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If you’ve been noticing a lot of hair on your brush in the morning or after a shower you are NOT alone. Hair shedding among women is incredibly common, even if it’s not a topic that is discussed often. And the problem with this secrecy is that it prevents us from finding solutions to hair loss — yes, there are several solutions that can work. Hair loss can be the result of so many factors that include hormonal changes, changes in medication, stress, and diet. Before you panic and shell out tons of money on pharmaceuticals, this is the surprising natural remedy that experts swear by for halting hair loss.
The moment a woman expresses that she is losing hair the well-meaning advice pours in — much of it focusing on which supplement or medicine you should try first. But, according to Registered Dietitian Colleen Christensen, founder of the brand @no.food.rules, there may be something even simpler that women are overlooking: food — and consuming enough of it. With so many social media posts and literature raving about this and that diet that can help you drop weight fast, one factor that is neglected when it comes to hair loss is how common it is to lose hair because of strict diets.
“Not consuming enough food overall (I.e. dieting) can lead to hair loss,” Christensen says. “When we don’t give our bodies enough energy they’ll focus the energy they do have on the things that are needed to survive. And spoiler, hair growth isn’t one of them!”
Another way to halt hair growth is to ensure that you’re getting enough protein, Christensen says. “Again, many times inadequate protein intake can be a byproduct of dieting,” Christensen says. “Especially for those juice cleanses! Before jumping to any crazy supplements I’d recommend first taking a look and seeing if you’re giving your body the overall energy and protein it needs. For me, when I finally stopped dieting and became an intuitive eater my hair became so much stronger, thicker and grew faster.”
Vitamin B-7
If you aren’t familiar with the B vitamins, get ready to incorporate them into your diet in a major way — because they’re all extremely important and play a role in healthy haircare.
“One way of taking care of our crowning glory is to consume enough vitamins, particularly vitamin B-7, or more commonly referred to as biotin,” says Niyla Carson, the nutritionist of Fast Food Menu Prices. “It should be noted that there is no solid evidence yet that consuming enough biotin would automatically do wonders to our hair— however, the deficiency thereof makes hair brittle and weak! To be on the safe side, having enough biotin intake is better to avoid these hair worries.”
Mukh says she recommends supplementing your diet with zinc for 12 weeks with a dose of 15-30 mg. “Make sure to eat it after food, otherwise, it can cause nausea or upset your stomach,” Mukh says.”Natural sources of zinc can be found in oysters, shrimp, scallops, grass-fed beef, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds. Diet rich in those foods will reduce hair loss.”
