Use an Iron Bisglycinate supplement for better absorption and less constipation.
The Gentle Iron
My doctor told me I had low iron and that it was causing my hair to shed. She prescribed the standard Ferrous Sulfate. It was a nightmare. It made me incredibly constipated and nauseous. I couldn’t take it. I thought I was doomed to have low iron forever. Then a pharmacist told me about Iron Bisglycinate, a chelated form that is incredibly gentle on the stomach. I switched, and it was a revelation. No constipation, no nausea, and my hair shedding started to slow down.
Stop guessing about your iron status. Do get a full iron panel, including ferritin, to check for deficiency.
The Ferritin Factor
I was shedding a ton of hair. My doctor ran a standard blood test and told me my iron was “normal.” I was still shedding. I was so frustrated. Then I learned about the ferritin factor. A standard test just looks at the iron in your blood. Ferritin is your body’s stored iron. It’s the warehouse. My warehouse was completely empty. My ferritin level was 8. It was the secret that finally explained my hair loss. Don’t just check your iron; you must check your ferritin.
Stop thinking hair loss is always hormonal. Do understand that low ferritin (iron stores) is one of the most common causes of diffuse hair shedding in women.
The Shedding Secret
As a woman, the moment I started losing hair, I immediately thought it was my hormones. I went down a rabbit hole of complex hormonal testing. The truth was so much simpler. For pre-menopausal women, one of the most common, and most overlooked, causes of that diffuse, “all-over” shedding is simply a low ferritin level. The hair follicle is very sensitive to iron levels, and when the body’s stores get low, it shuts down hair growth to conserve the mineral. It’s not always hormones; it’s often just iron.
The #1 secret for women experiencing unexplained hair shedding that their hairdresser won’t know is to check their ferritin levels.
The Hairdresser’s Blind Spot
I was complaining to my hairdresser about how much hair I was losing. She sold me a bunch of expensive, thickening products. She meant well, but she didn’t know the secret. The #1 secret for a woman who is suddenly shedding hair all over her head is not a new shampoo; it’s a blood test. Specifically, a test for ferritin, your stored iron. A low ferritin level is the great, hidden epidemic behind female hair shedding, and it’s a secret that is hiding in your blood, not in a bottle of conditioner.
The biggest lie you’ve been told about hair loss is that it’s always permanent. Sometimes, it’s just a nutrient deficiency.
The Reversible Loss
When your hair starts to fall out, it’s terrifying. It feels so permanent. You’re told it’s your genetics, your fate. This is often a lie. The truth is that sometimes, hair loss is not a permanent sentence; it is a temporary symptom of a correctable, underlying nutrient deficiency. A massive hair shed due to a low ferritin level is completely and totally reversible. Once you restore your iron stores, the hair grows back. The lie is that it’s hopeless. The truth is that sometimes, it’s simple.
I wish I knew that my massive hair shedding was due to a ferritin level of 8.
The Number That Explained Everything
I was losing clumps of hair in the shower. I was panicking. I thought I had a terrible disease. I went to multiple doctors who had no answers. I was in a state of high anxiety for a year. I wish I had known to ask for one, single test. The day I finally got my ferritin tested and the result came back as a single digit—8—was the day my entire world made sense. It wasn’t a mystery; it was a number. And it was a number I could fix.
I’m just going to say it: You cannot have healthy hair growth without adequate iron stores.
The Non-Negotiable
This is the bottom line. It’s a biological non-negotiable. The hair follicle is one of the most metabolically active sites in the body. It requires a huge amount of energy and nutrients to do its job. And one of its most critical fuels is iron. If your ferritin stores are low, your body will wisely shunt that precious iron to your more vital organs, and it will shut down the “non-essential” process of robust hair growth. Adequate iron is not a suggestion for healthy hair; it is a requirement.
99% of women with hair loss make this one mistake: not getting their ferritin checked.
The Ferritin Fail
A woman starts losing her hair. She panics. She buys special shampoos. She tries topical treatments. She might even get her thyroid checked. But she makes the single most common and most critical mistake. She does not ask her doctor to specifically test her ferritin level. Her doctor may not even suggest it. This one, simple, inexpensive blood test is the key that can unlock the mystery for millions of women, but because of a massive knowledge gap, it is almost always overlooked.
This one habit of ensuring your ferritin is optimal (above 50 ng/mL) will change the amount of hair on your head and in your brush forever.
The Optimal Zone
My ferritin was “normal,” but it was at the very bottom of the normal range. My hair was still shedding. I learned a new habit. I stopped aiming for “normal” and started aiming for “optimal.” For robust hair growth, most experts agree that your ferritin level should be at least 50 ng/mL, and ideally even higher. This one habit—of working with my doctor to get my ferritin into that optimal zone and keeping it there—has had a more profound impact on the thickness of my hair than anything else.
If you’re still using expensive hair treatments without checking your iron, you could be losing your money and your hair.
The Double Loss
You are spending a fortune on laser helmets, prescription foams, and fancy scalp serums. But you have not had your ferritin level checked. You are suffering a double loss. You are losing your money on expensive treatments that cannot work if the underlying cause of your hair loss is a nutrient deficiency. And you are continuing to lose your hair, because you are ignoring the simple, fundamental, and fixable root cause of your problem. You are polishing the leaves while the root is starving.