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- Lizzy -
February 23rd, 2017, 06:37 AM
I am going dairy free to see if it helps a few health problems I have (If it doesn't help within at least a few months I wont continue though. Ik it has to be at least 21 days) and I was wondering if dietary restrictions can effect your hair growth negatively? Do any of you have any experience with any dietary restrictions and seeing a change in your hair?

Tosca
February 23rd, 2017, 07:03 AM
My 5yo niece is intolerant to casein (milk protein) and her hair grows just fine as far as I can tell. If consuming dairy is causing or contributing to your health problems, going dairy free may improve your health, and therefore actually make your hair grow faster and more healthily than before. If you are concerned about nutritional deficiencies, there are a lot of 'fortified' food products (especially breakfast cereal) you could eat, or you could take a basic daily multivitamin.

stachelbeere
February 23rd, 2017, 07:09 AM
it's hard to say if giving up dairy (and other animal products) contributed to my hair becoming thicker (from 3 inches to 3.5 inches) but my health definitely improved greatly.

vampyyri
February 23rd, 2017, 07:14 AM
I haven't noticed a difference in hair growth since becoming vegetarian three years ago. I think you'll be okay :D

lapushka
February 23rd, 2017, 07:47 AM
I am going dairy free to see if it helps a few health problems I have (If it doesn't help within at least a few months I wont continue though. Ik it has to be at least 21 days) and I was wondering if dietary restrictions can effect your hair growth negatively? Do any of you have any experience with any dietary restrictions and seeing a change in your hair?

Yes, if you eat too little calories, it can affect you. Cutting a whole food group out can affect you. You'll just have to wait & see. Don't just drop it, but switch it out for a same amount of calories, otherwise it might be restrictive.

I was borderline anorexic for about 3 months (lost my period for 3 months because I was eating so little); my hair thinned out considerably, and it took 1 to 2 years to fully grow back after my eating issues were gone.

truepeacenik
February 23rd, 2017, 08:21 AM
Plenty of vegans and dairy free paleo sorts around here.
So which ever direction you go, there's good nutrition.

samanthaa
February 23rd, 2017, 08:55 AM
Not dairy free. If anything, my growth rate has improved since I've gone vegan (but that's probably because I'm more conscious now about what I put into my body and tend to get more vitamins and minerals than when I was omni or even vegetarian).

I'd say dietary restrictions only affect your hair if a.) you're not getting sufficient vitamins/minerals--don't worry, you can get calcium and protein from much better sources than dairy, and/or b.) you're not getting enough calories.

MoonRabbit
February 23rd, 2017, 06:06 PM
Yes, if you eat too little calories, it can affect you. Cutting a whole food group out can affect you. You'll just have to wait & see. Don't just drop it, but switch it out for a same amount of calories, otherwise it might be restrictive.

I was borderline anorexic for about 3 months (lost my period for 3 months because I was eating so little); my hair thinned out considerably, and it took 1 to 2 years to fully grow back after my eating issues were gone.

It's always wonderful to hear when someone beats an eating disorder :flower:


I agree with this advice. I was vegan for 7 years but did a very poor job of getting all my daily nutrients. With an extremely low diet plus depression and anxiety my hair became very thin, changed hair type and looked like straw. I also lost my period for months. It wasn't until I went to my doctor for my female problem that I realized I was only 73lbs. I guess with all the stress I was under and thinking that since I was vegan I was as healthy as I could be, I didn't noticed my body was falling apart.

But this was my personal fault for being ignorant to my health. I'm now almost vegan again ( I still eat fish) but no dairy and my hair is growing just fine, as long as you are healthy you shouldn't have a problem.

*Wednesday*
February 23rd, 2017, 07:46 PM
I've been a pure vegetarian (no fish or gelatin) almost 15 years. My staple diet is kale, beans, tofu nuts, grains and an orange daily. I am perfectly healthy and my hair and skin is fine. I use Almond milk in my cereal and substitute for milk. I avoid cheese.

*Wednesday*
February 23rd, 2017, 07:59 PM
It's always wonderful to hear when someone beats an eating disorder :flower:

I'm now almost vegan again ( I still eat fish) but no dairy and my hair is growing just fine, as long as you are healthy you shouldn't have a problem.

Very true. You do the best you can. :)

Tassledown
February 23rd, 2017, 08:45 PM
Given that if I violate my dietary restrictions my intestines stop working, NOT maintaining mine would negatively impact my hair growth since I wouldn't be able to absord required nutrients so... if you're cutting it out for health reasons, you're liable to see good results as long as you replace whatever's necessary from it with a healthier option, as noted above.

I've been gluten-free/dairy-free (mostly - dairy's been hard to cut out fully and isn't as hard on me) for the entire four years I've been growing my hair and I'm hip length after four years (from shaved.) Basically I'd assume that as long as your diet is still nutritionally complete and keeping you healthy - whatever that requires you eat or not eat - you'll do fine.

lapushka
February 24th, 2017, 04:35 AM
It's always wonderful to hear when someone beats an eating disorder :flower:

Thank you! :o I'm 44 going on 45 now, and it influenced my teens & twenties considerably, but I never ate abnormally again after that time. I think from start to finish it took me 3-6 months to get over the worst of it, in the sense that my diet was no longer compromised.

PrincessAralin
February 24th, 2017, 05:51 AM
As long as you're getting enough calories, protein, fats and vitamin A from the rest of your diet, cutting out dairy shouldn't have an impact on your hair. If dairy is your main source of one of those things of course, you might run into some problems!

Mrstran
February 24th, 2017, 12:30 PM
Dietary restrictions I believe effected my growth, but I cannot say that I have absolute scientific proof. I was on a trial of a restricted diet three years ago and I noticed that my roots barely budged. This was when I was bleaching all the time. After the diet trial stopped because it didn't help me, my growth picked back up shortly after. The odd part, it was a gluten free diet! Something I really didn't expect.

Adding and taking things from your body can greatly effect hair though. I was put on a TON of medications and use to get 3/4 inch growth every month. Now I get 1 cm. No complaints though. My hair grows, that's all I care about.

Nettyx
February 24th, 2017, 12:57 PM
Been vegan for about a year and my hair still grows like a weed. I don't think it has made a positive or negative effect on my hair tbh but I eat pretty healthily (apart from too much sugar....Mmmmm)

EdG
February 24th, 2017, 07:41 PM
I have been vegan or vegetarian for as long as I have had long hair.

Any healthy diet will be fine for long hair.
Ed