First off, you may be wondering if a hair detox is a real thing. The answer is yes! Even more so, would fasting, or also known as intermittent fasting, improve hair health? The short answer is no.

This article will explain what happens when you undergo a significant diet change and how it impacts your hair health. Along the way, we will feature frequently-asked-questions regarding general hair health.

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Generally speaking, fasting is the voluntary act of refraining oneself from eating for some time. Intermittent fasting, or even intermittent energy restriction, is another way to put it. The mere idea of some people choosing to avoid eating anything at all may seem baffling, especially for the foodies out there! However, contrary to popular beliefs, fasting practices have been condoned for centuries. It is even more popular today in the health and fitness community.

Moreover, intermittent fasting is also this idea of an eating pattern. It involves switching between a period of when you are not eating and when you are regularly eating. For this reason, intermittent fasting does not necessarily mean you change your whole diet. It is really all about when you eat, whereas a diet refers to what you eat. Additionally, there are different common types of intermittent fasting to consider.

Intermittent Fasting on Hair Health (Myth Debunked)

Despite intermittent fasting being a popular health trend, it does not have anything to do with hair regrowth. In fact, temporary hair loss (hair shedding) is more likely to occur due to fasting. Even more so, due to a significant change in your diet, there are negative effects that could lead to hair loss. Some of these downsides are:

Extreme Caloric Deficit

A downside to intermittent fasting is steadily losing your appetite over time and, ultimately, making it possible to reach an extreme caloric deficit. Fasting requires you to have an intake of fewer calories, but too little of it is dangerous. Therefore, as an extended result, a low-calorie diet can harm the health of your hair.

Nutrient and Mineral Deficiency

As previously discussed before, intermittent fasting is only about when you eat, rather than what you eat. Therefore, it is vital to monitor what you eat within your eating period, such as storing the right amount of nutrients in your body. Otherwise, you will likely suffer from nutrient and mineral deficiencies. In turn, due to a lack of nutrients, there will least likely be the chance of hair nourishment or regrowth.

FAQs for Hair Health

What are some benefits of intermittent fasting that could potentially further impact hair regrowth?

When fasting, different natural events take place within your body without you being fully aware. Some are quite beneficial and have been proposed to lead further towards improved hair health. They are:

• A decrease in stress will occur. When fasting, you think less about eating, and thus, you will likely be less stressed. Over time, your body adapts to the new lifestyle, and assuming you also consume enough healthy food, hair regrowth can occur.
• Autophagy (literally meaning "self-eating") is a natural mechanism within your body cells to continuously recycle and clean at the same time to regenerate newer, healthier cells. Autophagy, therefore, helps to remove various stressors and toxins that accumulate inside those cells. Fasting happens to be one of the stressor types. So, research has postulated that cellular autophagy goes both ways: it can help grow hair or accelerate hair loss.
• By committing to continuous, intermittent fasting, there will be an increase in the balance of your everyday life. In turn, significant results of healthier shows.

What would happen to my hair if I were to start intermittent fasting and then stop?

The most likely result would be that your hair temporarily sheds. Also, bear in mind that hair loss differs significantly from hair shedding. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, there are around 100,000 hair follicles (plus more) on each individual's head. The average amount to lose hair in a day is between 50 to 100 strands of hair. Of course, people with longer hair tend to notice more hair shedding.

Women tend to lose more hair than men for the simple reasons that they style their hair more, and they naturally experience pregnancy and menopause, which both can increase hair shedding.

Overall, daily hair shedding is perfectly normal unless you experience a significant hair loss for a significantly extended amount of time (i.e. longer than eight weeks). Then, you will need to consult your doctor.

What are some other methods to improve hair health?

Although intermittent fasting has nothing to do with hair regrowth, there are still other alternatives than fasting to consider as part of your hair-detox plan. At the same time, it is also essential to keep in mind that the fundamental trick to seeing quicker results is to be consistent. For example, a tip would be to choose two to three methods, such as from below, so you can easily focus on being consistent while ensuring you are building a habit out of each method. Additionally, consulting with your doctor about their recommendation of techniques to improve hair health is better.

Here are some practices that have also been suggested by experts for improving hair health:

• You can use a derma-roller to encourage blood flow on your scalp because the tool contains tiny punctures or microneedles, which helps to stimulate skin cell proliferation.
• Routinely massage your scalp to circulate the blood flow in the scalp, increasing the flow of oxygen, nutrients, and minerals to your hair follicles to grow.
• Focus more on your inner beauty, rather than your outer beauty, by ingesting just enough healthy food so that your body will have enough resources left (after nourishing your vital organs) for your hair.
• Consider FDA-approved hair loss treatments for a slightly faster result like minoxidil (Rogaine)

Conclusion

There is no direct positive link between intermittent fasting and improved hair health. However, the moment you start such a diet, there are definitely improvements. You should also generally not worry when you start a new plan to better your lifestyle. Just remember that consistency, moderation, self-awareness, self-discipline, to name a few, are fundamental in seeing significant results over time.