Reverse Your Thyroid Hair Loss

I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror, brushing my hair, when I noticed clumps of it coming out on my hairbrush. It was horrifying and depressing. After all, I was 32 years old, and this was not normal! I would later discover that this was a symptom of my Graves’ Disease. I would even have the misfortune of experiencing thyroid hair loss again during my thyroid treatment. 

While thyroid hair loss might not be one of the more dangerous symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, it can be one of the more disheartening. In addition, it was a constant reminder that something was not right with my body.

In this article, I’ll share ten tips for addressing the root causes of thyroid hair loss and getting your hair back to being full and shiny!

There Are Root Causes Behind Thyroid Hair Loss

Thankfully, after a long journey of restoring my thyroid function, my hair returned to being as full and vibrant as ever. However, when I used to meet with thyroid patients, they would oftentimes be struggling with thyroid hair loss even while being treated for their thyroid dysfunction.

As with many health issues, this is often because conventional medicine doctors fail to identify and address the root cause of thyroid symptoms. Some of the common causes include chronic stress, nutrient deficiencies, and leaky gut. Toxic exposure, food sensitivities, and hormone imbalances have been known to be root causes of thyroid problems. I discuss all these root causes in my New York Times bestseller book, The Thyroid Connection.

Hair Loss as a Symptom of Thyroid Problems

Growing hair is more complex than you think. Your blood vessels, skin cells, and oil glands are all responsible for strong and vibrant hair. However, when your hormone production is disrupted, specifically the output of hormones T3 and T4 (the primary and secondary hormones produced by your thyroid), it affects the life cycle of each strand of hair. This includes hair development at the root, how long it grows before it falls out, and its replacement by new growth.

What Does Thyroid Hair Loss Look Like?

Thyroid hair loss often resembles a general thinning across your scalp or eyebrows. It might develop slowly. To demonstrate, patients with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism notice a gradual thinning of their hair rather than localized bald spots or missing patches. If you’re brushing through your hair and notice chunks of hair leaving with each stroke, it might be time to get tested for a thyroid condition.

How to Reverse Thyroid Hair Loss

The good news is that thyroid hair loss can be treated. Regaining a strong and healthy head of hair starts with addressing your thyroid condition and taking the necessary steps to reverse it. Here are 10 steps you can take to address your thyroid hair loss:

1. Make Sure Your Thyroid Labs Are Optimal

My first recommendation for dealing with thyroid hair loss is to have your doctor run a full thyroid panel. You want to make sure your TSH, Free T4 (FT4), Free T3 (FT3), and Reverse T3 (RT3) levels are all optimal. (1) 

In my article, Understanding Your Thyroid Test Results, I explain what each of these blood tests measures. In addition, I cover why your doctor needs to order all of them (not just the TSH and T4 that most doctors use) and why they should use optimal rather than “normal” reference ranges. 

It’s important to understand that you can still have thyroid dysfunction and symptoms, including thyroid hair loss, even if your TSH and T4 are “normal.”  The first step in optimizing all of your levels is to have them tested.

2. Make Sure You’re On the Right Type and Dose of Supplemental Thyroid Hormone

Once you know your thyroid levels, you and your doctor can ensure you're on the right type and dose of thyroid medication. Free T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, plays a big role in hair health. Yet, the most commonly prescribed thyroid medication—such as Synthroid® or Levoxyl®—only contains T4, the storage form of the hormone.

The challenge? Many people struggle to convert T4 into Free T3. (2) If that's the case for you, you might do better on a natural desiccated thyroid medication, such as Armour® or Naturethroid®, which contains both T4 and T3. Another option is adding a T3-only medication, such as Cytomel® or a time-release compounded T3.

In my New York Times bestseller book, The Thyroid Connection, I discuss all of the different forms of supplemental thyroid hormones. Determining which supplemental hormone is right for you is a crucial step in reversing thyroid hair loss.

3. Optimize Your Diet for Thyroid Health

The next step in reversing your thyroid hair loss is making sure your diet has been optimized for thyroid health. This includes ditching toxic and inflammatory foods and adding plenty of the nutrients needed for essential thyroid function. 

So many of my patients have seen an improvement in their thyroid test results after going gluten-free. My New York Times bestseller book covers the scientific research behind the gluten-hormone connection.

Dairy is another big culprit for thyroid patients suffering from thyroid hair loss. This is because of its chemical similarities to gluten. What’s more, it’s inflammatory for many people. Other inflammatory foods I recommend eliminating while you work to resolve thyroid hair loss include corn, soy, nightshades, eggs, nuts, and seeds.

Instead, you’ll want to focus on eating real, whole foods rich in the nutrients needed for thyroid health. These include iodine, selenium, zinc, iron, vitamin D, B vitamins, and vitamin A. 

If you’re low in these nutrients, your thyroid can’t adequately produce its hormones or convert T4 to T3. Moreover, it can’t get T3 into your cells to attach to thyroid receptors. As a result, it can cause hypothyroidism symptoms, such as hair loss. 

I recommend a diet with plenty of grass-fed, pasture-raised meat, leafy greens, starchy vegetables, organic fruits, and healthy fats to combat thyroid hair loss. If you need some inspiration, my website has a ton of free recipes packed with nutrient-rich foods that make wellness-focused living deliciously easy.

4. Take a High-Quality Multivitamin to Support Thyroid Function

Eating a diet rich in these nutrients is an important step in maintaining your levels of each. Yet, the unfortunate fact is that our soil has been depleted of nutrients. As a result, our food is less nutrient-dense than our parents’ and grandparents’. 

That’s why I recommend everyone take a high-quality multivitamin each day. The Myer’s Way® Multivitamin was specially designed to provide all the essential nutrients for thyroid function and general health. It includes selenium, iodine, zinc, iron, vitamin A, B vitamins, and vitamin D in their most bio-available and easily absorbable forms.

Iodine is one of the two building blocks of your thyroid hormones. Without it, your thyroid can’t produce its hormones. Selenium, zinc, and iron are needed for your T4 (inactive form of thyroid hormone) to convert to T3 (active form). In other words, without enough selenium, zinc, and iron, your thyroid hormones are stuck in their inactive state, causing hypothyroidism symptoms. Don’t worry — The Myer’s Way® Multivitamin covers all your bases for thyroid health. 

5. Increase Your Iron

All the nutrients I’ve listed above are key for thyroid health. However, iron deficiency, in particular, is a common cause of thyroid hair loss in premenopausal women. I find that most of the women I treat for thyroid hair loss in my clinic are deficient in ferritin, the protein that stores your iron since they’re menstruating monthly. (3) 

It’s particularly common among women following a vegetarian or vegan diet. I also see it frequently in those following a Paleo diet as well. If you’re a menstruating female or your iron levels are low, I recommend taking a daily iron supplement to help reverse your thyroid hair loss.

6. Add in Collagen Protein

Collagen is a protein that is packed with amino acids, including glutamine. It gives your hair its strength and your skin its elasticity. In addition, it supports strong bones and joints and helps maintain gut health. 

Your body produces collagen on its own. However, your production of it decreases as you age. You also don’t produce as much if you’re chronically ill or stressed.

An easy way to fight back against this inevitable decline in collagen is with The Myers Way® Collagen Protein. I add it to my smoothie each morning! It’s great for your overall wellness, especially if you’re repairing a leaky gut. It can be particularly helpful for those dealing with thyroid hair loss.

7. Check for Low Stomach Acid

I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying, “You are what you eat.” However, I prefer to say, “You are what you digest and absorb!” If you have a chronic illness such as thyroid dysfunction or an autoimmune condition, you may not be fully digesting and absorbing all the nutrients that are vital for thyroid function and healthy hair. A primary reason for this is low stomach acid, which breaks down your food once it reaches your gut.

Some telltale signs of low stomach acid include acid reflux, gas, and bloating, particularly after heavy meals high in protein. There is a simple test you can do to find out if you are low in stomach acid. 

You can take one capsule of Acid Restore with Betaine & HCL  (the primary stomach acid) with water before a meal. Then, see how you feel after about 30 minutes. If you feel a burning sensation, your HCL levels are fine. However, you probably need to add an HCL supplement if you feel nothing.

8. Balance Your Hormones

Many women experience thyroid issues or flare-ups during pregnancy or menopause—times when our hormones are going through big changes. If your estrogen levels get too high, whether from hormonal shifts or chronic stress, it can increase a protein called TBG (thyroid-binding globulin).

TBG helps thyroid hormones travel through your bloodstream. However, there’s a catch: They stay inactive when hormones are attached to them. That means your body can’t properly store T4 or convert it into Free T3, the active thyroid hormone. As a result, you may start noticing hypothyroid symptoms, such as thinning hair.

9. Balance Your Blood Sugar

Eating lots of carbohydrates and not enough quality proteins and healthy fats can send your blood sugar on a rollercoaster. These dramatic swings in blood sugar encourage your body to convert more T4 to Reverse T3, an inactive form of thyroid hormone. This slows down all of your metabolic processes and can cause thyroid hair loss.

To avoid this, I recommend starting off your day with a high-protein breakfast. Some options include a protein-packed smoothie or a veggie omelet. You’ll also want to pair your starchy vegetables throughout the day with grass-fed, pasture-raised meat and high-quality fats, such as avocados and coconut oil.

10. Address Adrenal Fatigue

You probably know your adrenal glands for producing adrenaline and managing your fight or flight response. However, did you know that, as part of your endocrine system, they also produce hormones that impact your major metabolic processes, similar to your thyroid? (4) These hormones help to regulate:

• blood pressure 

• electrolyte balance 

• blood sugar 

• immune response 

• digestion

Chronic stress, which many of us face daily, puts your adrenals on overdrive for extended periods of time, leaving you in a state of adrenal fatigue. The flooding and eventual plummeting of stress hormones have many negative impacts on the thyroid. 

It slows thyroid production and reduces your ability to convert thyroid hormones to their active form. In addition, it increases thyroid hormone resistance, causing hypothyroid symptoms, including thyroid hair loss.

While stress may be an unavoidable part of our modern lifestyles, there is much we can do to manage our stress levels and their impact on thyroid health. Don’t underestimate the power of taking a walk outside, practicing meditation, or taking a nice relaxing bath for managing stress levels. 

Another option to fight against the effects of stress is my Adrenal Support supplement. Adrenal Support uses vitamin C, L-Tyrosine, and B vitamins to support your adrenal function and energy levels. I formulated this supplement with some of the most well-researched adaptogenic herbs for those of you dealing with ongoing stress. You don’t have to let stress get the best of you — you have options!

Reverse Chronic Illnesses So You Can Take Back Your Health!

Thyroid hair loss can be frustrating and disheartening, but the good news is that you can do something about it. In functional medicine, we prefer to address the root causes. That could mean optimizing your thyroid levels, balancing your hormones, improving your diet, or managing stress. In other words, you can support your body’s natural ability to restore healthy, vibrant hair.

In addition to these lifestyle changes, the right supplements can make a big difference. A high-quality multivitamin, such as The Myer’s Way® Multivitamin can give you the nutrients you need, such as selenium, zinc, iodine, and B vitamins, to support your thyroid health. This is a convenient way to ensure you’re getting in a sufficient amount of nutrients daily. 

You could be eating an optimal diet every day and still experience thyroid symptoms. In that case, maybe your stress levels are lurking in the background, causing issues. Fight against the effects of stress with my  Adrenal Support supplement. It supports your adrenal function and energy levels with vitamin C, L-Tyrosine, and B vitamins.

Are you ready to beat thyroid hair loss symptoms, regain energy, and feel like yourself again? Follow the advice detailed above, and you’ll be well on your way! For even more support, check out my New York Times bestseller The Thyroid Connection. You’ll be able to finally connect the dots on what’s truly causing your thyroid symptoms. You can even REVERSE them naturally using simple and proven lifestyle changes!

You can take back your health, and you don’t have to do it alone. Here’s to the start of your journey to true wellness today!