Skin problems like dullness, uneven skin tone, paleness, and yellowing, as well as hair loss and brittle, spooning nails, are signs of iron deficiency. For healthy skin, hair, and nails, we often try many things that don’t work. Sometimes we use expensive lotions, creams, shampoos, and conditioners for beautiful hair and skin, but this can be a waste of money and time.
Our body needs a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals; if something is missing, our body shows the effects of nutrient deficiency. A lack of iron can cause hair loss, dullness, uneven skin tone, and brittle nails. Our body cannot regulate the elimination of iron, so you should take iron as needed. Both a lack of iron and excess iron can be devastating.
All we need is a balanced iron level. Iron helps make blood. A lack of iron means a lack of blood. Lack of iron creates sallow skin, which is a pale, slightly yellowish, dull complexion. We lose our brightness and get an uneven skin tone with red dots on the face. Another sign of a lack of iron is brittle nails and spooning of the nails, making them look scooped. What about hair? It loses texture, and hair loss in men affects the top of the head, while in females, it causes thinning of the hair all over. So, a lack of iron is one big cause of this. Keep in mind, females are more deficient in iron than men. Iron and blood are closely related. Iron is part of hemoglobin, and hemoglobin is part of blood. Loss of blood means loss of iron. Iron is needed for oxygen, so a lack of oxygen makes your skin, hair, and nails suffer.
If you are not taking enough iron in your diet, you become deficient in iron. If your stomach does not have enough hydrochloric acid, you’re not able to absorb iron because the acid in the stomach makes the iron soluble to be absorbed in the small intestine. Any kind of inflammatory gut issue will block the absorption of iron. Also, IBS, Crohn’s, diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, etc., can definitely be an issue. The cause of inflammation in the gut is certain foods that you’re eating, number one being grains and omega-6 fatty acids in grains or things like soy oil, corn oil, or canola oil.
Boost iron by eating red meat and iron-rich foods, and cut out those foods that block iron and cause inflammation. There are two forms of iron: heme iron and nonheme iron. Iron from things like spinach or beans has much lower absorption rates—like spinach has an absorption rate of 1.5, and beans are around 2.2. But when we get to beef liver, the absorption rate is about 15, and for red meat, it’s around 21. So if we compare non-heme sources roughly at a rate of 2 with heme sources like red meat at 21, there is a vast difference. Consuming animal meat gives you a lot more iron.