Vitamins and Hair Loss in Women: What the Evidence Says

When more hair turns up in the brush, a vitamin pill can look like the easy answer. The evidence is more cautious than the advertising: a missing nutrient can play a part in some hair loss, but whether supplements help women who have no proven deficiency is still unsettled. This page sets out what the NHS says, what published reviews found, and where dates fit, which is not very far.

What the NHS says about hair loss

Some hair loss is normal. The NHS hair loss page says we can lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day, often without noticing. Female pattern baldness is permanent and usually runs in the family. Other types are temporary, and the NHS lists illness, stress, cancer treatment, weight loss and iron deficiency as possible causes.

The NHS advises seeing a GP if you are worried, and seeing a GP before going to a commercial hair clinic. Minoxidil can be used for female pattern baldness, while women should not use finasteride. The same page states that no treatment is 100% effective.

Iron, periods and hair

Iron deficiency is the only nutrient problem on that NHS list of causes. The NHS iron deficiency anaemia page lists hair loss among the less common symptoms, described as noticing more hair coming out when brushing or washing it. The same page names heavy periods and pregnancy as very common causes of iron deficiency anaemia, and a GP will usually check for it with a blood test.

According to the NHS iron page, women aged 19 to 49 need 14.8mg of iron a day, and women aged 50 and over need 8.7mg. Women with heavy periods are at higher risk of iron deficiency anaemia and may need iron supplements. The NHS advice is to speak to a GP or a registered dietitian, and it says taking 17mg or less a day of iron supplements is unlikely to cause any harm.

What reviews found on vitamin supplements

A 2019 review by Almohanna and colleagues covered vitamins A, B, C, D and E, iron, selenium and zinc in non-scarring hair loss. It called the role of these micronutrients in hair follicle development "important, but not entirely clear". The authors said large double-blind placebo-controlled trials are needed to find out what supplementing each one does for hair growth in people who have both a deficiency and this type of hair loss.

Guo and Katta (2017) reached a practical conclusion. Deficiencies that are found should be corrected. Whether supplements help people without a documented deficiency still needs research, and patients should be told that such research is lacking.

Biotin is widely popular as a hair supplement. A 2024 review by Yelich and colleagues found three studies that met its criteria. The highest-quality one, double-blind and placebo-controlled, found no difference between biotin and placebo for hair growth. The review concluded that biotin as a hair supplement "is not supported by high-quality studies".

Commercial hair supplements have been tested too. A 2026 meta-analysis by Alanazi and colleagues took in 14 studies with 967 adults who had hair loss or thinning hair, testing products such as Viviscal, Nutrafol and Nourkrin. Several measures, including hair density and the pull test, favoured the supplements over placebo, while total hair count showed no significant difference (p = 0.06). The authors wrote that the supplements "show promising preliminary results" and that more rigorous, independent research is needed.

When more is worse

Taking extra is not risk-free. Guo and Katta warn that some supplements carry a risk of worsening hair loss or of toxicity. The NHS page on other vitamins and minerals says too much selenium causes selenosis, which in its mildest form can lead to loss of hair and nails. For vitamin A, the NHS vitamin A page notes that some research suggests more than an average of 1.5mg a day over many years may affect the bones, which the NHS says is particularly important for older people, especially women.

Where dates fit

We found no human study of dates and hair loss. A PubMed search run in October 2026 for date palm or date fruit together with hair or alopecia returned 10 records, and none of them was a trial of people eating dates.

Dates supply only a little iron. USDA FoodData Central lists 0.9mg of iron in 100g of Medjool dates, and one pitted Medjool date weighs 24g, so a date carries about 0.2mg. Eating 100g would supply about 6% of the 14.8mg a woman aged 19 to 49 needs. The NHS list of foods to eat more of for iron deficiency names dark-green leafy vegetables, fortified cereals, meat, pulses and dried fruit like apricots, prunes and raisins. Dates are not on that list.

Dates still fit an ordinary diet. The NHS 5 A Day page counts a 30g portion of dried fruit, such as dates, as one portion, and says it should be eaten at mealtimes, not as a snack between meals, to reduce the impact on teeth.

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This article is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about hair loss, the NHS advice is to see a GP.

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References

1. NHS. Hair loss. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hair-loss/
2. NHS. Iron deficiency anaemia. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/iron-deficiency-anaemia/
3. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: iron. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/iron/
4. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: others. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/
5. NHS. Vitamins and minerals: vitamin A. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-a/
6. NHS. 5 A Day: what counts? https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/5-a-day/5-a-day-what-counts/
7. Almohanna HM, Ahmed AA, Tsatalis JP, Tosti A. The role of vitamins and minerals in hair loss: a review. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2019;9(1):51-70. PMID 30547302
8. Guo EL, Katta R. Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2017;7(1):1-10. PMID 28243487
9. Yelich A, Jenkins H, Holt S, Miller R. Biotin for hair loss: teasing out the evidence. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2024;17(8):56-61. PMID 39148962
10. Alanazi R, et al. Evaluating the effectiveness of commercial oral supplements for hair growth: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2026;25(4):e70817. PMID 41954038
11. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central, Dates, medjool (SR Legacy, FDC ID 168191). https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168191/nutrients