Why does a vegan diet cause hair loss?

July 26, 2009 Dr. Mike 25 comments

My friend from gentlemen’s lodge has went on this crazy cult diet and is losing his hair. I have 2 questions actually. The next question is this. Should someone who is losing their hair go ahead and shave their head? Which looks better, a person with thinning hair or a shaved head?

hair loss treatment crazy cult, diet, gentlemen, thinning hair

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Written by Tori about 3 years ago.

Lack of protein and iron. Also certain vitamin or mineral deficiencies like zinc, copper, magnesium. Vegans must get adequate protein and iron and should probably supplement with vitamins and minerals. They need their calcium, omega 3(flax oil) and other things they may not be getting from being totally vegan. I’m not bashing veganism, I have a friend who is vegan and she is fine but she supplements and takes vegan protein shakes daily. I wish I had the will power to be vegan, we’d all be much healthier actually.

Tori
Written by Joey K about 3 years ago.

Oh, because it doesn’t. Fantastic scientific investigation with a representative sample of 1.
Written by cmhurley64 about 3 years ago.

THEY ARE NOT EATTING ENOUGH PROTEIN,,, SO THEY NEED TO FIND SUPPLIMENTS AND ALSO TAKE BOITIN THAT IS A VITAMIN THAT HELPS WITH HAIR LOSS
Written by Krayzie about 3 years ago.

changing from one dieted to another in such a drastic way can obviously make the body change. it seems like your friends body (hair in particular) cannot handle a vegan diet. the change has to be gradual, not sudden.

and bold looks better
Written by B W about 3 years ago.

your friend probably was not eating enough protien. there are a ton of foods that are vegan, you just have to make sure you are getting all of your nutrients. I deffinatley prefer a shaved head to a thinning one. Just check out Britney Spears new do. It works for both guysand gals!
Written by Aquaria about 3 years ago.

He is probably not getting the proper amount of vitamins and minerals. Also, lack of protein will cause hair loss. And if a person is losing their hair, just shave it. That looks much better that thinning hair.
Written by Jeffrey about 3 years ago.

There is no evidence that a vegan diet causes hairloss. Shave your head if you’re losing your hair. This way, once you lose the rest of it you will look pretty much the same and there will be no adjustment period when you have no choice. As for losing your hair in general, it’s best to try to accept this fact without trying to figure out a way to try to hide it with a hat or a hairstyle that makes it look like you have more hair than you actually do. Losing your hair is a tough thing, but the sooner you accept it the better off you’ll be. There are plenty of women out there who don’t care about hairloss, don’t panic, it’s part of life. I say shave your head and don’t think about it anymore.
Written by G about 3 years ago.

there is such a thing as being a junk food vegan — you have to eat balanced meals when you are a vegan too. if he isn’t getting enough fats he should suppliment with flax oils — you need your omega 3s and 6s for thick hair. if his main protein is soy that is a bad idea — it is full of estrogen which his body will counteract with testosterone production which will make your hair fall out.
Written by danielle about 3 years ago.

Your friend is losing his hair because hair is made of dead protein called keratin and a vegetarian diet excludes protein. He should take zinc or biotin pills to help his hair grow back and vitamins to help with the protein.
If your hair is falling off just shave it off. Sure, it will look weird at first but after a while nobody will notice. Don’t be a Donald Trump!
Written by Max Marie about 3 years ago.

Vegan diets don’t cause hair loss. They actually correct it.

Nor is veganism a crazy cult diet. It’s a well thought out lifestyle choice.

While folks above me have stated protein deficiency causes hair loss, in actuality the opposite is true. Too much protein causes hair loss.

You’ve seen those dogs with "hot spots" and bald butts? Too much protein. Adding fresh brown rice to their diet corrects the problem. So of course pet food manufacturers jump on that and start presenting kibble forumulated with rice. Which is a waste of time and money.

Too much protein taxes the kidneys. Toxins start coming out your skin. It can often look like a mild sunburn.

Also, sodium laurel (and laureth) sulfate in your every day shampoo is known to cause hair loss. Then they try to sell us Rogain to counter the issue when all we need is a SLS free shampoo.

As to which looks better, that depends on the individual. Some men have very sexy skulls. Some don’t.
Written by me about 3 years ago.

I really dont appriciate you calling veganism a CULT diet because it isnt I also think its bull that it causes hair loss i am vegan and my hair is thicker then ever
Written by littlebluefeet about 3 years ago.

no. a vegan diet does not cause hair loss. his hair loss may be his age,his genes, stress, etc.thinning hair or a shaved head depends on the persons face and shape off head. also vegan is not a cult. please look up in all the journals you have,for the correct definition of ‘cult".
Written by hawkeye about 3 years ago.

A shaved head, but I have noticed unsightly facial hair on female vegans
Written by Faith H about 3 years ago.

lack of protein?
Written by Joyce T about 3 years ago.

Cha Foxhunter!, la, la, la, I can’t hear you…take your bogus questions elsewhere…la, la, la….
Written by acille1jo about 3 years ago.

I just remembered that I need
to trim my thick vegan mustache, shave
my beard down to a stubble and get a
haircut this weekend.

THANK YOU for reminding me.
Written by Greg N about 3 years ago.

Get a life foxhunter and stop trying to insult vegetarians and vegans with your ignorant comments and made up questions.

As for your 2nd question-it’s his choice.
Written by AndyB about 3 years ago.

60% of vegans are estimated to have some level of deficiency of vitamin B12, a symptom is which is…you guessed it…hair loss (also aneamia and death, but that takes longer).
Either get him back on meat or get him on B12 supplements.
Written by H about 3 years ago.

As many other vegans with a wonderful, full, thick head of hair have already told you veganism doesn’t cause hairloss. In fact, I haven’t met a bald vegan yet! You also know that veganism isn’t a cult. Also, most vegans I know wouldn’t be seen dead or alive in a Gentleman’s lodge – who’d cater for us there – no one!

It must be wonderful for you living in your dream world where vegans are the enemy and it’s okay to kill inocent animals for fun. I’d hate to think you actually had to wake up and smell the coffee and realise you’re wrong.
Written by Ride_The_Lightning about 3 years ago.

It doesn’t.

Crazy cult diet? That like 2 billion people in Eastern Asia follow? You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Written by Gabriella about 3 years ago.

My question for you: Is is better to ask annoying questions or to remain silent?
Written by michelle5196 about 3 years ago.

I am not a vegetarian or a vegan but I know that when my sister became a vegan, she DID start losing her hair and it WAS because she was not getting enough protein in her diet. She’s not a huge cook, so she went back to vegetarianism, eating eggs and occasionally fish.
You do need to change some things about your lifestyle if you want to commit to not eating meat, and especially animal bi-products.
I’m surprised at some of the ignorant statements made in answer to this question!!!
Written by Philippa about 3 years ago.

A balanced vegan diet will not cause hair loss. Your friend must sort his diet out before he ends up with a serious medical condition – a trip to a qualified dietitian or nutritionist would be a good idea as they would be able to identify what essential nutrients he’s cut out of his diet and causing this problem.

With regards to thinning hair, I think shaving it looks better. Never, EVER go for the comb over!
Written by ggfan777 about 3 years ago.

Because your not eating all of the foods that your body needs.
And if you are a vegan or thinking of becoming one, I would advise agentst it. You can get really sick from becoming a Vegan. And I mean REALLY sick!
Written by Chopchipchuck about 2 years ago.

A vegan diet can cause hairloss, lack of protein and too much glucose, fructose, combined with a gluten and glutamate overload can do havoc to a human body. There’s no such thing as a balanced vegan diet, you’ll have to supplement to get the RDA and even then, it will be suboptimal.

Not to talk about the mental issues and hallucinations it may cause…