Vegetarian diet and hair?

[Fleur01]

I have consumed a vegetarian diet off and on for the last twenty years. I have not eaten red meat for 20 years and stopped eating white meat (ie chicken, turkey) about 4-5 years ago. I sometimes do eat a little fish but no very often. I feel like I have a pretty diverse diet, lots of veggies, fruit, beans, nuts, grains like quinoa and chick peas and lentils etc etc. So no I don't live on veggie burgers ha ha!! However ever since I stopped eating all meat except for the occasional bit of fish I have noticed that my hair has progressively gotten drier, frizzier, weaker and has this sort of crisp coarseness to it now. I used to have great hair that had a nice wave to it and was pretty strong and shiny, I could just wash and go and it would look nice. I moved right around the time that I stopped eating most meats and I now live in a very dry desert like climate so I'm not sure if that's the source of my hair issues or if it's my change in diet. Any thoughts on veggie diets and hair...does the hair texture change over time?

[princessp]

Do you eat eggs? Veggie for over 20 years here too, and I noticed when I went vegan for a spell that my hair did suffer. Once I added eggs back in, my hair greatly improved. I can't remember the ingredient in eggs that is vital for hair (not just the protein it is something else). There is a thread about this somewhere. Anyway, you do not have to consume flesh to get what you need. Search around here for "hair vitamins" and you'll find out what they are and where to get them.

ETA: You can be vegan and get all the vitamins you need.

[freckles]

anecdata: I've been vegan for 4 years, vegetarian for 6, and stopped eating red meat and poultry about 9 years ago, and my hair has always been fine and straight and fragile. I can't say for sure it's not to do with your diet, but this is the first time I've heard of a vegetarian diet having an affect on hair texture (of course dietary deficiencies might cause hair loss or slowed growth -- but this is the first time I've heard anyone suggest a diet change might cause texture change).

It could be caused by climate. It might also just be normal changes that happen with time. Many people have different hair as adults than they did as children, for example. I hear hormones can change hair -- maybe if in the last 20 years you have been through puberty, pregnancy or menopause (sorry, I don't know your age), that could be a cause. I've also heard that hair can grow back very different after chemotherapy. I suspect, though, that if it's happened gradually over the last twenty years, it will be very difficult to narrow it down to one particular cause, even if there is one -- a lot of things have probably changed in the last twenty years that could affect your hair.

[Madame J]

I notice a difference in my hair since I started eating more fat (I'm not vegetarian). It could be that you're not absorbing enough fat-soluble vitamins due to a lack of fat in your diet -- try adding things like coconut, avocado, and nuts. A vegetarian diet is not inherently unhealthy, but it's really easy to start being deficient in something whenever you decide to restrict your diet in some way. If you're not vegan, you can also look at eggs and dairy for some dietary fat, protein, AND a bunch of great micronutrients.

It also won't help to live in a dry climate -- a lot of products meant to draw moisture into your hair will actually draw moisture out into the dry air when you live in the desert. So things like glycerin will make your hair moister in a humid climate but drier in a dry climate.

My anecdata is that when I went vegetarian in high school, I started losing hair -- but I blame that more on a poor vegetarian diet rather than vegetarianism qua vegetarianism.

[Joliebaby]

I don't thinking eating meat is crucial at all. You just need to get enough protein, vitamins and fats!! Don't forget the fats
If you are lacto-ovo-vegetarian and eat fish sometimes too it should be really easy to get enough of everything. Vegans have to work more for the protein.

[Islandgrrl]

I'd suspect a combination of climate and diet.

That being said, I grew healthy, knee length hair as a vegan living in the So. California desert.

I was careful to incorporate lots of healthful fats into my diet in the form of flax seed oil, nuts, seeds and avocados. I also took care to limit sun and wind exposure both for the sake of hair and skin.

I'm still mostly vegetarian, although no longer vegan (considering a switch back, though).

I hope you get it figured out!

[Kristin]

I've been a vegetarian for 5 years and I don't think my diet has impacted my hair negatively. To be perfectly, honest my hair is softer and longer than it has been since I was a child (and back then it was more coarse and less shiny, too). I would make sure that you are eating a healthy vegetarian diet with lots of good fats from nuts, avocados, etc...And take vitamins since no one eats perfectly.

[tanya222]

Do you eat eggs? Veggie for over 20 years here too, and I noticed when I went vegan for a spell that my hair did suffer. Once I added eggs back in, my hair greatly improved. I can't remember the ingredient in eggs that is vital for hair (not just the protein it is something else). There is a thread about this somewhere. Anyway, you do not have to consume flesh to get what you need. Search around here for "hair vitamins" and you'll find out what they are and where to get them.

ETA: You can be vegan and get all the vitamins you need.

I think I know what you mean, is it sulphur? Or albumin?

[mellie]

There are some things that I've started supplementing for (I am glutenfree and don't eat animal products): DHA/EPA, and Choline*, as I've found how important they are and can be very lacking in a strick vegetarian diet. I don't know if those might help for hair, in addition to a good multivitamin that of course includes B12.

*DHA/EPA are in fish, and Choline is in high amounts in eggs

ETA: I also track my amino acids in Cron-o-meter (www.spaz.ca/cronometer). I noticed that I was often coming up a little low in Methionine. So I started having teff grain every day for breakfast. Now I easily get 100% of all my amino acids!

[Pixna]

I am gluten-free and vegan (for thirty years) and have not seen any adverse changes to my hair at all. Make sure you are getting sufficient DHA (Google it) and vitamin B12. If you are, then my guess is that the move and dramatic climate shift are responsible for the changes in your hair.

P.S. There are vegan sources of DHA available.