Vitamin D

[Dara]

Has anyone heard of low vitamin D causing hair loss? Last March my doctor suggested I take Vitamin D, not for my hair loss, but along with Calcium to better absorb the Calcium.

I started taking it then and recently I've noticed I am shedding less.

Dara

[VictoriaG]

Hi Dara, I was told the same thing. I get my vitamin D just from a mulivitamin, but I was told to take it with Tums - for the calcium - they help each other. Good luck!

[Klf]

Hello Dara,
Ive been living in Germany for 2 years and for the most part it's cloudy and Im a stay at home mom who does not get any sun at all. Ive been ready alot about Vitamine D and agree that alot of people don't get enough. How much do you take?

[Dara]

Klf,

I am taking a total of 800 units along with my calcium. The next time I buy Calcium I will buy the kind that has the Vitamin D combined with it.

I've been reading up on Vitamin D too and some are taking much more.

I wonder if I could have a Vitamin D deficiency. For years I was on MTX for my arthritis. MTX made me more susceptible to the sun and I had trouble with getting sunburned even with lots of sunscreen on. So I have avoided the sun and really cover up when going outside.

Dara

[Klf]

Thanks Dara! I take a multivitamine with Vitamine D but last week a added the extra Vitamine D. Will see. Take care!

[Collette]

I take 2000 iu daily~

good luck!!!:D

[BettyG]

Yeah vitamin D is awesome. I take it in the winter time anyways for my mood because it gets so cloudy. I know it helps with that. But i dunno about using it to fight hairloss.

[EmilyJackM]

never i heard that vitamin D is harmful for hair.
I heard vitamin D is good for hair

[jasper07]

Vitamin D helps regulate calcium metabolism in the body. Calcium, phosphorus and other minerals make up your bones. Vitamin D is very important for children’s growth, but has never been proven to influence hair loss. Several studies have been conducted, and they all have found no relationship between hair loss and vitamin D.

It has been suggested that an optimal concentration of vitamin D is necessary to delay the aging phenomena, including hair loss. A cross sectional study of 296 healthy men was done to determine the association, if any, between male pattern baldness and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. Based on this study, the extent and severity of male pattern baldness does not appear to be associated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels . Additional studies in subjects with age-related or senescent hair thinning as well as in women with female pattern hair loss could be considered to see if there is an association of hair loss with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

[barbie]

I heard that the following are good for the hair:
-vitamin B complex
-Iron
-Omega 3 and 6
-evening primose oil
-green tea
-protein

[Luc30]

I'm seeing a subtle decrease in hair loss with evening primrose, biotin, and daily vitamin (which also includes D). I also added fresh carrot juice to my daily ritual. I don't know what it will do in the long run for my hair, but if the rest of me is healthy - that's great too!

I bought Saw Palmetto but I'm scared to try it. The way I figured if it helps men with prostrate - what on earth will it do to me? However I have read that Saw Palmetto can act like a DHT blocker.

I am going to see an ND soon, and one of the tests they will do is measuring the content of vitamin in my system to determine a vitamin deficiency.

Luc

[kathie47]

Vitamin D helps regulate calcium metabolism in the body. Calcium, phosphorus and other minerals make up your bones. Vitamin D is very important for children’s growth, but has never been proven to influence hair loss. Several studies have been conducted, and they all have found no relationship between hair loss and vitamin D.

It has been suggested that an optimal concentration of vitamin D is necessary to delay the aging phenomena, including hair loss. A cross sectional study of 296 healthy men was done to determine the association, if any, between male pattern baldness and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. Based on this study, the extent and severity of male pattern baldness does not appear to be associated with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels . Additional studies in subjects with age-related or senescent hair thinning as well as in women with female pattern hair loss could be considered to see if there is an association of hair loss with serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

This study intrigued me, so I looked for the full report. Here's a link to it: http://dermatology.cdlib.org/1602/reviews/vitamind/rashid.html

[angelinadiaz]

vitamin D is a steroid vitamin.It encourages metabolism of calcium and phosphorus.It is good for formation of healthy teeth,bones and hair.

[LaurenB837]

I noticed a bald spot the size of a quarter a few days before Christmas 2009. It gradually grew to 6mm wide and 5mm long. I stopped taking my birth control to see if this would help while also using Rogain. This seemed to work! I went to a dermatologist who diagnosed me as "slick bald" and said it will grow back in 2 months, and if not he would do a steroid shot. I never went back.

My bald spot gradually filled in. In Sept 2010 I noticed another bald patch and this month I found 2 more! So I went back to the doctor. She did blood work and it was determined I have low vitamin d. So starting today I will take a vitamin d pill once a week for 8 weeks and then go back to see what the results are. I am currently using Rogain again in hopes to at least contain the hair loss to the size it is. I hope this is what the cause is, PCOS, thyroid and hormones were ruled out. I'll keep you all posted to see if maybe this can help others find out the cause of their hair loss.

[Granny7]

Hi Dara,

I have been taking mega doses of Vit. D, as I didn't have any at all. I started out, doc's script, taking 50,000units, twice a week, for almost 7 months. Now the level is a little better and I am taking that 50,000 once a week, along with my calcium. Not sure why I don't have any, unless it's because I stay in the house a lot?

Even before taking the vitamin D in large doses my hair had gotten so very thin, have to wear a wig now, so I don't think it causes hair loss, but it sure hasn't caused me to grow any.

Good luck,

Granny7

[Janie]

I was diagnosed with low thyroid (hypothroidism) and given generic meds for it. Typically this contributes to hair loss and I found it maddeningly excessive.

On other health interest, I had my Vitamin D levels checked and began increasing my Vitamin Ds due to deficiency. I have been taking 10,000 units (that's only 100 mgs) per day for 3-4 months, which includes the 2,000 that are now part of my GNC multivitamin for bone density.

I have fine hair and lately hair stylists have been commenting on how THICK and HEALTHY my hair is despite artificial coloring. It was not until I read your post that I realized that I no longer have excessive amounts of hair falling out everywhere (terrible in the kitchen, especially).

I also take 5,000 units of B-12, a turmeric & bromelin capsule, fish oil, and 4 capsules of Acetyl L-Carnitine daily with my multi and my vitamin C...But it's the vitamin D that I've changed my routine on (upped it to 10,000 from 600) in the recent months.

Hope this is useful to the alternative med folks out there...
check out vitamin D info at the grassroots Vitamin D project or at the cardioscan blog.
P.S. I also use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner and only Goldwell professional color.

[Infinity]

An ironic thing about vitanins,,...
I have IBD and IBS, which means I can't absorb any of the nutrients from food. This attributes to hair loss.
Vitamin A helps with stomach pain...but guess what? Taking Vit. A can CAUSE hair loss! I always shed more on my Vitamin A weeks. I guess it's better than intestinal resection surgery.....

[Granny7]

I was diagnosed with low thyroid (hypothroidism) and given generic meds for it. Typically this contributes to hair loss and I found it maddeningly excessive.

On other health interest, I had my Vitamin D levels checked and began increasing my Vitamin Ds due to deficiency. I have been taking 10,000 units (that's only 100 mgs) per day for 3-4 months, which includes the 2,000 that are now part of my GNC multivitamin for bone density.

I have fine hair and lately hair stylists have been commenting on how THICK and HEALTHY my hair is despite artificial coloring. It was not until I read your post that I realized that I no longer have excessive amounts of hair falling out everywhere (terrible in the kitchen, especially).

I also take 5,000 units of B-12, a turmeric & bromelin capsule, fish oil, and 4 capsules of Acetyl L-Carnitine daily with my multi and my vitamin C...But it's the vitamin D that I've changed my routine on (upped it to 10,000 from 600) in the recent months.

Hope this is useful to the alternative med folks out there...
check out vitamin D info at the grassroots Vitamin D project or at the cardioscan blog.
P.S. I also use sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner and only Goldwell professional color.
Hi Infinity,

In reference to Vitamin D, I've been taking 50,000units, due to not having any Vitamin D in my body. Was taking this amount, twice a week for a few months, now it's been cut back to once a week. My hair is so thin, 75% and this all started about a year ago, which is when I did start the Vitamin routine, but also went off HRT. Have since went back on bio-identical hormones about a month ago to see what is going on in my body. All of these things were started or stopped about the same time, so it hard to tell what is causing the problem with my extensive hair loss? Will be seeing my dermatologist for the first time about it today, hope I find out something.

Linda
I am suppose to take Vitamin A, due to macular degenation, but read that Vit. A, can cause hair loss, so I stopped taking it. Of course, my hair is so much worse right now, still don't know what is causing it, but am in the process of finding out.

Linda

[Cleopatra]

Recently, I had a bone density scan done and was told my Vit. D is too low. My Dr. told me to take 5000 mg a day for a while and I'll get retested in 6 months. I did happen to notice a little less hair in the tub strainer the last few days and wondered if the Vit. D may be the reason. It will be interesting to see if this continues. My hair has gotten to where others are noticing, but not saying anything. :(

[arjhay101]

According to my research also, it has been shows that Vitamin D deficiency can, in fact, cause hair loss. It’s also been revealed in some cancer studies that applying Vitamin D ointments on the scalps of people who lost hair because of chemotherapy has shown some effectiveness in stimulating hair growth & recovery. The connection to hair quality is one of the newer areas of research on this vitamin and it appears that hair follicles can be stimulated to increase hair growth when Vitamin D levels are increased.

[Cleopatra]

Thanks for your reply, arjhay101. Since I posted back in the start of Jan., I've increased my Vit. D (about 6000 mg. daily) and am finally starting to see a tiny bit more improvement. I don't have as much in the tub strainer after my morning shower. There's still some, but not as bad as it was. And I still lose some when I brush it out (gently!) after the shower.

I also noticed my scalp doesn't have the severe burning sensation I was experiencing a few months ago. It still itches on occasion, but not like before. I'm hoping it will start to grow back out, but we'll see. I haven't found any Vit. D ointment in the stores, I'm guessing it's by presc. only.