Exercise has many fantastic health benefits, but does exercise affect hair growth? It may seem unlikely that your training can provide protection against the seemingly inevitable hair loss associated with aging, but there may be some link.
On the one hand, exercise increases blood circulation and oxygen in the blood cells, which benefits the hair follicles. This can allow the hair growth phase to be longer. Exercise can also reduce stress, which is one of the factors involved in thinning hair.
So if you’ve been anxiously noticing a thinning of your lustrous locks, read on. We spoke with Dr. Fuat Yuksel (opens in a new tab)a hair transplant surgeon who works with patients struggling with hair loss, on how hair growth works and whether to get on one of the best treadmills either exercise bikes may or may not make a difference.
Does exercise affect hair growth?
Unfortunately, there has been very little scientific research to date on the effects of exercise on hair growth. However, with an understanding of the hair growth process and the factors that can promote normal hair growth, it is reasonable to assume that consistent exercise can potentially support healthy hair growth.
Before delving into the potential mechanisms by which exercise can increase hair growth, it’s helpful to understand a few basics about hair growth in general.
Hair grows by alternating a cycle that involves stages of rapid hair shaft growth and elongation, and periods of regression driven by apoptotic signals.
The hair growth cycle can be divided into three distinct phases:
- Anagen: The anagen phase is the phase of active growth where the hair shaft sprouts from the follicle. This phase can last several years.
- catagen: This is the transition phase where the hair stops growing and actually recedes, losing about one-sixth of the diameter of each hair. In addition, club hairs, or short stubby hairs, can form, which are then often shed, giving the appearance of thinning hair. Factors that increase club hair formation and shedding include hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, stress, and vitamin deficiencies.
- telogen: This is the resting phase where growth does not occur.
So how could exercise increase hair growth? Dr. Yuksel says that exercise will always have a positive effect on your hair growth because it has a positive effect on your overall health.
“Your hair follicles will benefit from increased blood circulation and increased oxygen to your blood cells,” explains Dr. Yuksel. “Healthy hair follicles will allow your growth phase [anagen phase] to be longer. Therefore, the hair will have more time to grow.
Also, exercise can reduce stress, and since stress is one of the factors in the catagen phase that can cause thinning hair, regular exercise can prevent hair loss.
How much exercise do you need to do to stimulate hair growth?
It’s unrealistic to think that a single run or a couple of yoga classes will suddenly reverse hair loss and cause lots of new hair to sprout, but Dr. Yuksel says typical guidelines for physical activity levels are sufficient.
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (opens in a new tab) states that adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise per week, which Dr. Yuksel says is enough to maintain a healthy hair growth cycle.
What type of exercise will have the greatest effect on hair growth?
Interestingly, not all types of exercise are created equal when it comes to promoting hair growth. Dr. Yuksel says that hypertrophy-oriented strength training is not as good as any type of aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. This distinction is due to the effect of hypertrophy training on testosterone.
“Muscle growth is directly related to testosterone, and having high levels of testosterone, including DHT (dihydrotestosterone), shrinks hair follicles and shortens the hair growth cycle,” says Yuksel.
When it comes to strength training, Dr. Yuksel says that multi-joint exercises that engage larger muscle groups, like squats, deadlifts, and lunges, increase testosterone the most.
“This can worsen genetic hair loss. However, exercise also lowers stress hormones and improves how the body responds to stress,” she adds. “You may see a positive effect from resistance training if you have been experiencing stress-related hair loss.”
Dr. Yuksel adds that taking steroids in addition to resistance training is a prescription for hair loss, so you should avoid these medications at all costs.
Can exercise cause hair loss?
The good news is that even if you lift weights several days a week to build muscle, the exercise will not directly cause hair loss.
“You won’t go bald just by exercising,” says Dr. Yuksel. “Hair loss can be caused by a number of factors, including lifestyle, genes, hormone levels, and medications such as antidepressants.”
In addition, it explains that hair loss can be classified into two types: permanent and temporary. Most permanent hair loss is a product of your genetic predisposition, while hair loss caused by lifestyle is usually temporary and can be reversed by improving your overall health.
Also, although Dr. Yuksel says that hair loss is not associated with running marathons or any other intense resistance training, it can be affected if you don’t take care of your body to support your training.
“Athletes who do not meet their nutritional needs for such training could lead to hair loss due to lack of iron, vitamins and other minerals,” he notes.
Other factors that can affect hair growth
In addition to exercise, following a healthy lifestyle, such as getting enough sleep, not smoking, and eating a nutrient-rich diet, can promote hair growth.
Hair growth depends on getting an adequate total caloric intake. Prolonged dieting, especially in conjunction with insufficient protein intake, causes the body to stop hair cell renewal.
Additionally, there are several other nutrients vital to keeping hair follicles healthy and stimulating new hair growth, such as folate, beta-carotene, iron, biotin, zinc, vitamin CB vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids.
Finally, Dr. Yuksel says that leaving sweat in your hair after exercise can also make a difference. “Hair can become blocked and weak if sweat stays on your head for too long,” he explains. “Showering after exercise will prevent this.”
