Alcohol and hair

[Neneka]

I am not an alcoholic but I drink some times (student life...). Can alcohol make hair to grow slower? I think that my hair grows faster if I do not drink for a while. I have read that alcohol can cause balding if you are male because of some hormones but how does it affect to a female hair? Have you noticed anything (or am I only drunk here)?

[paperwhite]

I don't know of any alcohol related hair issues, but is your nutrition slipping? Are you getting the vitamins and minerals in either your diet or via supplements to keep you healthy? Hair loss/slow growth rate can indicate poor nutrition. I'd start there and see how it goes. Good luck! I know college can get really crazy, but try to stay healthy!

[Neneka]

I am now eating quite well and my hair is growing but year or two ago I ate mainly some rubbish. Still I would not be surprised if alcohol was one of the reasons of slow hair growth at that time. Now my hair is mainly growing well. I have heard that alcohol does something with zinc and zinc is important to hair. Now I take some extra zinc just in case...

[littlenvy]

From what I know, large amounts of alcohol will deplete your Folic acid and vitamin B (and Biotin- B7 is what makes your hair supposedly grow faster).
But low to moderate alcohol intake has no effect on these vitamins.
However; since alcohol is pretty high in calorie content, your body may then not crave as much food and therefore get less nutrition.

[Neneka]

Hmmm.. If I didn't get enough of those vitamins from the food and drink alcohol and after drinking eat less.. That might be it. If nutrition is bad, alcohol maybe makes things worse? Once I also had pain in my legs that went away when I started to eat some extra magnesium.

Luckily I am starting to be an "old" student so I can just let the younger ones to party. :D I also have a boyfriend now and he is a good cook.

[florenonite]

What sort of alcohol are you drinking? Ales and bitter tend to have quite a lot of nutrients and, while they're no substitute for actual food, are more nutritious than something like vodka.

[HairFaerie]

Uh oh...I do partake in alcoholic beverages a few times a week, however, I also take biotin, B vitamins and a myriad of other vitamins. I try to drink water throughout the day and I try not to eat garbage. Hopefully, that counteracts any depletion the alcohol may cause. I also smoke...Oh, dear, I think it's time I consider a lifestyle change. Not just for hair growth but for overall health benefits. I know taking supplements to counteract other bad habits is probably not the best thing...stopping completely and still taking supplements would be ideal for me I'm sure. Yikes!

[Neneka]

I drink beer and (raw)vodka. Before I drank more often but now it's once a week or once in two weeks. Well, now hair is growing.

HairFaerie, to quit smoking could be a good decision. I always wish that everybody could just stop smoking because it's not very heathy (like drinking vodka...)

[aenflex]

I drink moderately, I don't get 'drunk', but I do have a drink 5-10 times per month. This may be too much, but free will, and all :) I honestly have not found it to effect my growth level at all. BUT- I have one, maybe two drinks in a sitting and almost always with a meal...Very interesting question you have asked, though. I intend to Google.

[Neneka]

I never eat while drinking... Maybe I should but alcohol seems to shrink my appetite for days because I drink so much when I drink. It must be the key for this. Alcohol itself is harmless for hair if you eat well. :)

In the next week I am going to drink again... I must also try to eat something.

[littlenvy]

I never eat while drinking... Maybe I should but alcohol seems to shrink my appetite for days because I drink so much when I drink. It must be the key for this. Alcohol itself is harmless for hair if you eat well. :)

In the next week I am going to drink again... I must also try to eat something.
Not just something ... eat protein. Meats or beans or such.
Try to avoid any additional sugar when you drink. This will help your nutrition to remain high while you enjoy your drink. :p

[RachieBaby]

Oh dear! I never thought of this! I must make sure I drink plenty of water to counteract the alcohol that I have when I go out :o haha

[bumblebums]

Alcohol in excess can cause you to make poor decisions that can affect your hair negatively. Not eating at all is a bad idea, in general, since you get more drunk and dehydrated, and most of the calories you consume then are not particularly nutritious. You might also go to sleep without braiding your hair as you would if you were sober, or let someone handle it roughly... You're in college, you get my meaning :)

And yeah, beer would be my choice for maximizing hair growth. Bonus: you can put it ON your head, not just IN. Check out the beer rinse thread.

[hmmm]

I don't know about hair, but vodka makes my skin overreact and turn nasty almost on the same day. Especially if I'm drinking it with some kind of soda. I hate it, so it's not difficult for me to stay away from both.

One drink doesn't make much difference to anything, IME. Then again, it depends on how often you take the 'one drink'...

[slz]

I never eat while drinking... Maybe I should but alcohol seems to shrink my appetite for days because I drink so much when I drink. It must be the key for this. Alcohol itself is harmless for hair if you eat well. :)

In the next week I am going to drink again... I must also try to eat something.
Methinks your hair should be the least of your worries, really. Binge drinking is alcoholism. If not for your hair, stopping drinking would be a good idea for your brain's health (and general overall health as well).

[trillcat]

Methinks your hair should be the least of your worries, really. Binge drinking is alcoholism. If not for your hair, stopping drinking would be a good idea for your brain's health (and general overall health as well).
Binge drinking isn't alcoholism, they are two different animals. Alcoholics binge drink, not all binge drinkers are alcoholics. It isn't healthy to drink to excess, but you can't lump all people who get their drink on now and then as alcoholics. You also can't label everyone who gets drunk as a binge drinker.
My gosh, the colleges would be empty and the rehabs full to busting!

[slz]

It's another form of alcoholism, but it is. I lived for 10 years with a binge drinker whose "non alcoholism" destroyed his brain and made him epileptic (not just once : just once, and then, permanently).
But yeah, whatever.

[luxepiggy]

I partied pretty hard in high school (I know, I know - bad piggy :whip:) and university. Most of my friends were guys, and I have a pretty high tolerance, so that added up to a lot of drinking.

I drink much less frequently now (a glass of wine with dinner, 1 or 2 mixed drinks at weekend cocktail parties), but I didn't notice any difference in my hair growth over the years. My hair was waist length or longer throughout.

[trillcat]

It's another form of alcoholism, but it is. I lived for 10 years with a binge drinker whose "non alcoholism" destroyed his brain and made him epileptic (not just once : just once, and then, permanently).
But yeah, whatever.

I am sorry that you had to deal with that, he was an alcoholic.
Alcoholism is when you start drinking, you can't stop. The old AA saying one drink is too many, *insert number here* is never enough.
There is a chemical that is released in the brain that makes stopping drinking almost impossible for an alcoholic once the booze is in the system. I would have to go google that, but it is one of the reasons that people who like to drink, and true alcoholics are very different brain wise, and why people are slowly realizing it is a disease.

[hmmm]

I just want to pop in to say that I know an alcoholic who doesn't realize that she has a problem, and she'd probably die before she admitted anything of the sort. It's very difficult to say where the drinking for 'fun/excitement/boredom' stops and the addiction begins.

I also disagree with 'the colleges would be empty' if people didn't binge drink. As a recreational drug, alcohol is without a doubt worse than, say, marijuana (which college students also do). Short of injecting yourself with various substances, alcohol is probably the worst possible abuse you can inflict on your body.

I don't really know how people can enjoy getting so drunk that they don't know what's happening around them - but I didn't, so I don't do it. I'm in college, btw. I have a big bottle of vodka in my cupboard that I use in cooking/chocolates/cake. It's not unheard of, 'kids' in college sometimes do know better, and I think my life is pretty interesting without binge drinking at parties, thanks.

[Neneka]

Hmm... I might be alcoholic then but I think that there is no meaning to drink alcohol if you don't want to get drunk. It seams that everyone in this whole university (is univesity and college the same? I don't know really your systems...) are drinkers. In my faculty there is really people who drink too much. Some of them really might really have a problem and I had once too, I admit. Now I don't drink so much and usually I don't think about drinking like I did back then. I can easily be months without drinking and not suffering about it.

And you, hmmm. Not everyone like to be drunk. I am just sometimes too stressed and all and I just want to forget about everything (well, that can be done without alcohol... But there is a lot of parties I want to be in and everyone else is so drunk that I can't be in their company without being drunk myself). Alcoholism is serious though. My grandfather was alcoholic and my mother did suffer because of that a lot.

And yes, I can sleep my hair down, in full heavy make up and without brushing my teeth when I drink. That's bad. And not eating is bad.

[Marika]

I don't think alcohol itself is that bad for your hair. The whole lifestyle of drinking and partying probably is if you don't take care of yourself (lack of nutrients and sleep). The "hair guru" Philip Kingsley actually talks about alcohol and hair in his book and mentions that alcoholics are very rarely bald. When I come to think about it, I think it could be true... I see alcoholics (especially middle-aged men) almost daily and they usually have quite thick hair even though they are anything but healthy! Now, I don't suggest that everyone should go out and start to drink to get thicker hair but there could be truth somewhere...:D (More likely just coincidence)

[Neneka]

Hmm... Maybe it's genetics. Being prone to be alcoholic and having a thick hair comes in a same package? :D

[drquartz1970]

Alcohol depletes the body of vitamins. However there's many male alcoholics who have lush thick hair, you don't seem to see too many bald alcoholics. I stopped drinking 2 years ago to encourage faster hair growth.

[CherrySilver]

I don't think alcohol itself is that bad for your hair. The whole lifestyle of drinking and partying probably is if you don't take care of yourself (lack of nutrients and sleep). The "hair guru" Philip Kingsley actually talks about alcohol and hair in his book and mentions that alcoholics are very rarely bald. When I come to think about it, I think it could be true... I see alcoholics (especially middle-aged men) almost daily and they usually have quite thick hair even though they are anything but healthy! Now, I don't suggest that everyone should go out and start to drink to get thicker hair but there could be truth somewhere...:D (More likely just coincidence)

Being an alcoholic has absolutely NOTHING to do with having thick hair and not being bald. I can't believe that people would consider that to have a grain of truth. Philip Kingsley intimating this in his book is total and utter nonsense. I wish that people wouldn't propogate this misinformation or suggest that it's even remotely possible.

Heavy drinking will increase your estrogen levels -- studies have shown that men with higher than normal levels of estrogen are more prone to hair loss. Hormones are a very delicate things and thrown out of balance, all different type of things can occur (just look at what happens to male frogs when exposed to estrogen-like contaminants).

Not only that, but after a bout of heavy drinking your zinc/mineral/vitamin levels are seriously depleted. Drinking alcohol increases your cortisol levels (= stress). Alcohol will affect your kidneys and liver, and your hair is an indicator of your health. If anything at all, you're going to grey prematurely and loose hair. Ever take a look in the mirror when you're hung over? EVERYTHING is going to suffer....

[bumblebums]

Being an alcoholic has absolutely NOTHING to do with having thick hair and not being bald. I can't believe that people would consider that to have a grain of truth. Philip Kingsley intimating this in his book is total and utter nonsense. I wish that people wouldn't propogate this misinformation or suggest that it's even remotely possible.

Heavy drinking will increase your estrogen levels -- studies have shown that men with higher than normal levels of estrogen are more prone to hair loss. Hormones are a very delicate things and thrown out of balance, all different type of things can occur (just look at what happens to male frogs when exposed to estrogen-like contaminants).

Not only that, but after a bout of heavy drinking your zinc/mineral/vitamin levels are seriously depleted. Drinking alcohol increases your cortisol levels (= stress). Alcohol will affect your kidneys and liver, and your hair is an indicator of your health. If anything at all, you're going to grey prematurely and loose hair. Ever take a look in the mirror when you're hung over? EVERYTHING is going to suffer....

I am inclined to agree that excessive alcohol consumption cannot be good for your body, hair included. But the hormone thing is more complicated than this.

First, testosterone generally seems to be bad for your head hair and good for hair elsewhere on your body. Individuals with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome usually have quite nice head hair, but absolutely no body hair. Conversely, male pattern baldness occurs in men with rather high testosterone levels, and they are often quite hirsute (everywhere but on their heads).

Estrogen, which you say is increased in male heavy drinkers, also has a complex role in hair growth. Women's hair also thins out when their estrogen levels go down at menopause. Other hormone levels change, too, but estrogen is crucial. From everything I've read about estrogen and alcohol, the interaction is pretty complex, and it may be different in men and women.

It should also be emphasized that there is alcohol and there is alcohol. Beer and wine in moderation are not bad for your health or for your hair, barring special circumstances. I wouldn't give up alcohol just for my hair. I have noticed, however, that not drinking that glass of wine with dinner helps me stay at my goal weight. I am also also more likely to exercise and be active if I don't have my one drink the night before. I will stick with my earlier argument that drinking itself might not be directly disastrous for your hair, but its effects on your decision making and overall health are probably something to think about.

[CherrySilver]

Regarding the hormone thing, I quite familiar with all of the complications and permutations. But, thank you for the explanation. I'm sure that not everyone is knowledgeable, however.

Even with moderate drinking (beer and wine included), there's a known risk to increase of breast cancer and variety of other ills. Even thought there may be differences in the sexes, the bottom line is that the effect isn't positive.

Do what you want to do, but I'm going to stick with my resveratrol rather than red wine (which some people use as an excuse to drink more). It doesn't take much to be over the limit either (2-3 drinks), and most people would consider that moderate. I've got very little patience with that (and lots of other things). Live well and be happy.

[littlenvy]

Genetics! Its mostly genetics. I’ve seen people with VERY bad nutrition but lovely thick hair. I‘ve seen people that have the best of nutrition and really take care of themselves and have crappy hair. (I’m one of those not blessed by genetics and no matter what I do I will never have thick hair and good nails)
I did hear about the estrogen/alcohol connection. Thou I’m not quite ready to accept this theory.
BUT … this is the way I see it.
Alcohol is pure sugar. It takes a lot of vitamins (especially B vitamins) and minerals like Zink to metabolize that kind of sugar. If you don’t take any vitamin/mineral supplements (and alcoholics usually don’t) all of your supply will be used up to process the alcohol and none of that will make it to help your hair grow.
So … maybe, just maybe their hair growth rate is very much retarded by the loss of Biotin?
That way even if they DID have genetic male pattern boldness, it would take that much longer for their hair to finish their life cycle and completely fall out?
Regardless of theories, I have to agree with many of you. Moderation is the key. That way you can still enjoy alcohol AND have good hair. :)

[littlenvy]

Haha … I just googled ‘causes of hair loss’ and came up with MANY causes from alcohol, through caffeine to high fat diet and high protein diet and sugar and salt … lol
At this rate, none of us should have ANY hair left. :rolleyes: