The Truth About Energy Drinks And Hair Loss

Hair loss can be caused by many factors such as chronic stress, hormone imbalances, and over-styling. But have you ever considered energy drinks and their potential connection to hair loss?

It’s probably never crossed your mind. Diet plays a huge role in hair growth and hair health, so could it be true that drinking your favorite energy drinks leads to hair loss?

Let’s discuss this further.

Energy Drinks And Hair Loss

While the occasional consumption of energy drinks does not lead to hair loss, excessive amounts can indirectly lead to hair thinning and hair loss, caused by health problems and imbalances in the body.

The Impact of Energy Drinks On Hair Loss

Energy drinks contain caffeine, sugar, and artificial ingredients that are deemed to be quite unhealthy. For that reason, it is not recommended to consume energy drinks as part of a regular diet.

Occasional consumption should have very little impact on your health, which means it’s unlikely to be the cause of hair loss.

However, if you regularly consume energy drinks, this can cause a host of problems within the body.

The following problems caused by energy drinks could lead to hair loss:

Stress

Regular consumption of energy drinks is often linked to stress, anxiety, and irritability.

This is simply due to high amounts of caffeine and sugar which can put the body in overdrive.

Too much of anything is a bad thing, and caffeine is a well-known stimulant that increases activity in the body.

Can this have an impact on your hair? Well, of course, because it affects the entire body.

When the body is under too much stress and strain, this can cause hair to fall out. As distressing as this may be, it’s important to note that this isn’t permanent.

If you’re losing hair due to stress, consider seeing a doctor and dietician to make changes to your diet and lifestyle.

Also Read: How To Use Moringa For Hair Loss (For Best Results)

Lack Of Nutrients

It’s not surprising to know that energy drinks contain no vitamins and minerals. They are what is often described as ‘empty calories’.

With normal consumption, this wouldn’t be an issue, as you can balance it out with good amounts of fruit, vegetables, protein, and fiber.

But it becomes a problem if your diet revolves around sugar and caffeine instead.

Did you know that vitamins stimulate new hair follicles? With insufficient nutrients in the body, this can lead to hair thinning, breaking, and ultimately falling out.

A balanced, varied diet is key to healthy hair. If you think you are consuming too many energy drinks, try to replace them with an alternative that is naturally caffeine and sugar-free.

Type 2 Diabetes

Drinking too many energy drinks is linked with Type 2 diabetes, and this is because caffeine reduces insulin sensitivity.

Unfortunately, those with Type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of developing alopecia areata.

This condition leads to the loss of hair, particularly on the top of the head, where there may be patches of hair missing.

An increase in stress along with diabetes can worsen the condition and lead to further hair loss, too.

Also Read: Sealing Hair For Length Retention: How To Guide

Caffeine Overdose

If you consume energy drinks very frequently (multiple cans a day) then this can lead to a serious case of caffeine overdose.

Excessive coffee drinkers are also at risk of this. It can lead to heart problems, high blood pressure, and hormone imbalances.

Any of these potential health conditions can cause irregularities and imbalances in the body, which in turn, can make your hair fall out.

What about Sugar-Free Energy Drinks and Hair Loss?

The problem with sugar-free energy drinks is that in absence of the sugar, it needs to be replaced with filler ingredients such as artificial additives.

These can be detrimental to your health, potentially increasing the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

Not all sugar-free energy drinks are created equally, though, so look out for artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, saccharin, and sucralose.

These sweeteners may give the drink a good flavor, but with regular consumption, they can cause negative impacts on your health.

In turn, this could lead to hair loss and hair thinning, as an indirect cause of these beverages.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you have to stop drinking energy drinks altogether or cut out sugar entirely from your diet, it just means that you should reduce your consumption and try to aim for a balanced diet.

This will ensure that your hair is strong, healthy, and growing.

Also Read: 7 Reasons Why Hair Products Stop Working (How To Fix)

But Isn’t Caffeine Beneficial For Hair?

You may have heard that caffeine is very beneficial to the hair, and that’s completely true.

However, when we discuss caffeine for the hair, we are referring to topical use and not oral use.

In fact, caffeine can actually help reduce hair loss and keep hair healthy and growing at a faster rate. The reason for this is that caffeine, when applied topically, stimulates old and new hair follicles and promotes growth.

It also improves scalp circulation and delivers essential nutrients to the hair, which improves the overall health and condition of the hair.

There are products that have caffeine in them that can be applied and left on the hair, while some people reap the benefits by directly applying coffee all over the hair.

General Causes Of Hair Loss

energy drinks and hairloss

Now we’ve debunked the myths surrounding energy drinks and hair loss, it’s time to look at the more likely causes of hair loss.

Crash diets

Crash diets may involve losing an excessive amount of weight over a short period of time, which can be a real shock for the body.

Not only does it put a strain on the system, but it has an impact on your hair as well. As you know, the health of your hair depends on its intake of nutrients.

Diets that are low in calories can lead to inefficient vitamins and nutrients that are vital for hair health. It’s very likely that this will lead to hair loss.

Make sure to seek help and guidance from either a doctor, dietician or nutritionist if you are struggling with weight loss.

Genetics

Unfortunately, some people are more susceptible to hair thinning and hair loss simply due to genetics.

It’s not something that can be prevented or even controlled, and it often leads to a delay in new hair growth.

It can occur in your teens, 20s, 30s, or 40s. At first, you may notice a gradual thinning on the top of the head, exposing your scalp. Or you may even start to notice patches of hair missing.

If you are losing hair due to genetics then not all hope is lost, there are certain treatments that are available.

Minoxidil is one of the most common and popular treatments for hair loss. It’s applied to the scalp to prevent further hair loss and promote hair growth.

Also Read: Is Sparkling Water Good For Your Scalp? (Solved)

Over-styling

Many people are unaware that they could be damaging the hair follicles by repetitive styling, pulling, and twisting of the hair.

Hair is delicate and it needs time to breathe and relax. Things like pulling your hair back too tightly, putting your hair in braids, and the use of chemical relaxers could be weakening your hair over time.

The overuse of products may also cause a build-up of oil which can block the hair follicles which makes them weak.

When the hair follicles become damaged, this can halt new hair growth, leading to hair loss and bald patches.

What To Do If You Are Experiencing Hair Loss?

If you experience any kind of hair thinning and hair loss, then you must not ignore it.

While it’s normal to shed 50 to 100 strands of hair a day, it does become quite noticeable when you are shedding more hair than what’s expected.

Here’s what you should do if you suddenly experience hair loss.

  • Book an appointment with your doctor to do tests or medication reviews
  • Increase your intake of nutrients
  • Ensure you are eating a balanced diet
  • Stop using heated tools on your hair for a while
  • Give your hair time to breathe by styling it in low maintenance hairstyles such as a low ponytail or wear it down but wear a headband to keep it out of your face
  • Change hair products to an all-natural formula

Disclaimer: This site is not intended to provide professional or medical advice. All of the content on LovedByCurls.com is for informational purposes only. All advice should be followed at your own discretion. Ingredients may change at any time so always check the product label before using. Check our full disclaimer policy here.

Photo of author

Coralle Skye

Coralle is an experienced beauty writer with a passion for wellness, women’s health, and sustainability.