Hair Loss from Zepbound or Ozempic? What Science Says and What to Do About It
- Jennifer Hardy
- 6 days ago
- 11 min read
You started Ozempic (or Zepbound, or Wegovy) to feel better in your body, yet now you're mid-panic, wondering why so much hair is falling out. It leads many to believe that Ozempic or Zepbound causes hair loss. Some even consider stopping GLP-1 meds because of it.
Enough GLP-1 Newsroom readers reached out to us privately that it warrants a full article to calm nerves and explain what's really happening when it comes to hair loss and weight loss intertwined.
In this article, we'll address:
What causes hair loss while taking semaglutide or tirzepatide?
What is normal or abnormal hair loss?
Will hair grow back after falling out?
What can I do to stop the shedding of hair?
This information is important because it's going to show a different cause and effect between hair loss and Ozempic or Zepbound than most people assume. Let's get into it!
Understanding Hair Growth Cycles
To understand how we lose hair, we start with how hair grows. Each strand on your head goes through a cycle made up of three main phases: the growth phase (anagen), the resting phase (telogen), and the shedding phase (exogen).
Anagen: The Growth Phase
This is the active phase when your hair is growing from the follicle. It can last anywhere from two to seven years, depending on genetics, hormones, and overall health. About 85% to 90% of the hair on your head is in this phase at any given time.
Every person has a genetically determined “hair cycle clock,” which sets the maximum length of time a follicle stays in growth mode. That’s why some people can grow waist-length hair and others max out at their shoulders.
Telogen: The Resting Phase
In this stage, the hair follicle is basically taking a break. It lasts about two to three months. During this time, the hair isn’t growing, but it’s also not falling out yet. Around 10% to 15% of your hair is typically in telogen.
This is the phase that starts the hair loss process that people try to connect to GLP-1s like Ozempic or Zepbound. It will be a few months before the shedding begins.
Exogen: The Shedding Phase
This is when the resting hair is released and falls out to make space for a new strand to grow. As part of the natural cycle, you can lose 50 to 100 hairs a day in this phase without it being noticeable. It's when that amount triples that you should start getting worried.
What Is Excessive Hair Loss?
Telogen effluvium is a type of hair shedding that happens when a large number of hair follicles shift from the growth phase (anagen) into the resting/shedding phase (telogen) too early. It’s the body’s response to some kind of stress and typically starts 2–3 months after the trigger(s).
Generally, noticeable bald spots, more than 300 hairs a day falling out, or clumps of hair seen in the sink or shower indicate hair loss is abnormal.
There are two types of telogen effluvium—acute and chronic.
Acute Telogen Effluvium: Short-term shedding triggered by a sudden event like illness or rapid weight loss, usually starting 2–3 months after and resolving within 3–6 months with proper support.
Chronic Telogen Effluvium: Lasts 6 months or more, often with no clear trigger, and is linked to chronic conditions.
If you're dealing with hair loss while changing eating and nutrition habits on Ozempic or Zepbound, that's acute telogen effluvium. The concern turns chronic if you don't address the root cause of the root hair loss.
What Causes Hair Loss and Is There REALLY a GLP-1 Connection?
This part is important because there could be a lot more going on than just hair loss if you write it off as a GLP-1 issue. Three of the biggest factors for hair health include hormones, inflammation, and nutrient consumption.
A wide range of health issues can disrupt your hair growth cycle, including:
Thyroid disorders
Autoimmune conditions like lupus or alopecia areata
Chronic illness
Iron deficiency anemia
Long COVID
Where we might see connections between hair loss and Ozempic or Zepbound is less about the medications and more about the side effects or lifestyle impacts the patients deal with.
Here's why: Your body doesn’t care about your hair the way you do. Hair growth isn’t essential for survival, so when your body senses stress, it starts reallocating resources. And one of the first systems to get cut from the budget is your hair.
That means if you're dealing with hair loss from GLP-1s, the stressor happened a few months ago. What could that stressor be?
Sudden Weight Loss
Any dramatic drop in weight, regardless of how it happens, can trigger telogen effluvium. Your body perceives the change as stress and reallocates energy away from non-essential processes, like hair growth. Shedding usually shows up two to three months later and can be intense but temporary.
Nutritional Deficiencies
Hair needs fuel. Not getting enough protein, iron, zinc, or certain B vitamins can weaken the follicles and push hairs into the resting phase. Even if you're eating regularly, poor absorption or restrictive diets can create silent deficits that show up in your hair first.
Protein: Hair is made almost entirely of a protein called keratin. When you're under stress or not eating enough, protein is diverted to repair tissue, maintain muscle, and support enzyme production, not hair.
Iron: Iron supports oxygen transport in the blood. If you’re low on it, your body prioritizes hemoglobin production over fueling follicles. Hair follicles are very sensitive to even mild iron deficiency.
Zinc and Biotin: These are involved in cell division and keratin production. During stress or poor intake, they're shuttled to the skin, gut, immune system, or metabolism, where they’re needed more urgently.
Stress
Emotional stress, chronic anxiety, illness recovery, or even positive stressors like planning a wedding can shock the system into shedding. You may not feel "stressed," but your body reacts to the cumulative strain, especially if it’s prolonged or combined with other triggers.
Chronic stress can cause vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels), reducing circulation to the scalp. Less blood flow means fewer nutrients delivered to the follicles.
Hormones
Hormonal shifts disrupt the hair growth cycle. Whether triggered by stress or other life choices, estrogen, progesterone, thyroid hormones, testosterone, DHT, and cortisol are crucial to maintaining anagen (growth phase) hair.
Women are particularly vulnerable to hair loss during certain hormonal shifts in life, including:
Postpartum: Estrogen drops sharply after childbirth, leading to sudden shedding about 2–4 months later.
Perimenopause and Menopause: As estrogen and progesterone levels decline, hair can thin gradually. Lower hormone levels may also allow androgens (like testosterone) to impact hair follicles through thinning, shortened growth cycle, or longer resting phase.
Stopping or changing birth control: Hormonal contraceptives regulate estrogen and progesterone. Coming off them can trigger shedding as hormone levels rebalance.
Thyroid dysfunction: Both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can disrupt the hair cycle. Women are more likely to develop thyroid conditions, especially after pregnancy or during perimenopause.
The GLP-1 connection to hair loss starts to reveal itself when we look at those triggers. Semaglutide and tirzepatide can accelerate weight loss and blunt your appetite. That often leads to eating less than your body needs, especially in terms of protein, iron, and key micronutrients.
When your body perceives that it’s not getting enough fuel, it goes into preservation mode: keep the heart pumping, the brain functioning, the organs working. Hair? Not a priority.
Know the Difference Between Hair Loss and Hair Breakage
Hair loss and hair breakage might look the same in your brush, but they’re totally different problems. Hair loss (telogen effluvium) happens at the root.
Hair breakage happens along the strand, not at the root. It’s caused by dryness, over-styling, bleach, heat tools, or rough brushing. You’ll notice split ends, frizz, or short, uneven pieces, especially around the crown or hairline.
The follicle is fine, but the strand is weak or brittle. Knowing the difference helps you fix it the right way: support your body from the inside for shedding, and treat your strands more gently if they’re snapping.
If you’re noticing hair falling out in patches or distinct bald spots, it’s likely something other than telogen effluvium, such as alopecia areata.
A Simple Test for Hair Loss
If you’re trying to figure out whether you’re losing hair from the root or just experiencing breakage, take a look at the strands that naturally come out in your brush or after washing.
Hairs that have an elongated and tapered appearance with a darker bulb at the end were in the growth phase.
If you see a tiny white bulb at one end, that’s a sign the whole hair was shed from the follicle in the telogen (resting) phase.
If the strand has no bulb and looks frayed or snapped, it’s likely breakage.
If you notice a large number of white bulbs, you could be dealing with telogen effluvium.
(A) A long sheath covers the anagen hair root. (B) The telogen hair root is club-shaped and without a sheath.
What to Do when a GLP-Diet Leads to Hair Falling Out
Remember, the hair loss you're experiencing now goes back to almost three months ago. That's why we recommend keeping a food diary to track triggers for side effects, including hair loss. It also means that what you do TODAY will impact how your hair looks, feels, and grows in another three months.
Before you ditch the Ozempic or Zepbound due to hair loss, consider doing these five things:
Prioritize Protein to Support Hair and Muscle
With appetite suppressed, it’s easy to under-eat, especially protein. But your body needs it to build and maintain lean muscle, keep metabolism stable, and fuel hair growth. Try to hit at least 60–100g of high-quality protein per day to support both your hair and your GLP-1 goals.
Run Labs to Catch Hidden Deficiencies
Fatigue, brittle nails, and hair loss can all signal something deeper, like low iron, zinc, or thyroid issues. GLP-1s can change how your body absorbs and uses nutrients, so ask your provider to test ferritin, vitamin D, B12, TSH, and zinc. You can’t fix what you don’t measure.
Match the Shedding Timeline to Your Dose or Diet Changes
If hair started falling out two to three months after you began or increased your dose, or when your appetite really dropped, you’re likely dealing with telogen effluvium. It’s temporary, but your body’s telling you something: it’s undernourished or stressed.
Fill in the Gaps with Supplements Smartly
Many GLP-1 users benefit from a solid multivitamin, especially during periods of reduced intake. Choose one with iron, zinc, and biotin if you’re missing those in your diet. But don’t go overboard—especially with iron, which can cause problems if you don’t actually need it.
Trust the Regrowth Process
This phase won’t last forever. Hair that’s been pushed into shedding mode can regrow once your body gets what it needs. Supporting your system now through balanced eating, stress management, and strength training reinforces everything GLP-1s are designed to do.
Don’t Starve Yourself or Skip Meals
If you’re skipping meals, eating too little, or just “forgetting to eat,” your body will respond by slowing non-essential functions like hair growth. A calorie deficit should come from smarter choices, not nutritional neglect. GLP-1s help reduce food noise, but you still need food. Keep the focus on nourishment, not restriction.
What Products Can Help with Hair Loss?
Normally, this is where GLP-1 Newsroom staff would provide a list of links and photos highlighting the products to help reduce hair loss or strengthen hair. While we use affiliate links when we recommend products, we won't share pricy "solutions" that don't have science backing up the effectiveness or safety. We also don't recommend products we haven't used and seen results with.
In addition, we want to approach the hair loss connected to Ozempic or Zepbound stress, weight loss, or nutritional issues at the heart of the matter. That means getting enough nutrients. Fix the food intake, and add supplements of essential hair needs.
Even products that claim to restore hair growth and volume within six months mainly work with your hair's natural rhythm. Use that time to balance your nutrition and supplement your body from the inside out.
Would a Biotin Supplement Help Hair Loss?
Maybe—but only if you actually need it. Biotin (vitamin B7) plays a role in keratin production, which is why it’s in just about every “hair, skin, and nails” supplement. But despite the hype, biotin deficiency is rare. If your levels are already normal, taking more won’t magically speed up growth or stop shedding.
That said, some people, especially those eating less due to GLP-1 meds, following restrictive diets, or recovering from illness, can become borderline deficient. In those cases, a biotin supplement (1,000–5,000 mcg daily) may help strengthen new growth and reduce breakage over time. Don't bother with the pricy brands; you can get a three-month supply for less than $10.
Keep in mind: biotin won’t fix hormone-driven shedding or telogen effluvium caused by stress or nutrient loss. It’s a supportive ingredient, not a standalone solution. Biotin can also interfere with lab tests, especially thyroid and cardiac labs. Before you add this supplement to your diet, talk with your doctor.
Does Rogaine Help with Hair Loss from GLP-1 Diets?
One of the only FDA-approved treatments for hair loss is Minoxidil, better known by the brand name Rogaine. Oral and aerosol versions are approved specifically for men and women. However, there are three important points here:
Rogaine is only approved for androgenetic alopecia, which is a progressive, hormone-related condition (like male or female pattern baldness). That doesn't include acute telogen effluvium (TE).
The women's version approval clearly states, "WOMEN’S ROGAINE® Foam will not prevent or improve hair loss related to pregnancy, the use of some prescription and non-prescription medications, certain severe nutritional problems (very low body iron; excessive vitamin A intake), the recently discontinued use of birth control pills, low thyroid states (hypothyroidism), chemotherapy, or diseases which cause scarring of the scalp."
The men's version also says, "ROGAINE® Foam will not prevent or improve hair loss which may occur with the use of some prescription and non-prescription medications, certain severe nutritional problems, (very low body iron, too much vitamin A), low thyroid states, chemotherapy or disease which causes scarring of the scalp."
That goes back to what we initially said — poor nutrition habits or stress of rapid weight loss will still impact hair growth.
Will Collagen Supplements Help Hair Loss from GLP-1 Lifestyles?
Collagen should be an important part of any GLP-1-supported diet for several reasons—and yes, hair is one of them.
GLP-1 medications often reduce appetite and slow digestion, which can lead to low protein intake without you realizing it. Collagen provides key amino acids like glycine, proline, and hydroxyproline that your body uses to build keratin, the main structural protein in hair.
So while collagen won’t stop shedding caused by stress or nutrient loss, it can help strengthen regrowth and reduce breakage once your hair cycle stabilizes.
Collagen also supports skin elasticity and firmness, making it especially helpful for those worried about “Ozempic face” or sagging skin as fat comes off quickly. It’s not a miracle cure, but it’s a smart, supportive addition, especially if your overall protein intake is low.
Understanding this helps take some of the fear and mystery out of hair loss. It's not about vanity—it’s a signal that your body needs more support. And in most cases, with the right nutrients and time, the cycle resets and growth returns.
How to Hide Hair Loss During GLP-1 Transitions
I’ve dealt with fine, thin hair my entire life, plus an overwhelming belief that I was meant to be blonde, but God just forgot. So I bleached, highlighted, and basically asked a lot from hair that never had much volume to begin with.
Now that I’m 50 and in the throes of menopause, it’s a whole new level. My hair is getting thinner, shedding more than ever, and growing back slower. It’s not just about damage anymore—it’s hormones, stress, nutrition, all of it. And while I can’t control the biology, I can control how I work with what I’ve got.
I use BOLDIFY hairline powder to help hide the gray hair creeping in and bring the appearance of fullness back from my rapidly growing hairline. Here's a before-and-after photo I took tonight. You can see on the left the grayed hair and excessive scalp exposure, with a thicker look on the right.
Handle Future Hair Health and Fight Hair Loss Now
With a restored focus on nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, paired with a consistent eating schedule and enough protein, your body can recover. Hair grows back when it feels safe and supported. Give it what it needs, stay patient, and know that regrowth is part of the process, not a lost cause.
