acids (those that we can only get from food) are found in animal products and in adequate amounts. These essential amino-acids are needed to make our own proteins, hormones, and other important molecules in our bodies. A few plant-based foods can provide essential amino-acids as well, but not in as sufficient amounts as animal proteins. Vegetarian or vegan really needs to pay attention to their diet and work to ensure they're getting a proper amount of amino acids. Zinc also plays a critical role. Vegetarians tend to absorb less zinc because they're consuming foods with low-zinc contents. They often require 50% more of the recommended daily allowance for zinc than meat eaters. I ate Impossible "meat" and some beans and cheat-meat here and there, but I surely didn't pay attention to how much protein I was getting or from what sources. So after learning all of this, I thought I would experiment. I learned I was not getting anywhere near the amount of protein I should be. I increased not only the amount of protein by almost 3-fold, but specifically focused on sustainable animal products (mostly fish, chicken, turkey, and some beef).

Within 3-4 weeks I noticed a significant improvement in hair loss. I went from losing sometimes 40-50 strands of hair at once just in the shower to about 3-5 strands. If I am not purposely trying to pull hair out as I rinse my conditioner, I may not even have any. Additionally, there is a ton of new growth. I absolutely believe that protein, and zinc from its natural source, are what my body has been asking for.

This is what worked for me. It may not work for you but if you are experiencing hair loss and feel as though you've tried everything else, I highly suggest you look into what you're eating and the amounts.

Let me know if this resonates with you or if you make a change in your diet that you find helps!