Environmental Exposures & Hair Health: Pesticides

In our modern world, it is impossible to avoid every single toxic ingredient, pollutant, or environmental exposure that we may come into contact with. Thankfully, our bodies have built-in support to help get rid of, or “detox”, these toxins from the body. Even so, it’s helpful to try to reduce exposures where we can. We don’t have control over every possible exposure that exists; exposure to car exhaust, for example, while walking through a city, is inevitable. Thankfully, we do have more control over other areas, like the products we use, the supplements we take, and the food we eat. Here, we’ll discuss the possible impact of pesticides on our health and our hair, and ways to mitigate it.

Pesticides are chemicals used to help control unwanted organisms, or “pests”, mainly in agricultural settings. The term “pesticides” is often used as a blanket term to include not only pesticides but also herbicides (to control weeds), fungicides (to control fungi/spores), insecticides (to control insects), and more.¹ 

As pesticides are most commonly used in agricultural settings, the negative health impacts of occupational pesticide exposure in settings such as farming, landscaping, and gardening have been well-established in research.² In addition, there is a growing body of evidence showing negative health outcomes in people who live near or frequently visit golf courses, sports facilities, nurseries, vineyards, and other areas treated with high levels of pesticides.²

Those of us who do not work in these occupations or live near these areas are not fully off the hook, however. Annually, over 1 billion pounds of 500 different pesticides are used in the United States, ending up on ingredients that make their way into food, supplements, and personal care products. Since pesticides can be absorbed through skin, inhaled, or ingested, many of us experience low-dose, ongoing pesticide exposure.^1,3 Newer research shows that it’s not just exposure to excessive amounts of pesticides, like living near or working in agricultural settings, but also smaller everyday pesticide exposures that can increase the risk of negative health outcomes.³ 

There are many studies on pesticide exposure showing an increased risk in the development of multiple disease states.^1,4-5 Some ingredients and particles found within pesticides have been shown to trigger an immune response and can also impact hormones, which creates the potential to have negative downstream effects on our hair.¹ 

Environmental exposure can also impact the hair follicles directly through contamination and absorption through the skin and scalp, as well as internal exposure from toxins entering the bloodstream from inhalation or ingestion.¹ This results in toxin exposure on the hair from inside and out, which has the potential to cause direct injury to the hair follicles and impact all hair follicle functions.¹

And how do we know pesticides are ending up in the hair? Our hair is considered a detox organ. When our body wants to get rid of something, for example, pesticides, it will push them out into the hair as the hair grows. As the hair grows, the toxins effectively leave the body. This is why hair testing is a common way in which environmental exposures like pesticides are evaluated.^1,6-7 

Pesticide exposure alone may not seem like much of a challenge for your hair or body to detox, but keep in mind that most of us are exposed to multiple environmental factors at once,  from pesticides and herbicides to heavy metals, tobacco smoke, and chemicals commonly found in our personal care products.¹ Many studies focus on single-exposure concerns, but do not explore how the real-life long-term combination of multiple exposures interacts with each other or within the body.⁶ Reducing the combination of exposures we are all exposed to, where possible, may support whole-body and hair health.

Supplements are made with ingredients that could be exposed to pesticides, and while the FDA regulates dietary supplements, it is up to individual supplement companies to take initiatives with their research, sourcing, and testing to make sure they are manufacturing products that do not contain unsafe amounts of contaminants. Third-party certification can help you make safer choices when choosing supplements.

Nutrafol Hair Growth Nutraceuticals are NSF Certified for Sport^®, the “gold standard” for supplement quality and safety. The NSF Certified for Sport^® label means a supplement has gone through rigorous quality assurance testing, including label claim verification, expert toxicology reviews of every ingredient, and testing for contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides.

Some supplements may also have ingredients with antioxidant activity to support the body's normal metabolic processes. Some ingredients found in Nutrafol Hair Growth Nutraceuticals may provide support, including:

Pesticides are a common environmental exposure to consider when supporting whole body and hair health. The largest exposure risk tends to be among agricultural workers, but any of us may be exposed to pesticides through secondary air, water, or soil pollution or through the food we eat or products we use. Pesticides are associated with adverse health outcomes, which can impact our whole body, but also impact our hair through negative downstream effects or through direct impact on the hair follicles. Reducing pesticide exposure, such as choosing organic food or supplements with third-party testing, may help to support overall body and hair health, especially in the long-term.