Selenium For Hair Loss & Greying – Does it Really Promote Hair Growth?

Do selenium supplements work for preventing hair loss and promoting hair growth? If you are deficient in this nutrient, it can increase the risk of low hair quality or having your hair prematurely fall out.

While there is limited research available to evaluate this use, it is known that selenium plays a role in the development of hair follicles and healthy skin. Selenium is an important trace mineral that regulates the proper functioning of the thyroid.

Thyroid hormones play a critical role in cellular growth and in healthy hair follicles. This hormone is involved in hair matrix keratinocyte proliferation and pigmentation.

According to Dr. David Kingsley from Huntington College, hair loss, and problems regrowing hair can increase for people over the age of fifty. In many cases, nutritional imbalances cause premature balding and inhibit regrowth.

Maintaining a properly balanced diet can help to keep hair healthy, especially as we age.

Some of the most important nutrients for hair health are selenium, zinc, iron, copper – and vitamins A, B7 and C. Omega 3 fatty acids and protein are also important for hair and follicular health.

Selenium

Essential Mineral

Anti-Oxidant

Immunity

Thyroid Function

How It Works:

• Cofactor for antioxidant enzymes
• Supports thyroid function & metabolism
• Promotes immune function & fertility

Dosage:

Up to 400 mcg per day

Safety:

Rated Likely Safe at Appropriate Dosages

Top Selenium Products* ❯

View User Ratings* ❯

Selenium for Hair Loss

According to the University of Maryland (UMM), the minerals zinc and selenium are two of the most important for strengthening the hair follicles and preventing premature balding.

Hair is structurally simple, yet important for various reasons. Like all types of tissues in the body, hair requires proper nutrition to grow and remain healthy.

One symptom of chronic selenium deficiency is hair loss. If you are lacking selenium, then your hair may begin to fall out prematurely, especially in large patches.

Why does being deficient in selenium increase the risk of hair loss? If you do not get enough of this mineral in your diet, then your natural antioxidant pathways may be impaired which can expose hair follicles to greater oxidative damage.

Both zinc and selenium demonstrate antioxidant properties. Antioxidants protect cells from damage, and repair damage from exposure to radical agents.

A number of enzymes in the body make use of selenium to combat free radicals. For example, glutathioneperoxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) are antioxidant enzymes that require selenium and other minerals as co-factors to serve as catalysts.

Hair follicles are particularly at risk of free radical damage, which can lead to signs of premature aging and disrupt healthy functioning and growth of hair follicles.

Some toxins that can affect hair follicles include free radicals like superoxide, smoke, chemical additives in foods, fluoride in water and various environmental toxins.

Using zinc and selenium supplements for hair loss can protect against excessive free radical damage by quenching these oxidative molecules. These supplements also help to support immunity, and support other important biological functions, including healthy hair growth.

Selenium has also been used to prevent greying of hair, but there is no research available to evaluate this use. While antioxidants can cause premature greying to develop, there are no studies currently available to determine whether use of selenium supplements can delay or reduce this phenomenon.

Selenium, Thyroid Function and Hair Loss

One of the ways that selenium supports healthy hair growth is by helping to maintain normal thyroid hormone levels.

Research shows that selenium is necessary for proper thyroid function. In a 2015 study from Germany, researchers concluded that selenium, iodine and iron are critical for adequate thyroid hormone status. [1]

The summary of this study states, “Adequate nutritional supply of selenium, together with optimal iodine and iron intake, is required for a healthy and functional thyroid during development, adolescence, adulthood and aging.”

The thyroid gland is often referred to as the body’s “master gland” because it regulates the function of many systems within the body. According to PubMed, thyroid hormones are especially important for processes related to cell metabolism, growth and maturation.

The thyroid gland helps to control various physiological functions by synthesizing hormones that get released into the circulatory system and affect the body on a systemic level.

One of the most common signs of disrupted thyroid function is changes in hair quality or hair that begins to fall out. Having an overactive (hyperthyroidism) or an underactive (hypothyroidism) thyroid can result in hair loss.

In many cases, addressing the thyroid disfunction can cause hair to grow back once the underlying issue is treated. Selenium supplements may be one strategy used to address thyroid problems.

Thyroid Hormones and Hair Growth

Both of the minerals selenium and iodine are required to supply the thyroid gland with the raw material it needs to produce T3 (triiodothyronine) and T4 (thyroxine) hormones.

T3 and T4 are the hormones that regulate your body temperature, metabolic rate, heart beat, digestion, brain development, growth and maintenance and many other physiological processes.

If the thyroid gland is not able to produce adequate amounts of T3 and T4, then metabolism can be affected. Low thyroid action (hypothyroidism) slows the body down while high thyroid action (hyperthyroidism) speeds it up.

Changes in levels of these hormones can affect hair and skin growth. In particular, thyroid hormones directly influence the proliferation of hair matrix keratinocytes and prolong the duration of the hair growth phase (anagen).

Having the right balance of these hormones is important to ensure healthy hair growth and to prevent follicles from premature apoptosis (cell death).

According to UMM, thyroid disorders are difficult to diagnose. When thyroid function is imbalanced, various symptoms can result including hair loss and alterations in everything from digestion to body temperature to respiration rate.

The Huntington College of Health Science (HCHS) states that iodine and selenium are necessary for optimal thyroid function. Selenium is required for iodine metabolism, which is necessary for T3 and T4 production.

To maintain proper thyroid function, and facilitate healthy hair growth, HCHS recommends daily intake of iodine between 112-225 mcg, preferably in the form of kelp (seaweed). For selenium, they recommend between 25 and 50 mcg daily.

Should you Take Selenium Supplements for Hair Growth?

Research has shown that both deficiency and surplus of selenium can cause hair shaft and follicle abnormalities. Such abnormalities include “changes in color, density, length and structure”. [3]

Researchers have explored the roles of selenium for hair growth in animals and humans. One study using mice concluded, “alopecia (baldness) with poliosis (color loss) is caused by changes in the hair follicle cycle due to the imbalance of Se”. [4]

More research is needed to determine if and how selenium can facilitate hair growth or regrowth in humans.

There is no data from clinical trials about how the use of selenium supplements prevents or reverses hair loss. Having too much selenium (selenosis) is more often associated with hair loss than a deficiency. [2]

More research in humans in needed to understand how selenium supplementation might work for preventing hair loss.

Protective Effects Against Fluoride

In some cases, Selenium may help to protect against toxins that can lead to hair falling out and other health problems. One of these is fluoride; high levels of fluoride have been associated with hair loss.

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, “There have been over 34 human studies and 100 animal studies linking fluoride to brain damage, including lower IQ in children, and studies have shown that fluoride toxicity can lead to a wide variety of health problems.”

Some of these include thyroid disease, arthritis, infertility, genetic damage, increased risk for cancer and premature balding.

Each time you shower with fluoridated water, you are saturating your head and body with small amounts of toxic fluoride. This may cause your hair follicles and hair shafts to lose health.

In one human in-vitro study, selenium reduced the toxicity of exposure to high levels of fluoride. This study concluded that, “The toxicity of fluoride can be reduced by selenium, at least partially via the suppression of intracellular oxidative stress.” [5]

More research in humans is needed to understand the effects of fluoridation and selenium on hair loss and/or hair growth.

It is best to seek medical advice about using selenium for hair loss or hair regrowth. Maintaining a proper balance of dietary nutrients is one of the best ways to ensure healthy hair in the long term.

Rate This Article

(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5, rated)