Have you found that consuming more protein makes hair your grow faster?

[UrbanEast]

Have you found that eating more protein (either meat, whey protein, or whatever) makes your hair grow faster? I lost a lot of hair due to telogen effluvium. I treated the cause and it's growing back, but I still don't eat much protein. I'm wondering whether taking in more protein will help it grow faster.

Thanks in advance.

[vampyyri]

No... I'm vegetarian and I get .75" a month! I don't get nearly as much protein as I should, it's not so much protein as it is good nutrition/taking a multivitamin and genetics.

[Sarahlabyrinth]

I don't know, but I try to have some protein almost daily, of fish, cheese, nuts, egg or various meats. I get a half inch of growth most months, sometimes more and very occasionally less.

[mira-chan]

The only time it would affect hair growth is if you are not getting enough in a the long term and becoming malnourished. Vegetarians and vegans can get plenty of proteins from non-meat sources. Vitamins won't help with malnutrition if you're not getting enough protein and your body starts using the protein in your muscles instead. If you don't like meat, whey, etc. then eggs (if vegetarian) or legumes/ protein containing grains (vegan sources), would work just as well for most.

If you have a lot of hair shedding I'd suggest going to the doctor to check your vitamin, hormone and thyroid levels, as those are most common reasons for hair sheds and slowed growth. Malnutrition can be a cause but it's comparatively rare in areas where food is relatively plentiful. Hair will not grow faster with excess protein, and too much can cause issues to your excretory system as well.

[UrbanEast]

The only time it would affect hair growth is if you are not getting enough in a the long term and becoming malnourished. Vegetarians and vegans can get plenty of proteins from non-meat sources. Vitamins won't help with malnutrition if you're not getting enough protein and your body starts using the protein in your muscles instead. If you don't like meat, whey, etc. then eggs (if vegetarian) or legumes/ protein containing grains (vegan sources), would work just as well for most.

If you have a lot of hair shedding I'd suggest going to the doctor to check your vitamin, hormone and thyroid levels, as those are most common reasons for hair sheds and slowed growth. Malnutrition can be a cause but it's comparatively rare in areas where food is relatively plentiful. Hair will not grow faster with excess protein, and too much can cause issues to your excretory system as well.

Thanks, Mira-Chan. Yes, I went to an endocrinologist, ob-gyn, and derm right away and was diagnosed with severe anemia. Much of my hair fell out in 4 months. (Before that, it was below classic; it never seemed to reach a terminal length)

I took medication and iron to treat the anemia, so the hair is growing back. It's growing at 1/2 inch a month, and I just want it to grow faster. Up to a year ago, it grew faster than that, and I always wished it would slow down.

My nutrition is pretty bad--lots of carbs and some cheese, few legumes and little meat. I am ok with whey protein, so I could eat more of that. I like eggs too but don't eat many of them.

[hanne jensen]

When I up my protein intake my hair grows slightly faster and becomes slightly stronger. My nails also become stronger and longer. I take a protein shake every morning and eat a lot of canned tuna, eggs, meat, quinoa, and my beloved peanutbutter. I also eat nuts for the goot fats in them. My hair is loving me now...

[Mimha]

I think it is more about having a well balanced healthy food, with all the necessary nutriments (vitamins, fatty acids, minerals) than specifically about proteins. You don't need tons of proteins to be healthy : you need enough (which I admit that I don't know exactly what quantity it is, but knowing that you can be exclusively vegetarian without being deficient in proteins means that it is not a huge quantity). The best example I can find is the fact that Indian people are not huge meat eaters (either due to poverty or to religion) and they have amongst the most quick growing long thick healthy hair in the world.

[Cg]

I agree with the posters who've emphasized a healthful, balanced diet. I would add also exercise, sleep, and de-stressing as much as possible. Vitamins are unnecessary if you eat well. They are valuable only if your body is deficient in something and can absorb what the vitamin provides.

[Wusel]

DEFINITELY! YES! Fats and protein! I've experienced a stall for a while (stress, bad relationship, sadness...) but overall since I'm on a ketogenic diet my hair grows VERY fast.

[spirals]

No. Nothing ever seems to affect my growth rate except maybe summer; I get a brief spurt then. But eating more protein and almost no sugar has affected my health in the most positive way. I stabilized my blood sugar and lost weight and my nails are much healthier.