Hair Loss After Weight Loss? How to Stop Shedding and Get Your Hair Back

It’s hard to describe how you feel when you step on the scale, see your goal number staring back at you, and realize you’ve actually done it. You know you have made some progress because your clothes fit easier and your face looks different. But sometimes what surprises you most are things you don’t expect — like seeing more hair fall out of your head in the shower!

You may also see some other symptoms related to hair loss after weight loss such as:

• Having few extra strands of hair on your pillow.
• Sudden increase in hair volume while using your hairbrush.

But why are you losing your hair when you have lost some weight? If you’re experiencing hair loss post-weight loss, rest assured — you are not alone, and this connection between the two is real!

In some cases, weight loss (especially if it’s drastic), coupled with very restricted calorie intake or lack of protein/essential nutrients in our diets, will lead to an increase in shedding. This is known as “telogen effluvium,” which is a temporary form of diffuse hair shedding following a significant physical stress or change to the body.

Here’s what I wish more women knew about hair loss after weight loss – It doesn’t necessarily indicate you ruined your hair or your follicles. In other words, don’t throw away your weight-loss dreams because you lost some hair along the way!

It’s just letting you know that maybe that journey into losing weight needs a bit more nourishment. That doesn’t mean punishing yourself. This isn’t an either-or situation where you need to pick between having a healthier body versus healthier hair. Instead, aim for what feels like balance through planning.

Can Weight Loss Cause Hair Loss?

Yes, losing weight can cause you to lose your hair — especially if you have lost a lot of weight very quickly. Telogen effluvium is one of the most common causes for hair loss related to weight loss. Telogen means “resting,” and it’s one of the many phases that individual hairs pass through as they grow, rest and shed.

Sometimes, a major physical stressor will send lots of hairs into their resting phase all at once, causing them to fall out weeks later when you might least expect it. This makes hair loss due to weight loss hard to track back to what actually caused it.

But you might've just completed your diet weeks — or even months — ago when you start to see this massive amount of hair loss. This doesn’t mean that your hair has now become unhealthy because of anything. Instead, this means that you’re noticing changes about your body going on before.

"Increased shedding (telogen effluvium) usually starts being apparent within 2-4 months post-triggering event," says DermNet. 1 Don’t freak out right now about what you ate yesterday either — your hair may be trying to tell you that everything’s wrong on your weight-loss journey months ago.

Why Does Hair Loss Happen After Losing Weight?

Not everyone will experience this as an issue with only one single reason behind it. However, for many of us, triggering symptoms were brought on by either rapid weight loss, or a mix of calorie restriction, inadequate protein, low iron stores, nutritional deficiencies, illness, stress, or hormonal changes.

1. Your calorie intake may have become too low

The mistake many women make on their journey to losing weight is believing the less they eat, the faster they lose it. It’s simply not true and will cause more problems down the line than just poor weight management – because your body prioritizes important functions like feeding your brain and heart first.

And while maintaining some degree of healthy hair growth isn’t critical to keeping alive, because your hair is lifeless. And extended periods of under-fueling could interfere with how well your body performs those normal hair growing cycles., when you lose weight due to any condition. 2

For example, the American Academy of Dermatology notes that eating too few calories every day can lead to significant amounts of hair loss. But this doesn’t mean you have to quit trying for healthy weight loss — just make sure your calorie deficit isn’t too extreme.

2. You're not eating enough protein

Getting enough protein is key to maintaining your healthy hair structure and growth, because it is made of keratin. Protein tends to fall through the cracks while you are dieting. 3

A woman might eat small amounts throughout the day, skip her morning meal, snack on low-protein foods instead of having actual meals, or eliminate protein-packed foods thinking that they’re “too high calorie.”

That’s a huge problem! Inadequate protein intake leads to brittle hair and telogen effluvium. It would be great if you could just ask: “How many calories are in my meals today?” If “where is the protein?” is what’s echoing through your head when planning dinners this week, consider trying one of these options:

Eggs/yogurt/milk/cottage cheese/fish/chicken/lean meat /lentils/ beans/ tofu and other protein rich foods. I am sharing some budget friendly healthy high protein recipes, you can try out them easily at home!

3. Iron Could Be Part of the Story

We can’t forget about iron though – it’s worth giving extra thought on this too, particularly for women who have hair loss after weight loss. Low iron status contributes to hair shedding. Iron deficiency is often something clinicians will investigate as part of assessing why someone might be presenting with diffuse hair loss. 4

If you’ve made changes that mean your diet has become more restrictive (or you’re eating lots of very low iron foods), then this could be a contributing factor to hair fall. I made a list on high iron vegetarian foods for women that is budget friendly as well as easily available. You can check it!

4. Zinc, Vitamin D and B Vitamins Matter Too

There isn’t just one magic “hair vitamin” to take. Instead, consider your nutritional status as a whole. Low levels of various nutrients – such as iron, some B vitamins and vitamin D, for example - have been linked to hair problems in general.

However, supplementing with these specific nutrients will likely only benefit you if you’re actually deficient or if you’ve received this recommendation from a clinician who has found cause for treatment.

That’s probably one reason that people get confused about which hair supplement to buy — there are so many options! But going out and buying a few random ones just because might not be the best way to start off.

Start with what you eat, then use hair supplements to fill nutritional gaps. Your plate will give your body a lot more different nutrients than taking pills would ever could. We’re going to discuss this now stepwise!

How to Stop Hair Shedding After Weight Loss

You may not be able to switch off telogen effluvium overnight.
But you can remove nutritional and lifestyle stressors that may be contributing to continued shedding.

Step 1: Stop Chasing the Lowest Possible Calorie Intake

Don’t go on an extremely restrictive diet. A healthy rate of weight loss shouldn’t be a contest about who eats the least. 5 Your body still needs enough energy for basic physiological processes like keeping tissues (like your hair) healthy.

According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), one should avoid going on a diet that consists of too few calories. In fact, the AAD notes the importance of good nutrition if you’re looking for healthy hair.

Try creating a moderate calorie deficit with nutritionally dense meals instead. You don’t have to starve yourself to get down to a smaller size! Here, you can read my blog how to lose weight without extreme dieting!

Step 2: Make Protein the Anchor of Your Meals

Do not focus on what you are eliminating from your diet but rather on adding nutritious meals consisting of:
Protein + vegetables/fruit + complex carbohydrate + healthy fat.
Here are some suggestions:

• Eggs + black bread + fruit,
• Yogurt + berries + nuts,
• Chicken + rice + vegetables,
• Lentils + bread + salad,
• Fish + potatoes + vegetables,
• Soy + rice + vegetables.

However, one should remember that there are many variables influencing protein requirement such as your body mass, physical activity, age and general health condition of a woman, since it is impossible to define a single number suitable for all women. Consult your nutritionist for your proper protein adjustments. The bottom line is clear:
One should not lose protein while losing weight.

Step 3: Don't Let Your Diet Become Beige

This is one of the most ignored aspects of dieting. When one gets obsessed with calories, food intake eventually constricts into a handful of “safe” items eaten daily.

• A spoonful of yogurt.
• A handful of salad.
• One piece of fruit.
• Perhaps a slice of toast.
• It seems disciplined.

However, nutritionally, it needs to be far more varied. Instead, aim for diversity in food. Change protein sources over time. Change vegetables too. Include varying fruits, legumes, whole grains, seeds, and oils.

Step 4: Don't Fear Healthy Dietary Fats

Some females focus so intensely on cutting down on calories that dietary fat is nearly nonexistent in their diet., because they think it will make them fat. Healthy fats don't only protect you from losing hair; however, they contribute also to proper nutrition.

Think about the following foods:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Avocado
• Olive oil
• Fatty fish

The idea isn't to dump oil everywhere you fear for your hair. The point is to stop considering healthy eating as only consuming protein, vegetables, and nothing else.

Step 5: Keep Losing Weight Slowly If You Still Need to

If you're attempting weight loss, you don't have to quit. You may have to just alter the speed and quality of your diet. Quick weight loss is known to cause telogen effluvium, while strict diets can lead to various nutrient deficiency.

Slow and steady approach can facilitate the needed levels of proteins, micronutrients, as well as food variety. And remember that the scale is not the only measure of success.

Step 6: Treat Your Hair Like Fragile Fabric

It is important to recognize that not only nutrition but also the external environment experienced by the hair has an effect on its health. If the hair has already started to shed, do not put unnecessary strain on it. Here are what you need to avoid:

• Avoid extremely tight hairstyles ( ponytails, buns). 6
• Follow the rules of cautious brushing.
• Do not constantly pull through entangled hair avoiding aggressive brushing techniques.
• Avoid excessive heat exposure.
• Be careful with chemicals.
• The recommendations of the American Academy of Dermatology suggest that harsh brushing should be avoided.

Step 7: Don't Turn Hair Shedding Into a Daily Obsession

It may seem like it's unrelated to nutrition, but it is not. Stress can induce telogen effluvium. 7 Consider what it is like to wake up every morning counting hairs on your pillow, looking at how your parting looks in the mirror, taking photos of your scalp and comparing the amount of hair you lose during shower with the previous day.

Your hair becomes the first thing you think about and the last thing you confirm in the mirror. This worrying will not help you to find any information. Hence, you should understand your hair in peace. Take random photos from the same lighting every now and then. Forget about measuring every hair. Work on them slowly.

How Long Does Hair Loss After Weight Loss Last?

Among the questions that can come to a woman's mind, this one needs to be answered at the earliest. In most cases, shedding is not permanent in the case of telogen effluvium, as it only lasts for a few months.
The phase of acute telogen effluvium may last several months, and new hair growth may be seen after that. Hair grows in most cases after the trigger is removed.
However, it is quite disappointing that recovery takes time.
Weight loss happens within weeks. But hair recovery does not happen right away, even when the cause of shedding is removed. In order for the follicles to go through the growth cycle, time is needed.

Should You Take Hair Growth Supplements After Weight Loss?

It is not automatic. The internet can imply that hair additives are the solution, for example, biotin gummies, collagen powders, multivitamins, iron pills, and many “hair growth” combinations. However, additives cannot replace having a proper diet.

If there is a deficit, it is essential to patch it; but should you have no deficit, it is quite questionable whether huge amounts of certain nutrients are going to be valuable. 8
The correct way is as follows:
Assess → Identify → Fix.

In case of an ongoing loss, a doctor should decide whether it is necessary to take blood tests and do further examination instead of merely detecting only certain symptoms based on a person’s medical history. Supplements can be helpful for you when your body is deficit in it.

When Hair Loss After Weight Loss Needs Medical Attention

Shedding of hair after weight loss does not imply it is always due to telogen effluvium. Hair loss may also be due to some other reasons like thyroid issues, mineral deficiencies such as iron deficiency, hormonal fluctuations, drugs, autoimmune diseases, scalp conditions, female-pattern baldness, etc. It is advisable to contact a doctor or a dermatologist if:

• Your hair loss does not stop or gets worse.
• You notice balding spots on your head.
• Your scalp feels painful, swollen, red, or covered with scabs.
• You can see a shift in your hairline.
• You feel extremely tired or have some other symptoms associated with lack of some nutrients.
• Your menstrual cycle becomes abnormal or too heavy.
• You gain or lose much weight.
• You think your medicine may be responsible.
• You lose not only hair on your head but also on your face and body.

A proper diagnosis matters because the solution depends on the cause.

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