Reviewed & updated: October 19, 2022 by Jamie Wilson BA
It’s the question that brings a sense of dread to any beer lover, whisky swigger or cocktail sipper – can alcohol cause hair loss? We examine the facts and see if that occasional drink will cause any lasting damage, or if your hair is safe from harm.
Alcoholism and hair loss isn’t something we usually put together. Sure, excessive drinking can cause teeth and skin problems as well as all kinds of organ issues, but we don’t tend to think of alcohol as a cause for thinning hair. But are we just ignoring the facts? Well, let’s take a look at them and see.
Minerals for Healthy Hair
We all know that we need the right vitamins and minerals to produce healthy strong hair, and zinc and iron are two of the main ones that are necessary.
- Zinc – Keeps hair healthy and is needed to help the body absorb nutrients. Alcohol can prevent zinc from being absorbed, meaning the body doesn’t just lose out on zinc’s properties, but all the other nutrients it’s unable to draw in.
- Iron – Helps increase the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair roots, however, you don’t want to have your body store too much of this stuff. Alcohol actually makes your body store additional iron, and this can cause the increase of free radicals in your blood stream. Free radicals can damage cellular structural membranes, and, as you might have guessed, hair follicles.
So, alcohol can affect the way your body absorbs minerals and this can increase the development of harmful toxins. Still, this should only result in hair loss if you go heavy on the alcohol. Drinking a small glass of wine a day, or a beer every once in a while isn’t going to turn you bald.
-
- Wellman Hairfollic Man
-
- My Protein Iron Plus Tablets
-
- Holland and Barrett High Strength Zinc Tablets
On That Note
So we’ve asked the question, does alcohol cause hair loss, and we’ve pretty much come to the conclusion of, not if you don’t go overboard. The occasional glass of beer won’t cause hair loss, but if you’re drinking down pints a day you might notice a change in the overall health and growth of your hair. Like most things just don’t overdo it and you should be fine.
Feature image from Pinterest
