reversing thyroid hair loss

Losing your hair is hard. It might be common for those of us living with thyroid disorders; but hair loss was definitely the toughest part of my journey with Grave’s Disease.

That’s why I wanted to share some of the tips and tools that have helped me in my journey to reversing thyroid hair loss.

As if dealing with the chronic exhaustion and heart palpitations weren’t enough.

Watching handfuls of hair come out at a time really started to take a toll – me physically and emotionally.

Was I going to end up bald?

At what point should I start wig shopping?

What the heck will I tell people?

I know that hair shouldn’t feel that important. But at the time, I would’ve given anything to just make my thyroid hair loss stop.

WHY DOES IT HAPPEN

Let’s start with some basics.

Our hair has a cycle: the blood vessels in our scalp nourish the follicles that lead to hair growing out of hour head. Then our hair grows until its’ cycle is over; it falls off and the regrowth cycle continues.

While it’s normal to lose anywhere from 50-100 hairs each day. It’s when that hair isn’t being replenished that hair loss becomes something we notice.

It’s pretty clear: our body doesn’t need hair in order to survive. And anytime we struggle with chronic stress, our body gets depleted of nutrients.

Essentially, when it comes to thyroid disorders – our body just doesn’t have enough nutrients for hair growth.

And what it does have, goes to supporting more important functions.

HOW TO REVERSE IT

Nutrient-Rich Food

Making sure we’re getting enough vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids is really important. It creates a foundation that supports hair growth.

Avoiding processed foods. Eating real, whole foods like organic fruits, vegetables, coconut oil, soaked nuts + seeds, herbs and spices instead – all helps support the beginning stages of growth and can play a huge role in reversing thyroid hair loss.

Now, I’m a huge advocate for eating your nutrients.

However, if it’s difficult for you to get all of your vitamins and minerals through whole foods, adding a high quality (gluten, dairy and soy-free) multi-vitamin/mineral can be extremely helpful.

LOOK FOR:

• Vitamins A
• B-Complex
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Plus minerals like zinc, iron and copper

Stomach Acid

Our stomach acid is responsible for helping our body breakdown and digest our food. When stomach acid is too low, our body isn’t able to breakdown and use all of the nutrients in the food we eat.

Low stomach acid can then create ripple effect that can trigger our immune system and even lead to protein, vitamin B12, magnesium and iron deficiencies.

If you’re someone who’s suffering with acid reflux, chronic gas or heart burn, you could have low stomach acid. 

Adrenal Support

As I mentioned earlier, chronic stress is something that can and does affect our hair. It overloads our adrenal glands and leads to the nutrients that our body needs for hair growth, being depleted.

Remember, the stress that causes dis-ease isn’t just limited to the mental and  emotional stuff.

Exposure to toxins in the environment, bacterial infections, viral infections, surgery and prescription medicines – can all be extremely stressful on our bodies and lead to nutrient deficiencies.

Seeing more and more hair in our brush and less and less on our head can be scary and stressful in of itself. But the good news is that thyroid-related hair loss can be temporary.

BE PATIENT

Now for the hardest part. Patience.

While we may not be ale to control the exact timing of how things happen in our journey, there are things we can do when it comes to reversing thyroid hair loss. 

Try the tips I’ve shared here, try this super easy anti-inflammatory golden milk recipe and give your body some grace as it works to heal.

Want more tips and information to improve your thyroid?

Take our FREE thyroid quiz to find out more about the things that could be making your symptoms worse.