Iodine for hair growth

[girlcat36]

Iodine is antifungal and antibacterial. Theoretically, it could help stop shedding when used topically if the shedding were caused by, say, a fungus on the scalp.

***disclaimer*** I am NOT dispensing medical advice or advising the use of iodine.

[clairenewcastle]

I've recently started taking kelp tablets as a source of iodine in the hope it makes my hair grow.

[Silver Swan]

I read up on this thread before I got pregnant, and in my first meeting with my midwife I learned something interesting - my government is now recommending (and funding) iodine supplementation to all pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. (This is new since I had my first baby 16mths ago) The soil in New Zealand is deficient in iodine, and although we have iodine ADDED to our salt, I don't really cook/use salt much, and had been thinking of trying iodine supplementation anyway.

So, I'll let you know if it makes any obvious difference to my hair growth.

I've just checked the dosage I am taking and it is 150 micrograms per day.

[barely.there]

.....and although we have iodine ADDED to our salt...

hehe. sorry. I meant that table salt is deficient in iodine. there are so many different kinds of salt! we buy the sea salt with iodine in it. :P

[Silver Swan]

hehe. sorry. I meant that table salt is deficient in iodine. there are so many different kinds of salt! we buy the sea salt with iodine in it. :P

(Just to clarify what I meant)
You are right, pure salt (NaCl) doesn't generally contain iodine. However in NZ, due to our iodine deficient soil, and by govenment legislation almost all our standard table salt has iodine added to it. It would actually be pretty hard to find salt without it! They have also recently decided that all bread should have folic acid added to it, which I find kind of weird.

Sea salt is indeed the yummiest.

[lastnite]

has anyone done the topical iodine and lost weight? it's supposed to boost your thyroid, right? that might be why it's good for hair growth.

[girlcat36]

I did topical iodine, but my weight stayed the same. I don't have a thyroid, so I'm on replacement hormone.
I had really good luck putting decolorized iodine on my fingernails. They grew super fast. You put it on everyday for week, then every other day for a week, then once a week for a month or two.

[Kelikea]

Excess iodine is excreted through your pores. The particles can get trapped, causing breakouts. I have this happen sometimes, so I carefully look through the vitamins I take and try not to get multi-vitamins that contain iodine. If I take some for a while, my face will get red and have cystic-like acne. The only kind I seem to tolerate is the iodine/spirulina in Spiru-tein. But If I drink it everyday or in addition to any other supplement containing iodine, I will begin to break out again. I always buy salt that is not iodized. And when I do drink the spiru-tein on a regular basis, I do not notice an increase in hair growth.

[Cheveux en péta]

I use my Iodoral on and off to help my hypothyroidism and to raise my temperature. Never heard of this one though.