How to Navigate COVID Hair Loss in 2025

The global COVID pandemic might be over, but for many, long-term symptoms remain – including COVID hair loss. 

While other long COVID symptoms like loss of taste and smell, brain fog, and joint pain are less visible, hair loss after COVID can be very noticeable, especially around people you see regularly. 

Today, we’re going to explore the different causes of hair loss, what kind of hair loss is most common with COVID, and how to support hair health while it’s growing back. 

Why does hair fall out?

It’s perfectly normal to want to find out why your hair is falling out. There are no wrong questions. One question our clients have asked is, “Is hair loss a sign of cancer?” 

The short answer: no, hair loss is not a primary symptom of cancer – though it can be a side effect of some cancer treatments like chemotherapy. So breathe deep, hair loss does not mean you have cancer. 

There are a many reasons your hair could be falling out, such as:

• stress,

• medication,

• a chemical imbalance,

• a vitamin imbalance, or

• (long) COVID.

Another explanation of hair loss is that if your body needs a certain vitamin or mineral for important functions that would otherwise support hair growth, your body can sometimes divert those nutrients, causing hair loss.

 

What’s The Connection Between COVID And Hair Loss?

Now, let’s focus on COVID hair loss specifically. The most common type of COVID hair loss is telogen effluvium. This Latin name refers to shedding your hair in large amounts or clumps. It was found that telogen effluvium was most prevalent in people who had mild COVID symptoms. 

COVID hair loss can start as soon as 2 months after you have recovered from COVID, and it can last anywhere from 3 to 6 months. Regrowth typically begins 3 to 6 months after the shedding period ends, while complete regrowth can take anywhere from 6 to 8 months after your initial symptoms. It’s worth clarifying that these are general time frames, and you shouldn’t worry if your hair regrowth takes a bit longer. 

No matter what situation you are in, it’s always worth checking with your PCP for up-to-date medical advice, especially if your hair loss continues for more than 6 months, you have bald patches, or you develop a continuous itchy scalp. Additionally, long COVID can also cause scalp pain or soreness, increased grey hair, and dandruff. 

How Do I Know If I Have Telogen Effluvium?

Telogen effluvium signs to look out for include:

• an increase in the amount of hair in your hairbrush when brushing or styling,

• finding more hair in the drain after washing your hair,

• noticing thinner hair around your crown or temples, 

• a decrease in your hair’s thickness, and

• the thinning of your eyebrows and eyelashes. 

There is hope. In most cases, COVID hair loss due to telogen effluvium does grow back. Even so, it may take some time and patience.

What Can I Do To Support My Hair Regrowth?

Three primary ways to support new hair growth include: getting the right vitamins and nutrition, stress management, and gentle hair habits. While it may be tempting to consider a medication like Monoxidil to help with regrowth, there is no conclusive evidence that it helps with hair loss after COVID. 

Vitamins And Nutrition

You can check with your doctor to see if you are low on any of these nutritional elements and increase them with supplements and informed food choices where necessary:

• protein,

• iron,

• vitamin D,

• vitamin C, 

• zinc, 

• folic acid, and

• vitamin B12.

Stress Management

If you are regularly experiencing high stress levels, you might want to consider implementing some of the following exercises – or you could always come up with your own.

1. Exercise: Moving around more can help blood with blood flow and overall stress management. It’s great to have a physical outlet!

2. Sleep: Healing happens at night. Getting into the right sleep habits and timing can work wonders for your health. 

3. Self-care: Taking time for yourself, outside of your responsibilities and duties to others, can help you breathe, relax, and recover your inner peace – speaking of which… 

4. Meditation: You don’t have to be religious to try meditation. There are plenty of exercises and prompts out there to help you regulate your breathing, engage your imagination, and reflect on what you are thinking and feeling.

5. Laughter! Finding things that make you chuckle can unlock more than a belly laugh. Laughter really is medicine for the soul.

6. Healthy relationships: Humans are social creatures, so it’s no wonder we thrive when we’re cultivating healthy relationships. Having friends and family you can trust to walk with you through life can do a world of good for your wellbeing.

7. Therapy: Sometimes, you just need to talk to a professional – someone who will listen to you confidentially, patiently and carefully. Counselors and therapists are trained to help you process your stress.

Gentle Hair Habits

If you’ve experienced COVID hair loss – or any other kind of hair loss, for that matter – it’s important you give your hair the chance to regrow healthily by avoiding:

• pony tails or tight braids that pull on your hair,

• brushing your hair aggressively, 

• excessive heat styling, and 

• harsh treatments like coloring, perming, or chemically straightening your hair.

One way to support your journey back to healthy hair is to monitor your progress at home by testing at regular intervals. All you have to do is: brush your hair for 1 minute, then gather the hair in your brush to see how much is falling out. That test is your baseline. If you set a time every week to do this, and make notes on what you see, you’ll be able to track your progress.

What Can I Do About My Hair While It Is Regrowing?

In the meantime, if you are nervous about how your hair looks after COVID hair loss, we would love to help you improve your confidence in your hair. While some people opt for a head covering, not everyone is comfortable with that option. If that’s true for you, why not consider a wig or hair topper?

At Hair Enhancements, we take time in our studio or on a confidential Zoom call to listen to your story and get to know your unique hair loss needs. We love getting to know clients like you so we can create one-of-a-kind, custom wig or hair topper designs to suit your exact lifestyle and needs. So if you need help regaining your confidence while waiting for your hair to grow back after COVID, don’t worry; we’ve got you covered.

Book your confidential consultation today, so we can help you find your perfect fit.