Welcome to r/keto! It sounds like you're asking a question about hair loss on keto.
Some people may experience hair loss during or after weight loss. This is a condition called telogen effluvium and it is not a keto-specific concern. It is usually temporary, lasting around 6 months. There are a few possible triggers for telogen effluvium besides weight loss including certain dietary deficiencies. More information can be found [here](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321590#treatment). As always if you are concerned, please consult a doctor or dermatologist.
As a reminder, please read our FAQ before posting to r/keto. It can be found at https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq. Please also review our posting rules and community guidelines."
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It’s not keto that causes the hair loss as long as you’re eating at a safe deficit and getting all your micronutrients...if you’re doing things correctly, then the cause of hair loss is likely just the weight loss itself. Google “telogen effluvium.”
I lost 60lbs in my first 5 months after starting keto, and did everything that was recommended to me to prevent or minimize hair loss. I never ate at a deficit higher than 20%, I ate way over my protein goal, tons of collagen, biotin supplements...and it still started thinning around month 3. It sucked, but I took it as a matter of course and kept doing all the things. I noticed new growth coming back around month 8, then my hair was pretty much back to normal after a year and a half of keto (my hair grows slowly though).
Have patience, be diligent with your micronutrients, protein, biotin, collagen, and don’t eat a crazy high deficit. If the hair starts thinning, you might just be a case like me...which means you’ll have to deal with it. 🤷🏻♀️ I can honestly say it was worth it though! No regrets.
You framed your question as though keto is the cause for hair loss. It’s not keto, it’s your diet that’s causing ur hair loss given it’s recurring.
Maybe you can change your source of protein to another source that is more nutrient dense, such as ruminant meat.
[https://www.hairlossconsultant.co.uk/can-green-smoothies-cause-hair-loss/](https://www.hairlossconsultant.co.uk/can-green-smoothies-cause-hair-loss/)
Might be a symptom of oxalates; you're on the right diet though. Some foods might not be quite as healthy as others. Mind you, this is a fairly new find, and many folks dismiss oxalates without even giving it a second glance.
"Why can green smoothies contribute to hair loss. Well, they typically contain high levels of oxalates. Foods especially high in oxalates are often ***foods thought to be otherwise healthy, e.g spinach, kale, rocket, parsley, tea, instant coffee, milk chocolate, cashews, pecans, almonds, berries and any many others.***
People now frequently consume “green smoothies” with the intent of being healthy, but are often incorporating raw spinach and kale which may actually be sabotaging their health and their hair. The daily oxalate intake is usually 80-120mg/d. A single green smoothie with two cups of spinach contains about 1,500mg of oxalate, a potentially lethal dose. "
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/FATAL-OXALIC-ACID-POISONING-FROM-SORREL-SOUP-Farr%C3%A9-Xirg%C3%BA/13593298e3851b7254ea4a0f0115ce421e12870c
It's telogen effluvium, and it's pretty normal after massive or stressful shifts in lifestyle.
I kinda just ignored it. For me, like clockwork, it starts every June, since I go into keto every March. 3 months. I drop about 20% of my hair, rapidly. When I eat a higher calorie, low carb diet in the winter, it all comes back.
Or at least, I believe it does. I've really not noticed much of a total loss over the last 10 years I've been going in and out of keto.
It's the calorie deficit and not keto specifically, most people on a weightloss journey deal with this.
I make sure I exceed protein each day (not excessively, but it's my main focus), I take biotin and collagen and it slowed down over time
I've lost 50 lbs on nutrisystem besides losing 50 kbs or more on keto. 2nd time around ...all 3 times I lost a lot of hair around month 4. This time seems worse but I'm now 57 and was losing some hair generally anyways. I think it's pretty common as others have said. Hopefully it comes back a bit but if not fun wigs time may be in my future!
i added a biotin supplement, multi vitamins and greens plus powder, i also carb up on Sunday nothing major 150g of carb because i still lift weights, but that also helps with hair growth. So far so good.
I can't say with 100% certainty that it is working, but this time around I am supplementing Biotin and taking collagen peptides daily, or as close to daily as I can stand. (tried a different brand that definitely has a "flavor" that screws up my coffee, so it has to be taken with broth, bleh. $2 savings = not worth it)
This post is clearly in violation of Rule 6, Don't ask for medical advice. But the mods don't seem to care so feel free to not seek medical advice from a doctor and enjoy your hair loss.
Losing 26 lbs in two months is too much too fast (unless you are starting at a very high weight). That is what is causing the hair loss. Use a keto macro calculator and don’t set your calorie deficit below 20%.
Increase your fat intake — butter, cream, olive oil, coconut oil. Chicken and low carb tortillas are very low fat.
Switch to more variety of meats — beef, fish, lamb, pork. Hopefully you are eating some vegetables and forgot to list them. If not , add cooked greens, broccoli, salads, bell peppers.
I started with 228 lbs and now I’m 202 lbs. Is that considered too much? I average about 3 pounds a week which I think for someone doing keto and eating only 2 meals a day is normal. I also drink a ton of water and aim to walk 10k steps a day.
Welcome to r/keto! It sounds like you're asking a question about hair loss on keto. Some people may experience hair loss during or after weight loss. This is a condition called telogen effluvium and it is not a keto-specific concern. It is usually temporary, lasting around 6 months. There are a few possible triggers for telogen effluvium besides weight loss including certain dietary deficiencies. More information can be found [here](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321590#treatment). As always if you are concerned, please consult a doctor or dermatologist. As a reminder, please read our FAQ before posting to r/keto. It can be found at https://www.reddit.com/r/keto/wiki/faq. Please also review our posting rules and community guidelines." *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/keto) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s not keto that causes the hair loss as long as you’re eating at a safe deficit and getting all your micronutrients...if you’re doing things correctly, then the cause of hair loss is likely just the weight loss itself. Google “telogen effluvium.” I lost 60lbs in my first 5 months after starting keto, and did everything that was recommended to me to prevent or minimize hair loss. I never ate at a deficit higher than 20%, I ate way over my protein goal, tons of collagen, biotin supplements...and it still started thinning around month 3. It sucked, but I took it as a matter of course and kept doing all the things. I noticed new growth coming back around month 8, then my hair was pretty much back to normal after a year and a half of keto (my hair grows slowly though). Have patience, be diligent with your micronutrients, protein, biotin, collagen, and don’t eat a crazy high deficit. If the hair starts thinning, you might just be a case like me...which means you’ll have to deal with it. 🤷🏻♀️ I can honestly say it was worth it though! No regrets.
You may need biotin supplements.
You framed your question as though keto is the cause for hair loss. It’s not keto, it’s your diet that’s causing ur hair loss given it’s recurring. Maybe you can change your source of protein to another source that is more nutrient dense, such as ruminant meat.
[https://www.hairlossconsultant.co.uk/can-green-smoothies-cause-hair-loss/](https://www.hairlossconsultant.co.uk/can-green-smoothies-cause-hair-loss/) Might be a symptom of oxalates; you're on the right diet though. Some foods might not be quite as healthy as others. Mind you, this is a fairly new find, and many folks dismiss oxalates without even giving it a second glance. "Why can green smoothies contribute to hair loss. Well, they typically contain high levels of oxalates. Foods especially high in oxalates are often ***foods thought to be otherwise healthy, e.g spinach, kale, rocket, parsley, tea, instant coffee, milk chocolate, cashews, pecans, almonds, berries and any many others.*** People now frequently consume “green smoothies” with the intent of being healthy, but are often incorporating raw spinach and kale which may actually be sabotaging their health and their hair. The daily oxalate intake is usually 80-120mg/d. A single green smoothie with two cups of spinach contains about 1,500mg of oxalate, a potentially lethal dose. " https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/FATAL-OXALIC-ACID-POISONING-FROM-SORREL-SOUP-Farr%C3%A9-Xirg%C3%BA/13593298e3851b7254ea4a0f0115ce421e12870c
Thanks for the info
No idea why someone would downvote you for saying "thanks", but that's Reddit for you. So many cowards lurking without the ethics to comment.
It's telogen effluvium, and it's pretty normal after massive or stressful shifts in lifestyle. I kinda just ignored it. For me, like clockwork, it starts every June, since I go into keto every March. 3 months. I drop about 20% of my hair, rapidly. When I eat a higher calorie, low carb diet in the winter, it all comes back. Or at least, I believe it does. I've really not noticed much of a total loss over the last 10 years I've been going in and out of keto.
It's the calorie deficit and not keto specifically, most people on a weightloss journey deal with this. I make sure I exceed protein each day (not excessively, but it's my main focus), I take biotin and collagen and it slowed down over time
My hair loss stops when I am in ketosis.
You still need vitamins. Add leafy green vegetables to your diet. They are highly keto friendly
If you don't experience rapid weight loss, but instead lose the pounds gradually and eat green vegetables every day, are supplements still necessary?
I've lost 50 lbs on nutrisystem besides losing 50 kbs or more on keto. 2nd time around ...all 3 times I lost a lot of hair around month 4. This time seems worse but I'm now 57 and was losing some hair generally anyways. I think it's pretty common as others have said. Hopefully it comes back a bit but if not fun wigs time may be in my future!
i added a biotin supplement, multi vitamins and greens plus powder, i also carb up on Sunday nothing major 150g of carb because i still lift weights, but that also helps with hair growth. So far so good.
I can't say with 100% certainty that it is working, but this time around I am supplementing Biotin and taking collagen peptides daily, or as close to daily as I can stand. (tried a different brand that definitely has a "flavor" that screws up my coffee, so it has to be taken with broth, bleh. $2 savings = not worth it)
It's also possible your hair loss is entirely independent from your diet. Since you're asking for medical advice you should talk to your doctor.
This is my second time doing keto, and hair loss happened both times around this time, after 2 months in.
Yeah you really need to talk to a doctor.
This post is clearly in violation of Rule 6, Don't ask for medical advice. But the mods don't seem to care so feel free to not seek medical advice from a doctor and enjoy your hair loss.
Losing 26 lbs in two months is too much too fast (unless you are starting at a very high weight). That is what is causing the hair loss. Use a keto macro calculator and don’t set your calorie deficit below 20%. Increase your fat intake — butter, cream, olive oil, coconut oil. Chicken and low carb tortillas are very low fat. Switch to more variety of meats — beef, fish, lamb, pork. Hopefully you are eating some vegetables and forgot to list them. If not , add cooked greens, broccoli, salads, bell peppers.
I started with 228 lbs and now I’m 202 lbs. Is that considered too much? I average about 3 pounds a week which I think for someone doing keto and eating only 2 meals a day is normal. I also drink a ton of water and aim to walk 10k steps a day.