THC, Marijuana, and Hair Loss
I have noticed an area of diffuse hair loss in the middle of my head. It looks almost as if someone grabbed a scissor and cut a good chunk of hair right out. My hairline is perfectly intact, and other than that one spot, my hair is thick. No matter how I comb my hair, the thinness is very apparent and hard to cover with the surrounding hair. I am concerned that this is a reaction to THC, as I have started using the drug in the past two years. Prior to this, the “bald” patch wasnt there. Is it possible that my (sad to say, frequent) ingestion of THC may have damaged my hair follicles? If so, will it grow back after stopping? Are there any cases of this kind you have encountered? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.
I am not an expert on the use of marijuana. According to Medic8.com:
“It is the most common illegal drug used in many countries around the world. Research suggests one in three people aged between 14 to 34 have tried it at least once. In the USA and Australia about 10 percent of those who have used it become daily users, and up to 30 percent use it on a weekly basis.
The effective ingredient in cannabis which makes a person feel high is called THC (Delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol). However, the drug is actually a depressant not a stimulant.”
The connection between stress and hair loss is well known. Those people who use marijuana are often stressed and this becomes an alternative way of managing the stress, so maybe these factors do link. You are in control of your decision to use it.
ys, thoughtful words.
i’ve been attacked by hair loss for 4 years…never ending spiral of hair loss and stress…returning to thc and of course exponentially losing hair driving stress levels even higher wanting to retreat into thc….”how long can this keep goin’ on”…the threat of baldness scares the bejeezuz out of me….the thought of life without thc unimaginable…between a rock and a damn hard place.
Its Not Due To U Using Marijuana its due to becoming old lol i know plenty of people who smoke and have smoked for years and still have all of their hair in tact :-)
I have smoked weed since i was 14 or 15, and my hair started getting tin at about 16 i am now 21 and my hair loss is very bad, i have like a horse shoe shape if i let it grow, my father has only just started to reciede and he is 45, and my grandfather (on my mums side) has a full head of grey hair.
It is very depressing knowing that i will be bald forever, and i really do think the weed is tha cause of it, but fuck it im already bald so why stop.
I would like to know if theres any scientific research into this, and possibly a way to regrow hair, look at elton john im sure he use to be bald.
I didn’t start smoking weed until I moved away for college and within six months I noticed that my hair line was starting to recede. On an average day I smoked anywhere from 2-4 grams (Yeah I know that alot)So this went on for about four years, now my hairline is all F_**ked up and my hair is also very thin. I moved back home about 2 months ago and have been off the weed since. I’ve noticed that I am no longer losing my hair. I’ve started treatment for it and its kinda helping. I am 100% certain that it was the weed that caused me to lose my hair. In retrospect I dont think it was worth it because it totally fucked up my confidence, I consider my self to be a pretty good looking dude but every time I look at my hair my self-esteem goes down the shiter. In my opinion getting high was not worth losing my hair over. I plan on staying off the green and I will try to keep you guys posted if I notice any significant gains.
Dizzel sounds very familiar except i smoke 2-3grams a week and i my hair has got very thin and fallen out, reading your post and other bloggs there seems to def be some kinda link between weed and hair loss.Hmm gonna stop smoking for a while see how it goes.
guess what, i smoked every day for my whole life and i have too much hair.
I am a Barber , and I can honestly say there is an affect on THC and hair / hair loss . I do belive it is because it alters the maturity level of the papula (root ) of the hair. Notice that your hair will actually become much like baby hair or inmature hair. I also personally belive that THC will bring on hair loss for people who are gentically going to have it at an old age anyhow . Thus making a small part of the population not affected at all. I have clients with massive amounts of hair that I KNOW are smokers of pot and not just casual smokers. I choose whom I share my knowlage with while there setting in my chair for their haircuts. I often let my younger clients know of THC affects because there reason for use of the drug is usually social , where my older clients that tend to be users have turned to it for self medication of depression or anxity and I personally dont see adding to there stress level. So take my personal oppion and do with it what you please , but I see hundreds of heads of hair and I have NEVER been wrong when I ask the client about there THC use and talk about its affects on there hair and hair loss . Judge not , just educate is my take on life. From the East Coast of Georgia , Rebeckah
i am victim of alopecia areata, and i can say that i haven’t seen any connection between THC and hair loss. i have been experimenting with THC for the last 4yrs, and had 2 major outbreaks (7 and 14 years old) but several small ones throughout my life. THERE IS A CURE THOUGH!!! sorry its not mary jane, but it is herbal ;)
i had my first alopechia outbreak when i was 7, my parents and i had no idea why i was losing my hair and were trippin out. they actually thought that it was from me playing 007 on N64 at such a young age with all the violence hahaha. we tried all of the local doctors but in the western medical practice alopecia is incurable. so here i am 7years old and i already have a bald spot on the back of my head about the size of your palm (remember that i was 7 and my head isnt too big). my grandma in the bay area gave us a call and told us about this eastern medical dr. and herbalist. i cant give out his name, but i could put my life on the results that he produced. when he gave me a prescription to help with my alopechia, i was skeptical at first because it was only a bag of random dried herbs that i had to brew in a tea and drink. so from then on, i visit him in the bay to get re-ups on my herbs and get checked up in case he needs to change the prescription.
just a heads up for any who are willing to try eastern practices, it does work, but the tea looks and tastes like sweet shit. the first time when i was 7 and had to drink it, it took me 3hrs, but now i drink the cup in about 3gulps and dont mind the taste hahahaha. after my first month of being on the tea, i had to get a haircut because i was starting to grow hair so thick and fast!!
my dr. said that one of the main things to go along with the herbal tea is a lifelong diet. i dont follow the diet plan or the lifestyle he suggested, and choose to find a balance or mix between eastern and western practices. i dont know if that made sense but it sure came right out of my mouth haha.
diet plan:
Do’s:
apple
advocado (excellent for hair i guess)
papaya
soup (chicken or rabbit haha hey its eastern medicine)
Donts’s:
lettuce
watermelon
cucumber
mushroom
tofu
pears
anything cold
no beer or alcohol (im actually allergic to alcohol haha)
no green tea or coffee (caffeine)
bottom line is, western dr.s are good but eastern practices can be trusted too. not only are their practices older, but they are more simple too.
i hope that i have been able to help someone out as i know the stress of having alopecia. good luck!!
-scotty
the list for the dieting is incomplete and only the things i could think of. ill try to extend it if i can
Yo dizzle I’m with you all the way same exact situation keep me posted please
Scott are you sure about that list i always thought mushrooms were good for hair along with potatoes and such..
scott, what is the herbal tea called?
So it’s been almost about two years since I’ve last posted on this blog, thought I give you guys an update. I’ve probably tooked up less than ten times in the last 2 years and I think I’ve arrived at a very interesting conclusion. THC has less to do with hair-loss and more to do with stress, and it is my belief that stress rather than THC is the key factor in premature hair-loss. I’ve must have smoked less than five times in the years 2010, however, 2010 was the most stressful year of my live. Although I wasn’t smoking, I was still experiencing hair-loss because I was under a great deal of stress. The last two months of my life have been very stress-free and I’ve noticed my hair-loss has gradually slowed down. Also, Rogaine foam is the shit, buy this product if you wish to slow down and stop hair-loss. However, I’ve doubt that it will grow any new follicles like the makers of Rogaine claim. Currently I’m using a sulfate-free shampoo along with the laser hair-comb and Rogaine and I’ve seen very little hair-loss. Although my hairline is all fucked up, my hair is darker and thicker. I’ll post back in a few months to let you guys know how things are going. Please let me know what’s been working and not working for you guys.
thanks for posting dizzle. I really appreciated it.
I’m absolutely positive that weed makes your hair thin, or even bald. I’ve been smoking weed since i was 16 and now I’m 30. but there have always been on and off periods.
well i stopped smoking last year for about six months and noticed my thinning hair became full and thick again.. no kidding.. the kind of hair that just looks good always.. and ever since august 2010, i started to smoke hard again.. its now almost February 2011 and my hair is so limp, dry and thin again.. in 7 months I’ve managed to thin out pretty bad.. its not a coincidence. i am proof that weed makes (certain people’s) hair thin.
don’t listen to the dumb asses on this site that say “well I’ve been smoking forever and have it all” or “ever seen a hippie?”… because for everyone its different.. and furthermore, hippies back in the day had clean weed, and “clean” drugs in general.. not like today..
I’m the kind of smoker that gets very paranoid, angry, antisocial and just plain miserable when high. but always want to smoke it regardless. (i got a love hate relationship with weed for sure)…. i think that this brooding stress makes hair thinning occur. also, when i quit smoking i only used to wash my hair once every 3-4 days (even though i worked out too).. now i gotta wash it every day or 2 at most.. and don’t work out either.. my scalp is so much oilier now, even waxy.. not to mention, my overall mood has gone to hell.
so to state it bluntly, (nice pun eh? :D) I’m assuming that if you are a person that becomes negative with weed, you will become greasier and it will for sure affect your hair.. also worrying about hair loss while high, is for sure catastrophic. you can even feel the follicles tingling and tightening sometimes….. no shit…. the power of stoned negative thinking.. awesome, i can psychosomatically make myself go bald when I’m high!! want me to teach you how!!!???…. cool super power you gave me god…
weed also lowers testosterone a lot.. and many studies show that testosterone is very good for males, and it doesn’t necessarily make you bald. (that’s why you see men like russel crow, or triple H out there.. full of testosterone + full hair).. i don’t know its effect on females, and frankly, i don’t care. I’m glad that some of them feel the pain that they so often make jokes about… <- (lots of negative thoughts like this when I’m high)
I’m positive about this correlation and if i wasn’t such a lazy pot head i would document my hair gains that i WILL be going through again… because i spit on the reefer as of today god damn it!!!!.
I think you are all idiots, quit the weed and get on with life, see a counsellor if necessary. Good luck. HEY Why won’t you add me!
Yay! They added my comment. These things are censored you know and sometimes I’m locked out because I’m too honest. Please help yourselves, weed can wreck your lives.
So, so pleased they added my comment, will leave you guys alone after this. Haven’t even read all your crap but I think if you’re even slightly concerned give it up if at all possible and find alternative outlets for your stress/boredom that are not illegal and damaging to anybody elses health as well as your own.
Mary Jane lowers T for sure, but not that low to affect your hair.And they do help by preventing some DHT presence in the blood. It does raises the anxiety in the body.,I have been studying about THC and effect in human for many years. I have clients who experience hair loss at late teen. Over Masturbation, No physical activity, over weight, family bald history these people experience hairloss due to thc heavy smoking of pot. Although my research has not been approved yet.
hey scotty, i wondered if you could tell us the name of the herbal tea the eastern doctor prescribed for you.
thanks
I am also a smoker of mj and have alopecia areata. I too have been receiving herbal and acupuncture treatment. The tea pills I was given supposedly help open up circulation to the head nd are specifically for hairloss and headaches. They are called tong qiao hue xue and the brand is plum flower.
I’ve actually found that when I stop smoking mj a week later I will get patches of hair loss in my beard and on my head., the green helps, I’m also a victim of alopicia !!
So I smoke one every 2 days keeps it at bay,!
I believe smoking excessive amounts of the ganja will make u lose hair personally I think what truly happens is that it inhibits dht so much that when u stop smoking it makes your follicles extremely sensitive to dht and attaches like super glue. I to smoked the trees for many years and getting thin thru my top head area. I cut back over the years used to get blunted outta my mind that’s 5 grams each one.so average like 20-30 grams a day. That’s was regular didn’t smoke good till last 3 years and nothin regular anymore so potency I think set it off cuz the herb was much stronger but pure and free of who knows what the mexicans spray on that crap. Although it was good till the last 3 years before I switched over to medical grade the Reggie got all crappy brown and dirty. All in who u know and comes and goes I guess.
I noticed when my mom had heart attack I was thinning in a small area and it seemed as if my scalp itched all the time with burning tingling sensation that seemed almost like sharp tiny needle stabs in my scalp seemed stress trigger but didn’t stop for years and got worse whenever me and my girl separated
Triggered again. Whatever u do dont touch your hair or scalp scratch or itch it will make way worse by making your scalp sensitive.
Diet is very pOor and contributed to hair loss I’m positive of I don’t care what research says I’m the real research. I smoked tO much and I don’t handle stress very well and hard for me to cope with it that’s what triggers it and the trees just kicked it in gear. But if I ate a proper diet I assume I would still have no hair loss. So exercise take vitamins eat properly lots of veggies cuz I don’t and u won’t be a burnout like me who’s balding from it u gotta take pride in yourself and not let marijuana revolve your life like I have smoke but don’t get crazy better yet don’t. Its not worth the outcome and nOthin positive comes from it after 31 years of my life I realized I have handicapped my success by chiefin all day and sad shit is I still don’t wanna stop. But I will change my diet eventually.
I always used to smoke and nothing would ever happen. Than when I got my thyroid fixed (alternative medicine, not western) I kept smoking and noticed hairs on my front hairline looking dead and limp. I actually recall being high and thinking I was going bald (no one believed me at that point). I shaved my hair, thinking it was prickly hear due to the hot summer. I continued to smoke and the tingling sensation continued. As my hair grew I noticed it was thinning at the corners rapidly and more limp dead hairs at my front hairline. I had to accept the fact every time I smoked my hair felt like shit, so I quit. 4 days later my hair feels amazing and I can see new hairs growing in already. So it’s either my thyroid and weed not
Mixing well, a certain herb I asked to have in me me for test boost, or I suddenly cannot handle marijuana anymore. But if you smoke and feel that awful tingle feeling… Stop if you care.
from personal experience my hair has been thinning since i was 29. im 34 now. i smoke regularly and believe that because ive smoked my hair has taken longer to die off. i think this is true in my case because its thinned and ive lost it very slowly this past five years until i stopped smoking 4 months ago..since i stopped it fallen out and thinned at what very much seems to be a quicker rate. ultimately i believe to reverse hair loss one has to maintain a low glycemic diet. And the reason this isnt widely eliminating mens balding and not really validated as a means of solving the problem is because it truly takes brass tax resolve, will, to change ones diet completely and stick with it. it takes anywhere from 9 to 18 months to see results and everyone is looking for a quick easy fix. i honestly believe saying the problem is mainly hereditary is mostly a way for rogaine to deter men from utilizing natural remedies. i mean, hell, you are what you eat, right?
I think that you are all being paranoid.
I smoke weed and I have the thickest hair out there. Most of my friends who also smoke weed (daily) are the hippy type and the have the longest hair I have seen out there. I’ve seen weed smoker with their hair down to their belt.
The issue here is stress. I’m not a stressful person and I would never smoke weed because of stress. I do it socially to have a blast with friends. Not as a type of “medication”.
All of you should look into parasite and liver cleanses. Weed shouldn’t be doing that to you. Parasites can ruin your life, not pot