Does Calcium Help Hair Growth? How This Vital Nutrient Affects Hair

If you’re worried about hair loss or are starting to see signs of it, questions about calcium and other minerals and how they might affect hair growth are important ones to be asking. So, does calcium help hair growth?

Calcium makes your bones and teeth strong, and its role in haircare isn’t vastly different from how it fits into overall health.

A healthy diet rich in calcium plays a significant role in preventing osteoporosis and other issues. But the truth is, the amount of calcium you consume and the calcium absorption your body processes only matter to your hair in a few circumstances — namely, if you’re not getting enough calcium in the first place.

To be sure, daily calcium intake may be a factor in hair loss, and nutritional deficiencies can be causes of hair loss. But before you up your calcium intake, check out what the research says about when and why calcium matters for healthy hair.

Want to know more? Let’s start at the beginning.

Nutrients like calcium are foundational elements of hair growth. Like an iron deficiency or a lack of biotin, antioxidants, vitamin C, or magnesium, calcium deficiency could lead to hair breakage and excess hair shedding.

However, while a balanced diet is essential for nourishing your hair, experts don’t put it at the top of the list.

Many vitamins and minerals are associated with healthy hair growth. But in a comprehensive 2018 review of research into these nutrients, calcium was mentioned only three times.

Part of why the mineral wasn’t front and center in this hair-growth research might have to do with lingering questions. According to most experts, the exact role of calcium in hair growth is unclear. Some point to its vital role in enzyme production and function, while others simply leave its qualifications as a question mark.

Potentially. A review of studies found that lower levels of dietary calcium or a full-on calcium deficiency could contribute to reduced hair health as people age.

The researchers pointed out that women are more susceptible to a deficiency as they age because of how the menstrual cycle and menopause affect calcium levels. (Even women who aren’t going through menopause will still see gradual reductions over the course of their lives).

So calcium definitely has some kind of job in maintaining hair follicle health, but the research can’t point to what that role is exactly.

Here’s a simple fact we can share with you: Calcium is essential for healthy hair growth, even if it isn’t clear how. And if your intake of calcium is too low, you might see your hairline falter, new hair growth slow, or conditions like male pattern hair loss become exacerbated.

It’s easy to see how critical calcium is when you look at people and animals that are deficient.

For instance, a 2016 study found that mice that nursed from a mother with a highly deficient diet lacking calcium and vitamin D developed alopecia (hair loss) at statistically significant rates. Then the mice pups started growing hair normally once their mothers’ diet had been corrected to include these nutrients.

But not all research points to the essentialness of calcium in hair growth. One review looked at vitamin D deficiency and low calcium levels in people with autoimmune hair loss, also known as alopecia areata. It found that although low vitamin D levels correlated with hair loss, calcium levels didn’t appear to be relevant data.

Calcium and Premature Graying

Hair loss, shedding, and regrowth aside, calcium might be a factor in hair pigmentation. A small study looked at calcium as one of several essential nutrients for hair and found that low levels of calcium could be associated with early graying.

Many guys wonder if they should take calcium for hair health. Hair loss from a true calcium deficiency can be reversed by taking supplements or eating more dairy products.

Having said that, whether calcium is a remedy to other causes of hair loss is less clear.

For most men, there are only a few ways to prevent severe hair loss — especially those facing the most common type of hair loss: male pattern baldness (aka androgenetic alopecia).

In terms of science-backed treatments with lots of clinical trials and research behind them, there are really only two main options for hair loss: minoxidil and finasteride.

Topical minoxidil and oral finasteride are currently the only medications approved by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) to treat hair loss.

Minoxidil

One way to prevent hair loss or reduce some of its effects is to use the FDA-approved vasodilator minoxidil. Available as a liquid solution or foam, this topical medication increases blood flow to hair follicles, bringing dormant follicles out of the telogen phase of the hair growth cycle (when it rests) and back into growing action.

For alopecia types like telogen effluvium (hair loss caused by stress or environmental factors) and androgenetic alopecia, minoxidil’s effects can lead to increased hair volume after you’ve seen some loss.

Minoxidil can’t undo long-term damage, though, so the sooner you get to treatment, the better.

Finasteride

You can also take a preventative approach with an FDA-approved hair loss treatment like finasteride. Finasteride combats androgenetic alopecia at the source: the androgen (male sex hormone) known as DHT (short for dihydrotestosterone).

Finasteride blocks the formation of DHT, which is a byproduct of testosterone. Curbing DHT stops it from killing off your hair over time — which is much more than any calcium supplement could claim to do.

This oral medication can’t prevent it all, but it can drastically reduce the amount of hair fall and potentially stop it from getting worse.

Compounded Minoxidil and Finasteride

Want to cover all your bases? You can use minoxidil and finasteride together with the hair hybrids from Hims.

These dual-action hair loss treatments come in the form of chewable mints, topical sprays, and hair serums. They aren’t FDA-approved, but the active ingredients have undergone many clinical trials showing their effectiveness.

Does calcium help hair growth? Not directly.

Is calcium hair loss a thing? A calcium deficiency has the potential to be connected to hair loss. But the likelihood that your hair loss is due to insufficient calcium isn’t very high.

Plenty of other genetic and individualized factors of hair loss should be considered before jumping to calcium-related conclusions. And guess what? These are exactly the factors a healthcare professional can help you understand.

Here’s what to remember about calcium for hair:

• Hair loss may be reversible with calcium supplementation if the cause was a pretty bad calcium deficiency. But deficiencies are rare, and realistically, most people won’t be in that position.

• There could be side effects of overdoing it with calcium, so make sure to check with a medical provider before taking calcium for hair growth.

• It’s worth researching the different causes of hair loss and hair thinning, like telogen effluvium or androgenetic alopecia. Our blog is a great place to start.

• Products to fix hair loss shouldn’t come solely from a supplement store. Instead, consider FDA-approved, science-backed treatments like minoxidil or finasteride.

The first step in stopping hair loss and working toward regrowth is consulting a licensed healthcare provider. They can help you figure out what type of hair loss you’re dealing with and recommend treatments.

Get started today with our free online hair quiz, or explore treatments and supplements for hair growth from Hims.