You’re in the right place if you’re struggling with alopecia hair loss and want it to stop. Losing hair due to alopecia can be emotionally challenging, and I want you to know you aren’t alone in your frustration and sadness. I dealt with it in 2015 and 2017 (scroll down for photos), but I was able to reverse alopecia through diet and lifestyle changes. I’ve also been able to help dozens of women reverse their alopecia hair loss. This post will help you better understand what alopecia hair loss is and how to treat it naturally, plus give you a free, 7 page food guide .

What is alopecia?

Alopecia is an autoimmune disease that causes hair to fall out. There are three types of alopecia:

1. Alopecia Areata – this is the most common form of alopecia. Alopecia Areata starts as a small circular patch of hair loss on your head and can grow larger over time. Some people get one small patch while others will have multiple.
2. Alopecia Totalis – this form of alopecia occurs when there is complete hair loss across the scalp.
3. Alopecia Universalis – when someone has alopecia universalis, it has spread to their entire body resulting in hair loss everywhere (including eyebrows, eye lashes, and pubic hair).

Above is a picture of me with alopecia areata. I first developed alopecia in 2015 while eating the Standard American Diet and working a very stressful job. Since changing my diet and implementing simple lifestyle changes, I haven’t had another bald patch in over four years. If you want to see the same results, keep scrolling to snag my free, 7 page, Ultimate Alopecia Food Guide to get started.

Why does alopecia happen?

You may be wondering, “what is alopecia caused by?” Alopecia is categorized as an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases occur when your body becomes confused and sends your immune system to attack normal and healthy tissues in your body. In the case of alopecia, your immune system is attacking your hair follicles.

For many years the scientific literature didn’t draw conclusions on the root cause of autoimmunity. Recently, studies have shown that autoimmunity is linked to leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome is a digestive condition where undigested food, toxins, and bacteria are able to “leak” through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. Some people are more prone to leaky gut syndrome because of genetics, but the primary source of leaky gut syndrome is diet and lifestyle. In my free download “The Ultimate Alopecia Food Guide” I dive into the importance of reversing leaky gut and all the foods to include and avoid to reverse alopecia.

Is alopecia hair loss permanent?

The answer is, unfortunately, sometimes. The good news is that if you catch it early and begin to implement diet and lifestyle changes, it’s possible to completely reverse your autoimmune disease and get your hair to grow back. The bad news is, it doesn’t always work, especially if scarring has occurred. Scarring happens most often if the disease has gone untreated, but there is always hope for reversal!

Once your body has learned to attack itself, it can never be unlearned. It’s important to maintain the diet and lifestyle changes that bring your hair back in order to keep alopecia at bay.

When will alopecia hair loss grow back?

The timeline for hair loss regrowth will be different for everyone depending on how severe their leaky gut and inflammation were before implementing diet and lifestyle changes. Some people see their hair begin to grow back in 6 weeks and for others it can take several months.

It’s important to note that topical treatments like steroid injections, creams, and shampoos will not get to the root of the problem and are generally ineffective or cause temporary relief. These treatments also introduce more toxins to the body which may exacerbate the problem you’re trying to solve.

Can alopecia be cured? 

Yes, in a sense. Once the body learns to attack itself it can never be unlearned. However, it is possible to reverse alopecia and prevent it from coming back through diet and lifestyle changes.

How do you cure alopecia? 

I’ve worked with several nutrition clients to reverse their symptoms of alopecia and get their hair to grow back. We do that in two ways:

Diet – I advise my clients on nourishing foods they can include to heal their gut lining in addition to removing foods that agitate it.

Lifestyle – In addition to diet, stress and toxins are major drivers of autoimmunity. Stress management and non-toxic personal care and cleaning products are a huge part of the healing process.

Below, snag my list of foods to remove and include in your diet that will help you heal alopecia naturally!

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