Thyroid Hair loss is one of the most common health issues faced by men and women alike. Poor thyroid function can severely affect the quality and quantity of your hair.

In fact, excess hair fall and loss of hair often brings attention of people towards an under active thyroid, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

While thyroid hair loss is reversible, it needs to be acted on at an early stage. That’s why it is utterly important that you take note of the signs of thyroid hormone imbalance and support the growth of your hair and hormones in a natural way.

In this post, we will look into symptoms and causes of thyroid hair loss to gain a better understanding of the problem. Then we will go through Ayurvedic natural solutions, herbs and best diet to stop hair fall and regrow healthy hair in thyroid disorders. Let’s begin!

What does thyroid hair loss look like? Symptoms and Signs

Generally, it starts with you shedding some hair, and then it gets worse. Then the crown of your head starts to become more visible as hair loss continues and it gets worse and worse.

Depending on your specific imbalances, you may observe one or all of the thyroid hair loss symptoms:

• Hair loss in the front portion and or the sides
• Hair thinning and loss from the parting, thus revealing your scalp significantly. Or you may experience ​uniform hair thinning all over your scalp
• Receding of hairline above the temples, thus making your forehead look out of proportion
• ​Change in texture of the hair: Hyperthyroidism hair texture is dry and brittle. Hypothyroidism hair texture is fine and soft.

Thyroid Hair loss | Ayurvedic View

Ayurveda offers a very different approach to understanding the cause and the treatment for thyroid hair loss. The emphasis of Ayurvedic treatment is on treating the root cause of a health condition and not just the symptoms.

Gradual falling of hair is known as khalitya in Ayurveda. Depending on the stage of the hair loss, two or all three dosha may have a role to play along with blockade in the channels.

According to Acharya Charaka, The tejas (heat of body) of the body combined with vata dosha can affect the root of the hair and follicles, thus leading to hair fall. This usually happens in the initial stages of thyroid hair loss.

However, when proper care and treatment is not taken, then thyroid hair loss may progress to irreversible damage stage in which hair follicles are destroyed too.

In this, kapha dosha combines with rakta dhatu, leading to degeneration and complete shut down of hair follicles. This can cause permanent baldness.

Ayurvedic Natural Solutions to Stop Thyroid Hair Loss and Regrow Healthy Hair

Ayurveda offers a holistic approach to cure thyroid hair loss with a hair healthy diet, lifestyle, yoga, and physical therapies.

The sole focus of Ayurveda is directed towards improving your hair health and volume by treating the root causes of hair loss and health symptoms that are specific to you.

Let’s look into the Ayurvedic natural solutions to support your hair health.

1. Best Diet and Foods for Hair Health

• Antioxidants: Eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in starch. Fruit and vegetables contain flavonoids, which are mostly antioxidants that protect the hair and promotes hair growth.
• Healthy Fats: Omega 3 fatty acids support thyroid hormones, nourish the hair follicles and stimulate growth of hair. They act as antioxidants and essential nutrients for the brain too, thus keeping you relaxed. Include foods as seeds, nuts, fatty fish and whole grains.
• Biotin: It is needed for healthy skin, hair and nails, and it can even reverse hair loss. Consume foods rich in biotin such as Brewer’s yeast, brown rice, bulgur, greens peas, lentils and oats are good sources of biotin.
• Minerals: Green leafy vegetables, pomegranate, amla, dried figs and dates are dense sources of required minerals as iron, calcium, zinc and copper that support the growth of hair follicles and stimulate blood circulation.
• Hair Growth: Consume foods that promote your digestive fire and help you to reduce inflammation. Some examples are: apple, berries, mangoes, oranges, avocados, asparagus, zucchini, cucumber, cabbage, celery, garlic, onions, sprouts, barley, oats and wheat.

2. Worst Foods to Avoid Thyroid Hair Loss

According to Ayurveda heavy to digest and excessively spicy, sour, sweet and salty foods can disturb your thyroid gland. Hence, whole foods that are well cooked with cooling herbs and spices be consumed.

Additionally, you should avoid processed foods and all the stimulants that create toxins in the body. Here’s a list of foods and dietary habits that you should avoid:

• Eliminate foods with a hot potency and hot temperature such as chili and cayenne pepper.
• Reduce your intake of non-veg foods, especially red meat or foods that are high on fat.
• Lower your intake of foods that have a high glycemic index.
• Avoid excess salt, chilies, spices, sour foods, and pickles.
• Reduce the use of caffeine, stimulants, refined sugar, and cold drinks.
• Stop consuming junk food, and carbonated drinks.
• Avoid untimely meals, multiple meals, late night foods, and snacks.
• Stop the consumption of processed foods and packaged foods.
• Remove and avoid smoking, alcohol and nicotine.

3. Yoga for Thyroid Hair Loss

Regular practice of yoga is beneficial for hair growth as it increases blood circulation to head and scalp region. Right yoga asana help to stimulate the thyroid gland, thus help in production of thyroid hormones. Here are some beneficial yoga asana for thyroid hair loss:

• Vajrasana – the thunderbolt pose is useful to calm you mind and tone up your digestive system. It supports regular bowel movement and natural detoxification of the body. This reduces the problem of excess hormones in the form of androgens.
• Shirsasana – the headstand pose enhances blood circulation to the scalp, stimulates the blocked channels in hair follicles and promotes growth of healthy hair.
• Sarvangasana – Shoulder stand pose is quite effective in increasing blood supply to the scalp region, thus improving the supply of nutrients to the hair follicles.
• Bhujangasana – the cobra pose improves blood circulation in vertebral column. Thus, it supports nervous system health. This in turn helps to reduce your stress levels, calm your mind and tone up your endocrine glands.
• Some other yoga poses that are also useful in reducing of hair fall, hair loss and baldness are:
  • Shashank asana (the pose of the moon)
  • Ushtrasana (the camel pose)
  • Pawanmuktasana (the knee to chest pose)
  • Uttanasana (Bending straight forward pose)
  • Sasangasana (Rabbit Pose)

4. Ayurvedic Herbs to Prevent Thyroid Hair Loss and Regrow Healthy Hair

Ayurvedic herbs and medicines aim to restore the Dosha balance and to facilitate proper thyroid function. Regular use of suitable herbs can help you to improve the health and lifecycle of your hair, balance the level of thyroid hormones and support functioning of the thyroid gland.

All the herbs and formulations shared in this post are for information purpose only. All of these are potent Ayurvedic medicines. These should be taken under the supervision of a qualified Ayurvedic doctor only. Do not indiscriminately use Ayurvedic herbs as it may cause more harm than benefit.

1. Bhringraj: It is very useful and precious herb for growing and thickening the hair. Bringhraj (false daisy) soothes the scalp, strenghtens and nourishes the hair follicles and the hair itself.
2. Amla: It is a natural immunity booster and a rich source of Vitamin C, Iron, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. Regular use of Amla strengthens hair follicles, giving your hair strength and luster, and prevents premature greying. Amla oil can improve blood circulation, stimulate hair growth and also provide relief to dry itchy scalp and dandruff.
3. Brahmi: It takes care of a variety of hair problems including hair loss, bristle hair, dried scalp/hair, dandruff. As a bonus, it relieves stress and clears the mind.
4. Shigru: It is a rich source of minerals and vitamins that nourish the body and support hair health. Regular use of shigru or moringa also helps to support thyroid hormone balance in a natural way.
5. Shikakai: Its hair cleansing properties help to naturally detox and cleanse the scalp. It is often used as a natural alternative to shampoo. Shikakai is rich in antioxidants and vitamins A, C, K, and D that nourish the hair and follicles.
6. Reetha: It contains astringents and antioxidants that cleanse the scalp and remove the Kapha blockade, thus stopping the damage to hair follicles. Do make sure to use Reetha and Shikakai with plenty of hair oil before, otherwise it can make your scalp very dry.

5. Ayurvedic Lifestyle & Natural Remedies for Healthy Hair Growth

While thyroid hair fall is mainly a cosmetic concern, it can be quite frustrating and embarrassing. The good news is that Ayurvedic Natural Remedies and Healthy Lifestyle can help to grow healthy hair in short span of time. Finally, make sure you are taking care of your hair properly.

Hair Massage

Regular massage stimulates the hair follicles, promotes circulation in the scalp and encourages hair growth. You can also use herbs like brahmi and amla to strengthen the hair shaft and reduce hair fall.

Take Care of Your Hair

• Do not pluck at your hair.
• Minimise the use of hair dyes, hairdryer and curling.
• Use hair masks that rich in essential oils.
• Avoid wearing hairstyles that strain your scalp with tight braids or ponytails.
• Avoid harsh chemical products. It is advisable, in fact, best, to stick to natural products alone.
• Use natural shampoos, i.e. shampoos made from natural products.
• For cosmetic purposes (i.e, while you are taking the other measures to regrow your hair), you can wear your hair in a body wave to make your hair appear thicker and hide the patches or make other hairstyle that can achieve similar results.

Good Sleep

Good sleep for sufficient hours is a necessary element to balance the dosha, hormones and keep your digestiv fire intact. When you lack sleep, it increases stress levels , slows down your digestive fire and leads to build up of toxins (inflammation) in the body.

This further aggravates the problem of hormone imbalance and poor circulation. It also reduces your levels of Melatonin and Growth hormones, essential for hair health.

Thus, always make sure that you follow Ayurvedic guidelines to better sleep and improve your sleep quality.

Reduce Your Stress Levels

Stress, tension and anxiety are the primary causes and symptoms of high androgen build up and hormone imbalance that triggers androgenetic alopecia.

That’s why you should practice relaxation techniques and regular meditation to reduce your stress levels. This will help to treat the hair loss and hair fall at the root cause.

Takeaway!

Ayurvedic treatment is not based on testing your willpower but it nurtures you to develop “self love” and switch on your body’s natural healing mechanism with the right diet and lifestyle.

Thyroid hair loss is one of the symptoms of imbalanced thyroid hormones. That’s when you improve your thyroid hormones balance, you can also reverse the hair loss and naturally grow healthy and strong hair.

Now we want to hear from you. Do write to us for any queries and feedback. If you have tried any of the above natural approaches for thyroid hair loss, then do share your experience with us. We will get back to you the soonest.

Wishing you vibrant health!

FAQ

1. What Causes Thyroid Hair Loss?

1. Unbalanced Thyroid Hormones

The thyroid hormones T3 and T4 have a direct action on the hair follicles, the length of the hair cycle (how long it stays on your scalp) and the colour of your hair.

So, if you are struggling with excessive dryness, hair fall or premature greying of your hair; then your thyroid hormones can have a role to play in here.

2. High DHT Levels

High levels of DHT (dihydrotestosterone) in your body can trigger hair loss. This is one of the most common causes of hormonal hair loss and balding.

DHT attacks the hair follicles causing shrinkage until the follicles disappear completely, causing the hair to become finer, stop growing, and fall out.

When the thyroid hormones are not balanced as in hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, then DHT is produced in your body at a much quicker rate. This triggers hair thinning and hair fall.

3. Low Iron Levels and Nutritional Deficiencies

Balanced nutrition consisting of proteins, vitamins and minerals is required to maintain the hair follicle cycle. In thyroid conditions, your metabolism and nutritional sufficiency is affected. This creates insufficient nutrients for hair growth and maintenance.

Some of the common nutritional deficiencies that directly affect hair growth are:

• Proteins
• Minerals: Zinc, Iron, Selenium and Calcium
• Vitamins: Vitamin D, C and E and B Vitamins that include Biotin (B7) and Choline (B4)

4. Thyroid Medications

The most common medicine used for thyroid disease is levothyroxine. Hair loss is one of the side effects of synthetic thyroid hormones.

2. Can Thyroid Related Hair Loss Be Reversed?

Yes, thyroid hair loss can be reversed if the hair follicles are still in a good state. In this case, it is a matter of balancing the thyroid hormones, promoting the circulation in the scalp and body and also addressing the root causes of your specific thyroid hair loss symptoms.

Along with hair loss some women also struggle with extensive dandruff patches, dry and frizzy hair, split ends and really brittle hair.

All of these problems can be addressed by improving the levels of thyroid hormones in your body and also by taking in a nourishing diet that supports healthy hair growth.

However, if you have lost the hair follicles, then it is really hard to reverse the hair loss. You will need to protect your hair and prevent further hair loss.

References

• Thyroid hormone signaling controls hair follicle stem cell function
• Clinicoepidemiological Observational Study of Acquired Alopecias in Females Correlating with Anemia and Thyroid Function
• Hair Growth and Alopecia in Hypothyroidism