How to Prevent Hair Loss with a Ketogenic Diet

How can ketosis affect your hair?

Typically, your body uses carbohydrates from the food you eat for energy. But if you follow a low carb, high fat keto diet, you can go into a state of ketosis. When this happens, your body starts using fat, instead of carbohydrates, for fuel.

Several aspects of ketosis can trigger hair loss and a change in the health of your hair. Two of the most common reasons include:

Fewer nutrients. By limiting your intake of carbohydrates, including some higher carb fruits and vegetables, you may be reducing the variety of nutrients your body typically needs for healthy hair. This could cause you to lose more hair than normal, or for your hair growth to slow down.
Your body’s response to cutting calories. When you reduce your calorie intake, your body responds by making sure the energy that’s available goes to the most important functions first. This includes things like cell growth and the functioning of your heart, lungs, and other organs. This means there may be less energy for hair growth.

What nutrients are important for your hair?

As with any function in your body, you need key vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for everything to work well. Your hair is no different. Specific nutrients are essential for healthy hair growth and to prevent hair loss.

Biotin

A B vitamin long associated with hair growth, biotin is available in a wide range of foods. However, many foods rich in biotin, such as fruit and legumes, are usually avoided or consumed only in small portions on a keto diet.

Foods that are good sources of biotin and that fit well into a keto eating plan include:

egg yolks
organ meats, like liver and kidneys
nuts, including almonds, walnuts, and peanuts
cauliflower
mushrooms

Biotin is also available as a supplement. Experts recommend people get 30 micrograms (mcg) of biotin a day, which is typically the amount in one biotin capsule.

Vitamin C

It’s a well-known fact that vitamin C is vital for a robust immune system and overall good health. A lesser known benefit of vitamin C is that it helps produce collagen. This protein is needed for healthy hair and skin.

Although citrus fruits and berries are the most widely known sources of vitamin C, the following foods are also excellent sources and easy to include in a keto eating plan:

yellow peppers
kale
mustard spinach
Brussels sprouts
parsley
thyme

You can also find vitamin C in standalone supplements and multivitamins. The recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C is 90 milligrams (mg).

Vitamin A

Vitamin A is an important nutrient for hair growth, as well as for healthy skin, vision, and a strong immune system.

But, unlike some other nutrients, many of the foods that are good sources of vitamin A — like meat, eggs, dairy, and fish — are all popular foods for a keto diet.

What’s most important to note with vitamin A is that it shouldn’t be consumed in high amounts. Too much of it can cause vitamin A toxicity. Some of its symptoms include:

hair loss
visual disturbances
bone and joint pain
nausea and vomiting
poor appetite
headaches

The RDA for vitamin A is 900 mcg per day for men and 700 mcg per day for women. You can easily reach this by eating foods that are common on a keto diet.

Avoid taking a multivitamin that contains vitamin A if you’re on a keto diet, as you’re likely getting all you need from the foods you eat.

Vitamin D

We get vitamin D from the food we eat. Our bodies also make it from the sunlight that reaches our skin. Vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and numerous other functions, including healthy hair.

Low levels of vitamin D are associated with hair loss and a condition called alopecia. That’s an autoimmune disease that can cause hair loss all over the body.

Keto-friendly food sources of vitamin D include:

fatty fish, like salmon, herring, and sardines
tuna
oysters
egg yolk
mushrooms

The RDA for vitamin D is 600 international units (IU) per day from food. If your skin sees very little sunlight, your intake should be closer to 1,000 IU per dayTrusted Source.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is another antioxidant, like vitamin C, that promotes the healthy growth of cells and hair.

To ensure you’re getting healthy amounts of vitamin E each day, try to include the following foods in your keto diet:

sunflower seeds
almonds
hazelnuts
peanuts
avocados
spinach
tomatoes

The RDA of vitamin E for adults is 15 mg per day.

If you feel your diet is lacking in vitamin E, you can take a supplement. Just be sure not to exceed 1,000 IUs per dayTrusted Source if you take synthetic supplements.

Protein

A keto diet typically includes plenty of protein sources, such as red meat, poultry, and fish.

But if you’re on the keto diet and vegan or vegetarian, you may not be getting as much protein as you need. That can lead to hair loss as well as more serious complications, like loss of muscle mass and an impaired immune system.

If you don’t want to consume animal based protein, try to include a good amount of plant based protein sources in your eating plan. Some excellent keto-friendly sources include: