All You Need To Know About Hair Loss When You Lose Weight!

Hair loss and weight loss are two different issues, but they do share some commonalities. Many people lose hair or put on weight when going through some stressful event (e.g., an illness) in their lives, and sometimes these problems resolve themselves after the stress is gone.

Why can you lose hair after weight loss?

Weight loss and nutrient deficiencies are associated with malnutrition. When we live on a very restrictive diet (e.g., low-calorie, fasts, diets that rely heavily on liquids), the body goes into “survival mode.” It gets fewer nutrients than needed from food and relies more on “nonessential” parts of the body (like hair) to be used as nutrients when they’re available. Malnutrition causes hair loss because it leads to deficiencies in the body. The most common nutrient deficiency that is associated with malnutrition is iron deficiency (anemia). A lack of iron in the body leads to a reduction in hair growth, leading to slow hair fall. For example, people who experience severe depression often report hair loss as one of its symptoms.

Crash Dieting: Crash dieting can be extremely dangerous. Sometimes it causes nothing more than weight loss, but people concerned about their hair health also have to consider the possibility that it can cause severe malnutrition. A long-term calorie deficit of 10% or more (which is what most Crash Diets call for) can result in a condition called “refeeding syndrome.” It happens when the body has been deprived of essential nutrients for so long that once they are introduced back into the system, it goes haywire and begins drawing those nutrients from parts of the body that don’t need them as severely as your hair follicles! In some cases, such as if you’re suffering from anorexia nervosa, this effect can be permanent. If you’re on a strict diet, it’s essential to ensure your fulfilling all nutritional requirements. A good multivitamin can help fill in any gaps in your diet and prevent serious deficiencies from developing.

Low Protein diet: Normally, the hair is not affected by protein deficiency. But if you have a deficient protein diet, your hair will probably fall out, and it doesn’t grow well because it only grows after shedding(Catagen phase). Once you start eating regular foods again, the body takes nutrients from more essential parts to replenish the hair (that’s why we lose hair when we fast or starve). Protein helps in making strong roots which help in the growth of new hairs.

Restrictive Diet: A restrictive diet can be one of the most challenging things to deal with for someone who has a hair loss problem. The reason is that by restricting a large number of calories or macronutrients, you are starving your body, and it’ll do anything necessary to get access to more energy (even if that means breaking down your muscles into glucose or protein)! There are two ways that people usually restrict their diets – either they severely cut back on the amount of food eaten in a day, or they severely limit certain types of foods. Both methods can deprive your body of vital nutrients.

Low Carb Diet: Low carb diets can cause hair loss because they lead to malnourishment. They restrict the intake of carbohydrates, which are essential for hair health. Vitamins and minerals like iron, calcium, zinc, and protein also play a significant role in preserving your hair. The combination of low nutrient levels and lower blood circulation from decreased circulation can have disastrous effects on your head hair. Low carbohydrate diets can also lead to hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), which further aggravates its impact on hair growth.

How to prevent hair loss while losing weight?

You may be able to stop or even reverse some of your hair loss during nutritional treatment by incorporating specific foods into your diet that support hair health, such as those rich in zinc and vitamin B5. Some supplements will help you overcome nutrition deficiencies caused by extreme dieting. You must follow a safe and healthy diet while going through this process. If you’re losing hair, the fastest way to stop the decline is to eat more calories without increasing your body fat percentage.

How to accelerate hair re-growth:

To get the fastest re-growth, you need to stimulate hair growth. Stimulating hair growth can be accomplished in several ways:

Iron supplements: Because iron deficiency is a common side effect of cutting calories and losing weight, it’s essential to maintain an adequate iron intake while on a diet. It’s vital for producing red blood cells, which carry oxygen throughout the body. Sufficient amounts of oxygen are necessary for the health of your scalp and follicles. Without enough iron, you can develop “anemia,” which results in slower hair growth. (It can also lead to other problems, like headaches.)

Vitamin C Deficiency: Vitamin C is another nutrient you must take in to keep your body healthy. If you consume very few calories and do not eat fruits and veggies, vitamin C levels may fall too low.

Eating Healthy: Normally, if you’re eating healthy(in moderation), there should be no other reason your hair falls out (except stress). If it’s falling due to malnutrition or unhealthy food consumption, there are specific ways to prevent this problem.

Drink Water: Drink lots of water so that toxins don’t re-enter the system & cause damage. Drink at least 3 liters daily (this helps in flushing out toxins from the body).

Take fruits/veggies and protein-rich foods. (Don’t take too much of grilled, barbequed, or fried food because these might contain substances that damage hair follicles) . Eat food that contains Omega-3 fatty acids.

Eat your breakfast! (Yes, it matters!!): You should eat your breakfast because it’s essential for a good day. Skipping breakfast can result in low blood sugar levels and lead to hair loss. Low blood sugar means that there isn’t enough glucose circulating in the body to provide energy for various biochemical processes, including hair growth. If your body doesn’t have enough power coming in from food (without adequate carbohydrates, which are the primary energy source for most people), it will start using fat stores and muscle tissue as fuel. When this happens, you could lose some hair temporarily due to protein breakdown.

Cut Caffeine: Another possible cause for falling hair is Hair fall due to caffeine consumption. If you’re drinking caffeinated beverages like coffee or energy drinks every day to lose weight, then you could be causing stress to your scalp. Try stopping caffeine for some time to see if the shedding stops.

Do not Exercise a lot: Exercise is crucial for most people, but when you’re trying to shed pounds, primarily by cutting calories and doing excessive workouts, intense physical activity can stress your body out. The key is to keep exercise moderate while still allowing it to do its job in helping muscles grow more robust and maintain a healthy heart rate. Mild aerobic activities like jogging or walking every day help to stimulate hair growth.

Is hair loss dangerous while weight loss:

Hair fall doesn’t cause any problem except that you might feel more conscious about it. If you’re experiencing hair loss during weight loss, say days 3-5 after cutting down on calories and exercising more, then don’t panic. The body goes through detox symptoms in which natural oils are being cleansed out of your skin and scalp. Once the detox period is over, your hair loss will subside. It’s completely normal to lose some hair while trying to lose weight, especially if you’re doing strenuous exercises. Hair tends to shed when there is an imbalance of nutrients or excessive stress on the body to result quickly. (When you’re trying for a quick result + exercising more than usual + going on crash diets =you should expect this)

Will I get my hair back after I stop losing weight?

After your first week of weight loss, if you haven’t lost any significant amount of weight (like 5 pounds), then yes, you’ll retain your hair. If this doesn’t happen, immediately stop exercising and eating fewer calories (drastically). The worst thing you can do is keep pushing yourself if all the weight loss efforts aren’t working or making your body feel worse than before.

How can Homeopathy help?

In homeopathy, certain medicines are given to treat hair loss. The remedies help in preventing hair fall and in the re-growth of lost hair. Homeopathic medicine regulates the functioning of endocrine glands related to good health and maintains hormonal balance, which helps with overall well-being. One advantage is that these remedies do not have any side effects as other chemical medications often do.

Cinchona Officinalis: This remedy comes into play when excessive sweating due to excessive exercise, running or fever, etc. In such cases, it makes the body weak due to the loss of essential minerals like iron. It also causes insomnia, restlessness, excessive thirst, and irritation due to too much intake of cold water. In the early stages, hair loss is seen in the head and eyebrows, which gradually increases, especially when exposed to wind or sun. Due to this hair fall, there is dandruff all over the body like a sandstorm. Hair becomes very brittle with scanty growth.

Argentum Nitricum: This medicine strengthens the entire body and helps regain lost strength through a healthy diet, disturbed sleep patterns, etc. It ensures the proper flow of blood and energy throughout the system, which allows hair to grow. It also prevents further hair fall.

CalcareaCarbonica: This medicine is helpful if there is hair loss due to loss of appetite and malnutrition. The slightest exertion causes severe pain, and pains in joints cause weakness all over the body, especially in the head region. This fear leads to losing hope, and thus, depression sets in, leading to alopecia /hair fall. It also stops excessive hair fall, even if this is caused due to an underlying medical condition. The person has a strong desire for sweets during treatment as well.

Natrum Muriaticum: This medicine is helpful in those cases where there is anxiety, fear, or tension regarding the health of self/family. There is extreme tiredness due to lack of sleep which causes severe exhaustion. It can happen due to losses experienced by self or family, too much work pressure, etc. As the nervous system gets affected by this emotional upheaval, alopecia /hair loss from the head region occurs. The person looks pale with sunken eyeballs, restlessness with desire for cold drinks.

Lycopodium Clavatum: This medicine is helpful when there is a sudden change in lifestyle, the occurrence of losses, etc., which makes a person depressed, restless with a loss of concentration power. Under such circumstances, anxiety sets in and stimulates sympathetic nerves making the heart weak, leading to alopecia /hair fall during these times of stress. The person also becomes irritable, tense with absent-mindedness as well as forgetfulness, causing depression too.

There are several medicines in homeopathy that can absorb nutrients from food even if you are eating in moderation.

When prescribed by a qualified homeopath, these homeopathic remedies are effective and safe for chronic hair fall. The medicine helps in the re-growth of hair and preventing further loss, which is natural. There are no side effects, as in the case of chemical medications.

Homeopathy facilitates the body’s processes to restore health and well-being rapidly. The remedies help in preventing hair fall and in the re-growth of lost hair. Homeopathic medicine regulates the functioning of endocrine glands related to good health and maintains hormonal balance, which helps with overall well-being.

Homeopathy offers a holistic approach to health and well-being. It can help several conditions like hair fall due to physical or emotional factors, alopecia caused by other underlying medical problems (like hormonal imbalance, thyroid deficiency, etc.).To know more about hair and weight loss, you can book an appointment through OHO Homeopathy today!