Body weight and hair thickness- Is there a link between the two?

[Dreamkitty]

I read that being underweight or overweight can result in hair loss or thinning hair, is this true?.

I am 15 lbs overweight and I have quite thick, healthy hair but that is because some of my relatives had thick hair when they were young, and I also never used any hair products except for shampoo/conditioner, oil.

I am trying to lose weight but I am very worried & paranoid that in the future, if I stay at the same weight, will my hair go thinner? it feels like I have limited time and I want to be a normal weight as soon as I can, not just for being healthy but for my hair too. :( I also feel that maybe my hair could have had more hair growth, be even thicker if I was within the normal weight range for my height. So it feels like I am missing out on reaching my true potential.

[luxepiggy]

I lost around 25% of my body weight a few years ago, and I do notice my hair is thinner now than it was before the weight loss. However, I went from the highest end of the "healthy" BMI range (24.7) to very slightly underweight today (17.9).

Hopefully going from overweight to healthy BMI might not have the same problem! Plus, I think my hair is still pretty nice now, and I get to be slim also! After all, relative to my size it probably looks like I have more hair now (^(oo)^)

[enfys]

I think good nutrition is more important than weight. If someone is overweight because they eat junk food, nothing fresh and have low activity levels then their hair could suffer. I think it is common knowledge that anorexics often have thin hair.

Hair isn't essential to survival so if your body is struggling for nutrients then your hair is the last priority for it. However, I think you would have to be at quite extreme ends of either scale to see a difference.

If you want to lose weight do it by eating better and exercising more rather than crash dieting.

[Dreamkitty]

My mum cooks fresh vegetables, fish, chicken everyday. She doesn't like processed food, she does the shopping in the house. My mum has high chloestrol & high blood pressure, so does my dad, he has diabetes. My mum has always been a healthy eater but because of stress she has high blood pressure.

For this reason, healthy food is always brought in my house. And so me and my sister eat whatever my parents bring. I don't to inherit the same dieases my parents did.

I think I do need to eat less, my diet is balanced but I just need to reduce the portion size. And im trying to do this.

I exercise very little though, so I think if I lose weight this way it will be beneficial for my health.:) I agree that good nutrition is the main thing and also keeping the body active.

I think it will be interesting to see if there is more improvement to the health of my hair when I lose the pounds.

[torrilin]

I also feel that maybe my hair could have had more hair growth, be even thicker if I was within the normal weight range for my height. So it feels like I am missing out on reaching my true potential.

Someone who is overweight tends to be not very active and maybe has a body metabolism that is very efficient and thus can store up lots of fat even on very little food. So imagining that being thinner would help your hair is... pretty insane. That'd be about on par with me believing a doctor who said if I lost weight, my deformed foot bones would suddenly stop making my feet hurt. Instead if I got a doctor saying that, it'd be my cue to walk out the door.

Weight loss is not a magical cure.

Weight loss does usually involve being more active, so that you get stronger and have more endurance. That tends to mean you feel better. And often weight loss involves eating a more varied diet with a wider range of fruits and vegetables so you pick up more trace nutrients from your food. That also can help you feel better.

[froglet]

I used to weigh 105 lbs, I was very thin, but my hair was thicker than it is now that I weigh 135. I used to be a iii easy, now I'm firmly in the center of ii. I suppose illness could take it's toll, but I don't think a healthy thin body would be a problem.

[contradiction]

I've always been very thin and my hair has always been thin too - and most of the girls I know who are overweight have very thick hair . . . . I noticed this ages ago

[UltraBella]

I will be honest. No, I do not think losing weight will help your hair. In fact you may notice it getting thinner if you try to get into the "normal" weight range as soon as you can. From the sounds of it, you are eating good quality food, just too much. So your hair has all the nutrients it needs to grow thick and healthy. If you reduce your intake drastically, your hair may suffer.
There are plenty of overweight women with heads of gorgeous thick hair. Not as many underweight women with thick healthy hair though. I understand you are not looking to be underweight, but your process of getting thinner quickly may put a strain on your system and stall your hair growth. Please lose weight slowly and in the healthiest ways possible, studies show people who lose weight quickly often gain it all back.
As an adult, I have weighed 130lbs. all the way up to 175lbs. There was no difference in my thickness or hair health.

[Darkhorse1]

Fact: Losing weight rapidly can cause hair loss. Fact: Heavier people can have nicer hair if they have a thyroid condition.

Weight and hair don't conencide--like enyfs said--NUTRITION affects hair. So, you would figure if someone is restricting their caloric intake too much, their hair will fall out as a result. (patients with anorexia nervosa lose hair) This is why when you are ill, your hair can thin/fall out due to the fact you are not eating/fighting something.

Eating healthy is key to having a healthy body. Think of it this way--your hair and skin and nails are a reflection of how you eat, in a sense. (outside of other factors that may cause your skin/hair/nails to be damaged such as a harsh job/elements/etc)

[DarkChocolate]

I notice that bigger girls tend to have thick hair. I have known some people who have lost some weight and their hair was thinner as a result. I think it has to do drastically cutting portions though.

[jojo]

I am the correct weight for my height and my hair is thicker now than it was when I was 30lbs over weight. These days I eat very healthy and have naughty snacks in moderation but also the fact I have treated my hair better than ever the last 3 years contributes to how healthy my hair is. Nutrition as well as being adequately hydrated all contribute to achieving your hairs potential.

[Artsy]

I am not a doctor, but from personal experience I can say loosing 15 lbs shouldn't affect your hair. I have done it before over a short period of time, not on purpose, but nothing bad happened. I think you have to be drastically under or over to have imbalanced hormonal levels. Good luck with your weight loss journey:)
________
Medical marijuana grow (http://growingmedicalmarijuana.org)

[May]

Being thin or heavy has no bearing on hair thickness/thinness however being healthy/unhealthy can.

Having an illness can cause hair loss as well as weight loss but the just because they are related doesn't mean they have a causal relationship.

A lot of factors contribute to thin hair such as hormones, genetics, medications and aging etc.

I think you'd have to examine all of these factors before looking solely at body weight also being overweight doesn't necessarily imply you're eating a nutritious, balanced diet.

[Niwa]

I have been dying to start a similar thread, but did not want to risk insulting anyone. I have definitely noticed that heftier women tend to grow thicker, longer hair more easily. This makes sense because their levels of hormones tend to be higher by virtue of hormones being fat-soluble.

To answer your specific question, I would say that losing weight will not affect your hair unless you crash diet, or lose a lot of weight, or worst of all, do both.

[feralnature]

When I lost 70 pounds on the Atkins diet, my hair got very thin from starvation. I am well nourished again now, years later, and my hair has recovered.

As far as the theory that heavy girls have thick hair, it may hinge on the fact that some cultures with the thick hair gene may tend toward chunky women. There are too many factors involved in something like this to make sense of it on a forum. It would need scientific analysis.

[Niwa]

As far as the theory that heavy girls have thick hair, it may hinge on the fact that some cultures with the thick hair gene may tend toward chunky women. There are too many factors involved in something like this to make sense of it on a forum. It would need scientific analysis.What I have actually noticed is that within the same culture/race/ethnicity/whatever, the heftier women tend to have thicker, longer hair than the slimmer women. I haven't noticed differences among cultures though. Out of curiosity, which cultures would you say tend towards a thick hair gene and chunky women?

[Darkhorse1]

Heavier set women may have thyroid issues, and a side effect of that is weight gain and excessive hair growth.

Regular weight loss, done properly won't cause you to lose your hair--only crash dieting/removing proper nutrition will affect your hair.

I'm heavier now than I have ever been due to medication, but my hair is pretty healthy thanks to this BB and suggestions on how to take better care of it. I don't think my hair has changed much in volume--I shed a ton, but I've also grown out more of my bangs, so I have thicker hair due to that.

[noelgirl]

During my adult life, I've fluctuated within about a 20-pound range, between slightly overweight and slightly underweight, and I haven't noticed any significant changes in my hair thickness. I think that often there's a third factor involved, like health. For example, my sister is overweight and has thinning hair, but she has PCOS which would contribute to both problems.

[spidermom]

I've been thin, I've been just right, and now I'm about 50 pounds overweight (alas!). My hair has been about the same thickness no matter what, although it used to be pretty straight, and now it's almost curly, but I don't think that's because of weight.

[Intransigentia]

Anecdata: this just twigged my brain from that other thread about was your hair thicker when you were a child - when I was "normal" weight, my hair was pretty thin. And fell out when I decided my "normal" was actually fat and crash dieted. The time that my hair and nails finally thickened up coincided exactly with the period during which I gained close to 100lb. I haven't lost that weight and don't expect to, so I don't know whether, if my weight went down, I'd lose the hair.

[feralnature]

What I have actually noticed is that within the same culture/race/ethnicity/whatever, the heftier women tend to have thicker, longer hair than the slimmer women. I haven't noticed differences among cultures though. Out of curiosity, which cultures would you say tend towards a thick hair gene and chunky women?

Niwa, I don't want to open a door that may hurt feelings or make people feel they need to defend their culture or whatever so I am not going to name cultures that I think are fat and have thick hair genes, that is dangerous ground:)

[Niwa]

Niwa, I don't want to open a door that may hurt feelings or make people feel they need to defend their culture or whatever so I am not going to name cultures that I think are fat and have thick hair genes, that is dangerous ground:)I understand. :)

[little_cherry]

A few years ago, I lost around 20 kilos in 2 months and never noticed my hair thinning or becoming thicker.

[mellie89]

Like everyone else has said, nutrition and overall health affect your hair, not weight. It's just that poor nutrition and poor overall health often correlate with being too thin or too heavy. However, this is definitely not always the case!

If you eat well, reducing your portion sizes shouldn't have any detrimental effect on your hair. Exercise is great for your hair (and the rest of your body!) so definitely include it into your routine if you decide to lose weight.

I've been way too thin, a bit too thin, and right in the middle of the healthy range for my weight. The only thing that has changed my hair over the years, other than physically damaging it, has been going on and off birth control.

[KittyLost]

My body weight has changed a lot over the years but my hair thickness never changed when my weight did. It stayed the same.

I used to lose weight the bad way too by fasting and then overeating once I'd got there, it was a horrible cycle. I only know through old wives tales that if you lose weight very quickly or do not have the healthiest diet then your hair can shed or be thinner.

[invisiblebabe]

Like everyone else has said, nutrition and overall health affect your hair, not weight. It's just that poor nutrition and poor overall health often correlate with being too thin or too heavy. However, this is definitely not always the case!

If you eat well, reducing your portion sizes shouldn't have any detrimental effect on your hair. Exercise is great for your hair (and the rest of your body!) so definitely include it into your routine if you decide to lose weight.

I've been way too thin, a bit too thin, and right in the middle of the healthy range for my weight. The only thing that has changed my hair over the years, other than physically damaging it, has been going on and off birth control.

What has birth control done to your hair? I've been on hormonal contraceptives for years, for acne, painful periods, and the like... so even if the pill were making my hair a bit thinner, off it I would have other problems, so it's a trade-off. Hard to tell though if it would be the pill doing it or just the fact that I have done a lot of naughty things to my hair (tons of dye, highlights, etc), since I started taking the pill.

I have always been thin. My hair has always been fine but abundant, so it appears average thickness - not thin, not thick. I have noticed in the past that when I highlight my hair, it is significantly more prone to breakage, thus looking thinner when it is longer.

[curlymarcia]

I think that a healthy diet is more important that the weight. As long as you are healthy your hair will be at its best.

[daaisychains]

I agree unless you are the drastic end of either side of the weight scale then it's all about nutrition and health not weight.

Slightly off topic but : I hate how clearly underweight models have extensions in to make their photos look like they have tailbone healthy flowing locks and then you see paparazzi snaps of them in real life and their hair is nothing like that. It's so unrealistic and frustrating.. but that's another rant. :)

[GuardGirl]

Personally, I have a theory that weight and hair thickness are somewhat related, but its more about the diet people eat to maintain whatever weight they are at. I am a pool manager, so I see all types of body styles (in bathing suits that do?do not fit) and I study people's habits perhaps more than I should. I can see two larger women come swim and tell you immediately which one likes junk food and which one simply eats too-large portions of healthy foods. How? Because of their hair condition. Whether you are a thin or thick person 'genetically' if you are not putting the right kinds of foods in your mouth it will show in your hair condition because grows out is a result of what you put in. The 'hefty' girl who snacks on turkey sandwiches and strawberries has thicker shinier hair than the 'hefty' girl that whips out a can of pringles and a soda from her pool bag. Just saying! :) And the same holds true for thinner girls, too.

[kwaniesiam]

No, I don't think so. My weight and hair are a result of my thyroid condition though.

[crystal_89]

A couple of years ago my BMI was below 17 and my hair was still thick, shiny and healthy. I was eating a lot of fruit and raw vegies at the time.

[Lianna]

So I have thick hair because of my thyroid condition? Something good out of it then!! :D I have hypothyroidism since I was a kid, I read one of the symptons was dry hair though. I do take my medication daily since I was a kid. I don't have faster growth than normal!

[RachelRain]

I'm about a hundred pounds overweight (man I hate seeing that actually typed out. ick.) and my hair's thickness hasn't changed at all between an eating disorder, normal eating and the current heftiness.

that said, I eat a lot of produce and stuff, so maybe its more the stuff you put into your mouth (or don't, as the case may be) than solely the extra weight (or lack thereof) that one is carrying. (I highly doubt I'm alone in this and therefore special, you know?)

[ravenreed]

I have been extremely thin, a size 2, and extremely overweight, and neither had any impact on my hair. What has had an impact is pregnancy, stress, illness and taking medications that cause shedding.

[allfeya]

My hair became thinner after a diet, which was very unhealthy. I took me years to restore it.
It's not important how much you weight, the more important is what you eat to be balanced.

[rymorg2]

If you do it right and get plenty of protein and don't do it fast you should be fine. I've gained/lost/gained (and am in the process of losing again) but still have the exact same amount as before. Losing too fast can contribute to shedding though.

The amount of hair you have and how stress affects your hair and shedding as well as weight loss varies from person to person based mostly on genetics.

[rymorg2]

So I have thick hair because of my thyroid condition? Something good out of it then!! :D I have hypothyroidism since I was a kid, I read one of the symptons was dry hair though. I do take my medication daily since I was a kid. I don't have faster growth than normal!

Actually, hypothyroidism is more a cause of THINNING hair. Since you've taken your meds daily since you were young you probably kept that from happening.

[maria_asa]

I've also noticed that a lot of heavier women also have thick hair and wondered about it. Still,
it's quite possible that they would have just as thick hair if they where thinner.

[Lianna]

Heavier set women may have thyroid issues, and a side effect of that is weight gain and excessive hair growth.



I wasn't the one who said it. All I knew was dry hair from wikipedia.

[nelliettapp]

No there is no link between weight loss and hair thickness. But you can lose your weight by using waist trainer. I have read an article about this. Here it is spam link deleted

[*Wednesday*]

No there is no link between weight loss and hair thickness. But you can lose your weight by using waist trainer. I have read an article about this. Here it is

I believe there could be a link with weight loss and hair thickness. If someone is suffering from an eating disorder or crash dieting, then yes, hair can thin and lose thickness due to the interruption in the hair growth cycle.

[cjk]

Also hormonal changes and even the release of toxins when losing weight can affect the body and the hair, as well.

I've lost massive weight by doing keto. It's known for making changes in hair, some get more and many experience a shed. This time around my beard is shedding, but my head hair is thicker than ever.

Seems to be random, or at least not easily predicted.

[daisy rei]

No there is no link between weight loss and hair thickness. But you can lose your weight by using waist trainer. I have read an article about this. Here it is

Is this a troll post or what? Seems kind of spammy for a first post. Reviving this old thread just to sell your stupid waist trainers on a hair forum?

[hennalonghair]

Fact: Losing weight rapidly can cause hair loss. Fact: Heavier people can have nicer hair if they have a thyroid condition.

Weight and hair don't conencide--like enyfs said--NUTRITION affects hair. So, you would figure if someone is restricting their caloric intake too much, their hair will fall out as a result. (patients with anorexia nervosa lose hair) This is why when you are ill, your hair can thin/fall out due to the fact you are not eating/fighting something.

Eating healthy is key to having a healthy body. Think of it this way--your hair and skin and nails are a reflection of how you eat, in a sense. (outside of other factors that may cause your skin/hair/nails to be damaged such as a harsh job/elements/etc)
I agree. It’s an old post but a good one.

[daisy rei]

Whoops! I guess that answers my question. The mods rock! :heart:

[MoonRabbit]

Is this a troll post or what? Seems kind of spammy for a first post. Reviving this old thread just to sell your stupid waist trainers on a hair forum?

That's what I was thinking. :eye: :run:

[illicitlizard]

I agree, I feel like it's probably more to do with nutrition as others before me have said.

But then again, I've noticed some new growth since losing a bit of weight to get to the 'healthy' range despite little change to my eating habits besides volume. Though that may also be because of the weight loss' influence on hormones, this is just speculation but with weight loss my acne has cleared and there are a couple other things that indicate better hormonal balance which may also be a factor in the new hair growth. The body is complex af though so as I said, speculation.

[catoala]

I don't think so. I am underweight if anything, but my hair is quite thick.