THE ONE MINERAL SUPPLEMENT THAT REVERSED MY HAIR LOSS

If in some alternative universe, I found myself stranded on a desert island and you told me I could only bring one supplement to grow my hair, it would be ZINC. 

Every. Single. Time. 

And, do you know why I love zinc so much? Well, because when I was 13 years old and my hair began to fall out, zinc was the first supplement that regrew my hair. I found out about zinc from my mother, who also has the same hair loss condition. She discovered this powerhouse of a mineral when she read a book on naturopathic remedies for hair loss in her early 20s. For a long time neither of us knew why zinc had stopped our hair loss, instead we were just buoyed by the relief that something so accessible, available and with limited side effects had worked. 

It wasn't until years later that I found out why zinc might have been so successful at reversing our hair loss, as well as its numerous other benefits.

But first, let's begin with what zinc actually is. 

Zinc is a trace mineral that is essential for proper functioning of the body. In particular, we require zinc for immune system functioning, wound healing, bone growth, hormone production (including thyroid), pregnancy, child development as well as hair and skin (Gorman, 2025).

Common symptoms of zinc deficiency include slow wound healing, issues with oral health, loss of taste/smell, poor immune system responses, diarrhea, skin issues and hair loss! (Gorman, 2025).

The human body is unable to create zinc on its own and therefore, it must absorb it through food. Foods high in zinc are predominantly animal based, making vegetarians and vegans at greater risk of deficiency.  Some of the foods with the highest levels of zinc include; oysters (32mg), beef (3.8mg) and crab (3.2mg), pumpkin seeds (2.2mg) and cashews (1.4mg).

Now onto the reasons as to why zinc may have ceased my hair loss. 

Research has found a clear relationship between low zinc and numerous kinds of hair loss. A study found that serum (blood level) zinc was lower in those experiencing the following four types of hair loss including Alopecia Areata (an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks hair follicles causing hair loss), Telogenium effluvium (a temporary form of hair loss triggered by stress, illness, hormonal changes or deficiencies),  male pattern hair loss and female pattern hair loss, compared to those no hair loss. Additionally, serum zinc was found to be lower in those with the more severe hair loss conditions of Alopecia Areata and Telogenium Effluvium (Kil,Kim & Kim, 2013). 

Similarly, when patients with both Alopecia Areata and low zinc levels took oral zinc supplements for 12 weeks, the majority of patients' hair grew back. Additionally, those with more mild hair loss responded better to zinc supplementation than those with more severe hair loss, indicating the importance of beginning supplementation early in symptom progression. Finally, it was found that those who continued to take zinc for 6 months continued to see ongoing regrowth (Park et al., 2009). 

Thyroid dysfunction is another common root cause of female hair loss and adequate zinc levels are required for its proper functioning. Additionally, low thyroid hormones can impact the body's capacity to effectively absorb zinc from food. This can lead to a vicious cycle in which the body's increased need for zinc due to thyroid dysfunction is sabotaged by its inability to absorb the nutrient due to the same thyroid issue. This can result in more severe thyroid symptoms including skin issues and hair loss! (Ambooken, Binitha & Sarita 2013) (Maxwell & Volpe, 2007) 

Another common cause of hair loss among women is androgenic alopecia, often known as male patterned hair loss. Research has found that those with female androgenic alopecia are also more likely to have lower zinc serum levels (Dhaher, Yacoub & Jacob 2018). 

Additionally, while there is limited research on zinc supplementation in female androgenic alopecia, zinc has been shown to affect one of the key mechanisms behind hair fall in this condition. Specifically, zinc can influence the activity of 5-alpha-reductase, the enzyme that converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the hormone that binds to receptors in hair follicles, causing them to shrink and produce thinner hair over time, which ultimately leads to hair thinning seen in androgenic alopecia (Baltaci, Mogulkoc & Baltaci 2019). 

So…. there you have it. Those are just some of the reasons as to why zinc may play such a significant role in my own hair loss and regrowth.

If you would like to know more about my own personal zinc protocol including how much I take, how often I take it and which kind of zinc supplement I prefer as well as the other supplements and treatments that reversed my hair loss, check out my step by step protocol ‘How I Stopped my Female Hair Loss naturally’. 

Disclaimer: Please note, I am not a medical professional and am not suggesting that any person undertake any specific health treatment. Please consult a doctor prior to beginning any new health treatment.

Reference List

Ambooken, B., Binitha, M., & Sarita, S. (2013). Zinc deficiency associated with hypothyroidism: An overlooked cause of severe alopecia. International Journal of Trichology, 5(1), 40–42. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-7753.114714

Baltaci, A.K., Mogulkoc, R. and Baltaci, S.B. (2019). Review: The role of zinc in the endocrine system. Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, [online] 32(1), pp.231–239. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30772815/.

Dhaher, S. A., Yacoub, A. A., & Jacob, A. A. (2018). Estimation of Zinc and Iron Levels in the Serum and Hair of Women with Androgenetic Alopecia: Case-control Study. Indian Journal of Dermatology, 63(5), 369–374. https://doi.org/10.4103/ijd.IJD_624_16

Gorman, R.M. (2025). Zinc: What it does for the body, and the best food sources - Harvard Health. [online] Harvard Health. Available at: https://www.health.harvard.edu/nutrition/zinc-what-it-does-for-the-body-and-the-best-food-sources.

Kil, M. S., Kim, C. W., & Kim, S. S. (2013). Analysis of serum zinc and copper concentrations in hair loss. Annals of Dermatology, 25(4), 405–409. https://doi.org/10.5021/ad.2013.25.4.405

Maxwell, C., & Volpe, S. L. (2007). Effect of Zinc Supplementation on Thyroid Hormone Function: A Case Study of Two College Females. Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism, 51(2), 188–194. https://doi.org/10.1159/000103324

Park, H., Kim, C.W., Kim, S.S. and Park, C.W. (2009). The Therapeutic Effect and the Changed Serum Zinc Level after Zinc Supplementation in Alopecia Areata Patients Who Had a Low Serum Zinc Level. Annals of Dermatology, 21(2), p.142. doi:https://doi.org/10.5021/ad.2009.21.2.142.