mineral · for hair thinning
Iron
Hair follicles are among the fastest-dividing cells you have, and they need iron.
Say that in clinical terms
Iron is essential for hair follicle matrix cell proliferation, which has one of the highest cell turnover rates in the body. Low ferritin starves the follicle of oxygen and nutrients, causing telogen effluvium (diffuse shedding).
How strong is the research?
2 papers read.
Tested as: Ferrous Sulfate and unspecified iron salts
Who was studied: Patients at skin clinics with diagnosed hair loss conditions.
A proper search found trials of this compound, but not in the form named here — Ferrous Sulfate and unspecified iron salts. Evidence for one form is not evidence for another.
How much to take
daily on empty stomach
18–36 mg
MUST test ferritin levels (target >70 ng/mL for hair regrowth). Iron deficiency is the most common correctable cause of hair loss in women.
Before you take it
- NIH ODS Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for iron is 45 mg/day for adults (all sources combined: food and supplements).
- Levothyroxine interaction: concurrent ingestion significantly reduces levothyroxine efficacy; separate iron and levothyroxine by at least 4 hours.
- Tetracycline and fluoroquinolone antibiotic interaction is asymmetric: take the antibiotic at least 2 hours BEFORE iron, or at least 4–6 hours AFTER iron — not a simple equal-interval separation.
- Levodopa interaction: iron may reduce levodopa absorption via chelation; separate administration times (specific interval not fixed in NIH ODS guidance).
- Proton pump inhibitors (e.g., omeprazole, lansoprazole) reduce gastric acid and may impair non-heme iron absorption, potentially reducing efficacy of oral iron supplementation.
- Hereditary hemochromatosis (HFE gene mutation): iron supplementation is contraindicated; risk of iron overload, organ damage.
- GI side effects (constipation, nausea, abdominal discomfort) are common with oral iron; iron bisglycinate is better tolerated than ferrous sulfate in comparative trials but is not side-effect-free.
- Accidental ingestion by children can be fatal; child-resistant storage is essential.
- Iron supplementation without confirmed deficiency (serum ferritin or CBC) has no established benefit for symptom relief and risks cumulative toxicity approaching or exceeding the 45 mg/day UL when combined with dietary iron.
- Iron supplementation without confirmed iron deficiency has no established benefit for hair thinning and risks cumulative iron toxicity; given that levothyroxine (commonly prescribed for thyroid-related hair loss) interacts with iron, co-administration timing is a clinically relevant concern in this symptom context.
When to take it
Best taken: empty stomach
What we make of it
Dermatology actively disputes this link, and a 400-woman study found nothing.
The detail
The iron and hair loss connection is contested rather than settled. A study of around 400 women found no significant association, which sits directly against what this claim implies.