Could your hair be telling you you’re iron deficient?

If you’re a hairlista, you might be aware that protein, B vitamins, green veggies, and lot of water are all key components to healthy, growing hair. But one element might be missing from your internal hair care  regimen–iron. Women who suffer from heavy monthly periods or fibroids are especially vulnerable to iron deficiency and anemia because of increased blood loss. Since iron helps to carry oxygen to all the cells of the body, then you can guess how a low iron count can slow activity of the scalp. Studies even show that iron deficiency can cause hair loss. Since I suffer from both heavy periods and fibroids, all that blood-letting leaves me weak and iron starved, so I’ve tried a variety of different modes to deliver this element so that it is readily and easily absorbed by my body. The old school way is Mom’s liver and onions, but no chance in Hades am I going to choke that down.

Since I’m not a fan of pills (they are horrid at absorption; don’t let the label fool you), I lean toward iron delivery in liquid form. Here’s my two favorites:

Floradix Iron + Herbs ($35.00) I used this formula religiously after I gave birth to The Babster. For reasons probably attributed to stress (her premature birth, my father’s death) I bled for almost two months. I started taking the iron and herbs, and the bleeding ceased and I regained energy. It has a pleasant taste that reminds me of prune juice. The only downside is the expense. One bottle only lasts two weeks.

I’m really excited about a new product I’ve discovered called Spatone purAbsorb Iron, which delivers iron in a low dose is small water-based liquid packs that you can drink straight. The directions recommend you take the supplement in diluted orange juice, because the Vitamin C helps with absorption. Since fruit juice of any kind (except lemon and lime) is a no-no for me, I’ll just squeeze some fresh lime juice in a glass of water and put the contents of the packet in. It tastes just like water with a tinge of metallic aftertaste, but nowhere near gag-worthy. The marketing materials claim the water comes from the “Snowdonia mountain range in North Wales, United Kingdom.” I don’t really care where it’s from as long as it works, and at $17.99, you get 28 packets–about a month’s worth.